Inclusive education systems and inclusive societies can only be realised if governments are aware of the nature of the challenges they are required to face and committed to address them.
Disability is not a minority issue – in some developing countries, it is estimated that half of the population could be affected, if one includes the families of disabled people. Yet inadequate policy attention to disability issues is holding back national progress towards realising all children’s right to education. Unless and until the systemic challenges faced by disabled children are specifically acknowledged and addressed, around 23 million who are currently out of school will remain out of school and international targets for education, most notably the second Millennium Development Goal (MDG) and the Education for All (EFA) goals, will remain unmet.
Failure to act will mean yet another generation of humanity will be disempowered due to a lack of education – just because they are disabled.
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Sightsavers and disability rights
To achieve quality education for all, disability inclusion is critical
At the CIES conference, there were many examples of innovative uses of digital technology, but strategies for reaching children with disabilities were rarely discussed.
Sightsavers at the CIES education conference 2025
We attended the conference in Chicago on 22-26 March to share Sightsavers’ expertise, engage with the education community and explore how we can help to transform inclusive education.
Sightsavers’ IT Bridge Academy wins top-performing academy award
The IT Bridge Academy, which supports young people with disabilities to train for a career in IT, received the accolade from technology company Cisco.
