Inclusive Education Working Group

The concept of inclusion recognizes that some individuals face barriers to enjoying their right to education on an equal footing due to discrimination based on age, gender, or other diversity factors, such as disability, religion, ethnicity, and/or status as refugees, asylum seekers, IDPs, returnees or stateless persons.

Barriers can be related to policy and law, the physical environment, communication, and social and cultural beliefs. Barriers can manifest in legal frameworks and norms; institutional policies, standard operating procedures, and budgets; and in attitudes and behaviors.

Objectives

• Practice: Produce, disseminate, and promote the use of practical, inclusive education resources for EiE practitioners and policy-makers.
• Capacity Sharing: Influence EiE training schemes to promote inclusive education principles and practice more effectively.
• Advocacy: Produce advocacy messages and information that can be used to get greater attention and support for inclusive EiE interventions.

The IEWG focuses on inclusive education for all marginalized groups (whether based on disability, ethnicity, gender, language, poverty, etc.). However, the Team also has a specific focus on disability, acknowledging that children and adults with disabilities are often the most excluded from education during periods of crisis and emergency and that the barriers to participation in learning for people with disabilities are often perceived to be the most challenging during emergencies.

Membership

The Inclusive Education Working Group is open to INEE members interested in developing quality, inclusive, learner-centered education for all before, during, and after emergencies. The Working Group conveners will send updates that highlight relevant news and resources and keep members informed of Working Group activities and tasks. Please note that joining an INEE Working Group implies that you are ready and willing to contribute some of your time and expertise to the goals of the Working Group.

INEE members with interest and expertise in the thematic area of inclusive education may indicate their interest in joining the Working Group by directly sending an introductory email to the co-chairs at [email protected].

If you are interested in the IEWG work but are not yet a member of INEE, please join us - www.inee.org/user/register.

Key Resources

• Inclusive Education in Emergencies Training Module
• Disability-inclusive Education in Emergencies: Key concepts, approaches, and principles for practice
• Inclusive Distance Education Toolkit
• Disability-Inclusive EiE Resources Mapping and Gap Analysis
• INEE Pocket Guide to Supporting Learners with Disabilities
• INEE Pocket Guide to Inclusive Education
• INEE Thematic Issue Brief: Inclusive Education