Education and Intellectual Disability
Education and Intellectual Disability in Easy to Read.
Everyone has a fundamental right to education, and all individuals must be given the opportunity to learn in a setting that takes into account their unique characteristics and abilities. People with special educational needs should have access to mainstream schools that use a student-centered approach, respecting the differences among students. Promoting access to mainstream education for all people should be a key government policy, and governments should ensure that adequate resources are allocated for this purpose.
People with intellectual disabilities in Central and Eastern Europe face major challenges in exercising their fundamental right to education. Stigma, prejudice and discrimination are widespread in educational systems that exclude thousands of people with intellectual disabilities on the basis of their diagnoses alone and irrespective of their abilities. Many thousands of people with intellectual disabilities live segregated in institutions across the region, and most of these people have no access to any form of education at all.
Real access to education for people with intellectual disabilities is critical to ensuring that they can live and work in the community as equal citizens. There is a strong link between education and employment. Without access to adequate education, people with intellectual disabilities cannot secure meaningful employment. Thus, denial of access to education leads to life-long dependency, poverty and social exclusion for people with intellectual disabilities. These conditions, in turn, add to the existing stigma of intellectual disability.
The education section of this web site contains the latest publications and reports on education for people with intellectual disabilities. The best practices page contains examples of high-quality education services. You will also find a page of useful links for further information on intellectual disability and education.