1st Edition
The Journey for Inclusive Education in the Indian Sub-Continent
Despite national and international commitments to Education for All, and the Millennium Development Goals to assure universal primary education by 2015, over 90% of children with disabilities remain excluded from regular education in countries of the south. This book describes a three decade-long change initiative in India to enable children with disabilities to move from segregation and exclusion to inclusive education, and draws lessons for confronting global exclusion. It examines the barriers to inclusion of children with disabilities in the Indian sub-continent, estimated at 4% of the population, or 40-50 million children, and implications of the systemic failure within a human rights framework. The book concludes with setting this initiative in a broader context of inclusive education development efforts, and identifies lessons it provides for a global development agenda for inclusive education, including the importance of ensuring strategies that are culturally appropriate and context-specific.
Introduction: Beginning the Journey Part 1: Building a Movement for Inclusion 1. Sowing The Seeds of a Movement for Education of Disabled Children 2. Forgotten Millions Revealed: Macro-level Exclusion 3. Rationale for Change: Promoting Inclusive Education within a Human Rights Framework Part 2: Transforming Schools, Community and Pedagogy Through Research and Action Research 4. Dismantling the Specialist School and Whole School Development 5. The Story of Dharavi 6. Transforming Pedagogy 7. Analysis: Lessons Learned about Transforming Schools, Community and Pedagogy Part 3: Developing Sustainable System Change 8. From Charity to Rights: The Story of ADAPT: Able/Disabled All People Together 9. Changing Public Awareness 10. Moving the Agenda Forward 11. Changing Public Policy on a National Level 12. Lessons Learned about Systemic and Macro Change. Notes. Bibliography. Index
Biography
Mithu Alur, Ph.D. is the Founder and Chairperson of the National Resource Centre for Inclusion, India.
Michael Bach, Ph.D., is Executive Vice-President, Canadian Association for Community Living and Adjunct Professor, Disability Studies, University of Manitoba.
