Barriers

Learners with disabilities are routinely the most marginalized and excluded group in education systems, including in emergencies.Barriers that keep learners with disabilities out of early childhood care and development, schools, colleges and universitiesare amplified during conflicts. Barriers may be environmental, attitudinal or institutional.

The term intersectionality recognizes the many elements of individual identity, such as gender, ethnicity, age, economic status and disability, andthat these interact in ways that often compound advantage or disadvantage. Intersectionality can influence the degree to whicha learner is marginalized or not included in emergency preparedness, response and recovery. It is also important to recognizethat there is diversity within disability. Learners with disabilities or with difficulties in learning are not a homogeneousgroup. A boy with an intellectual disability or a physical disability will face different barriers and may possess differentstrengths to a boy who is deaf or blind. Persons with intellectual or psychosocial disabilities, particularly women and girls,can be the most marginalized during a humanitarian response.120

These and other factors, including location and remoteness, must be systematically identified and mitigated by applying strategiesto ensure that education and lifelong learning in an emergency are inclusive.

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Diagram 7 Barriers to access and inclusion in education

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Flow chart depicting how impacts of the crisis are exacerbated for persons with disabilities in Education.

Impact of crisis includes closure of schools, destruction of infrastructure including roads leading to schools, displacement leading to reduced teacher capacity, insecurity, breakdown of social networks.

These impacts are exacerbated by barriers in the response including:

Environmental barriers

  • - Inaccessible and unsafe transport, roads, buildings, playgrounds, WASH facilities, etc.
  • - Unavailability of assistive devices and alternative or augmentative communications
  • - Inadequate location of temporary learning facilities and child friendly spaces

Attitudinal barriers

  • - Stigma against learners with disabilities
  • - Education staff assume learners with disabilities do not have the capacity to learn or benefit from education

Institutional barriers

  • - Lack of technical capacity to promote the inclusion of learners with disabilities in education policies or programmes
  • - No inclusive education policy or planning in place
  • - No budget provision for inclusive education
  • - Lack of disability date in Education Management Information Systems

The barriers in the response result in risk faced by persons with disabilities including violence, poverty, environmental hazards, deterioration of health, exclusion, isolation, bullying, heightened risk of violence and sexual harassment, etc.

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