1. Creating Inclusive Schools in India Challenges and lessons learned
Imtiaz Mohammed Head of Programmes – Asia and Americas Leonard Cheshire Disability

2. Indian context
Official Census – 21.9 million disabled people. Of this, 52% (11 million) are illiterate
Children with disabilities 5 times more likely to be out-of-school than average.
Children with disabilities rarely progress beyond primary education i.e. their presence in secondary and higher education is almost nil.
Illiteracy extremely high among children with visual, multiple and intellectual disabilities.
Among people with mild disabilities illiteracy is 50%, Severe disabilities it is 75%.
Source: People with Disabilities in India: From Commitments to Outcomes, World Bank, Jul 09

3. Indian context Good Policies in place
India ratified UNCRPD, signatory of Salamanca Declaration
National Persons with Disabilities Act – which mentions rights based entitlement to basic education for disabled people
Government Universal Education Programme (Sarva Siksha Abhiyaan SSA) has a special focus on inclusion education. Key features of SSA -
Cash grant of Rs1200 ($24) per year/child
Emphasis on micro-planning – local education departments given leeway to plan
Involvement of other stakeholders like - resource institutions, NGOs etc.
Zero-rejection policy (No child having special needs can be denied enrollment)

4. Initiatives of Leonard Cheshire Disability
A regional programme across 4 countries (Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka)
Reaching out to 2701 children with disabilities.
107 Child to child club’s formed
2381 teachers trained
217 schools made physically accessible
Figures as on September 09

5. Core Areas of Work Preparatory support Enrollment support
Therapy, Aids, Basic training in mobility, behavioral training, communication skills, Caregiver training
Preparatory support
Sensitisation of school management, Facilitating enrolment, Accessibility – home and transport
Enrollment support
School accessibility, Teacher training, Peer sensitisation, Accessible learning material, tuitions etc., Access to govt. scholarships, pensions
Retention support

6. Key Challenges
Data on number of CwDs and their educational status not available/accurate
Negative attitudes of parents and school staff towards CwDs
Inaccessible physical environment
Inflexible curriculum, teaching and evaluation methods

7. Key Challenges Poverty Often inflexible government bureaucracy
Enrollment of CwDs with moderate and severe/mulitple disabilities difficult
NGOs and Govt agencies hesitant to collaborate with the projects as they feel addressing disability is a specialised area and they need to spend more resources.
Point 1
The projects have tried to collect secondary data on enrollment and retention of children with disabilities from the concerned education departments. However, in some of the projects this data was not available, while in others it was available for the district level and not further down. All this, made it difficult to get an accurate picture of CwDs education status.
Point 2
Repair and maintenance, quality of Aids and appliances received by disabled persons was an issue. As these were obtained through referrals from other organisations the projects have tried to get the repair done locally.
Point 3
Parents, especially poor parents of CWDs are often not confident about sending their children to school. They are busy trying to make ends meet and feel that CWDs do not need or cannot benefit from schooling. To address this issue, project staff have motivated them by explaining to them that all children have a right to develop to the optimal level and that CWDs more than anyone else need to be educated so that they can be independent and have an opportunity to be included in mainstream society.
Point 4
Another learning that has accrued to the programme is that, issues like curriculum modification need to be taken up at a macro level since the school authorities or local government officials cannot bring about fundamental changes in the curriculum. This underscores the need for massive advocacy on a wider scale

8. Lessons Learned
A collaborative approach with government and NGOs is needed for sustainability. Do not duplicate
A good referral network should be established with local resources (aids/appliances, hospitals, block resource centres, Govt departments, NGOs etc)
Involving the community, specially parents is important.
Special education/Resource Teacher support is essential
Point 4
Inclusive Education for CwDs can be made effective if the children have access to special educators. These special educators can help the CwD cope with the school curriculum. They devise individual education plans for each child alongwith the class teacher. This kind of support not only helps the CwD cope with the education curriculum but also helps relieve the burden of the school teacher.

9. Lessons Learned
IE – is not just about education. Promote socialization among CwDs and their peers through Childrens Clubs and other extracurricular activities.
For grievance redressal – facilitate formation of SHGs/Parents groups
Create demonstrable models which serve as an effective tool for influencing policy .
One size does not match all - a customised approach for each child depending on their disability
Point 3
LCD projects have created model schools, which have accessible learning materials, trained teachers, ramps, etc…..
These schools serve as a model for the local education deparment to reach out to CwDs. Teachers from other schools are brought to these schools as part of their training.

10. Evaluation – what have we seen?
68% of children with disabilities (girls – 40% and boys – 60%) have been retained in primary education in the target areas.
There has been a marked improvement in the visibility of children with disabilities in schools compared to the previous years.
The knowledge of the school community on disability is evolving, and they have demonstrated positive attitudes. Teachers are also gradually acquiring skills on disability. Accessibility in schools is also beginning to improve.

11. Evaluation – what have we seen?
In some locations, the projects are being invited by government and non-government organizations as resource persons in training programmes on inclusive education.
The projects have established referral networks to enable persons with disabilities access to services from various organizations like hospitals, government agencies etc.

12. I love to go to school…

13. I love to go to school…..
My name is Sumair, I live in Gonekoppal, Coorg, India. I love listening to music. I had never thought that one day I would go to school. I used to feel very lonely without anyone to play with and was afraid of the children who teased me.
Then one day people from Cheshire Home Coorg visited my family, talked to me and my parents. After a few days they cam again and took measurements of my body and got me a special chair, which was very comfortable. They also taught my parents ho to support me in my daily life. My dream of playing with other children came true when they took me to their Day Care Centre. There I met several other children and learned to read and write.

14. I love to go to school…
Later, I was taken to nearby Government School (Ammathy) where lots of children study. They spoke to the school management about my admission and got me enrolled there. I cannot forget my first day at the big school. I was hesitant and spoke little. But the teacher was good to me and so were the others. I am happy now and the best part is that “I love to go to school…”

15. Children at school

16. Volunteers training

17. Caregivers training

18. ADLS training

19. Speech therapy training to care givers

20. Campaigning for education

21. Block level education department officials training

22. Accessible school

23. Adapted learning materials

24. Thank you!!!