One of the biggest challenges facing most low and middle income communities today is the alarming and growing number of children with disabilities and special needs who are still unable to access their neighborhood public schools as a result of negative attitudes from their peers, parents of non-disabled children, teachers and some school administrators.
Today, a huge number of children with disabilities are still ''left behind'' and are still vulnerable to exclusion and segregation from their neighborhood public schools as a result of their physical, emotional, intellectual, developmental and sensory conditions.
A few of them who happen to find themselves in public schools by stroke of luck are being neglected, abandoned, abused and discriminated by their peers and classroom teachers with little or no experience in the Special Education Needs(SEN) of children with disabilities in the regular classroom settings in their neighborhood.
Most children with disabilities still do not have access to their neighborhood regular schools in their communities despite the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities (UNCRPD) in 2006 which provides in Article 24 that children with disabilities should not be segregated and discriminated against and that they ought to participate in the general education system in an inclusive manner in their respective communities.
Again, despite the coming into existence of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act(IDEA), the American Legislation that ensures that students with disabilities are supposed to be provided with Free Appropriate Public Education(FAPE) tailored to their individual needs, many parents still see their children with disabilities being excluded from their neighborhood public schools.
The benefits of Special Education in an inclusive classroom system for children with and without disabilities cannot be over-emphasized.
FACTS AND FIGURES( The Challenge)
1. The Education for ALL (EFA) Global Monitoring Report(UNESCO 2009) estimates that between 93 million and 150 million children around the globe live with a disability.
This report published by UNESCO considers disability as "one of the least visible but most potent factors in educational marginalization", among all other marginalized population.
2.Ninety percent (90 %) of children with disabilities who do not attend school at all live in developing countries. Children with disabilities are more likely to drop out of school than their non-disabled peers as a result of barriers, negative attitude from teachers, school administrators, peers and stigma from parents;
3. Children with disabilities who are fortunate to attend school are more likely to be enrolled in targeted segregated special schools located only in major towns and cities, which reinforce marginalization. What becomes of the majority of children with disabilities who cannot afford to go to school in cities?
4. The UNDP statistics estimate that while the global literacy rate for adults with disabilities is 3%, just 1% of women with disabilities are literate.
5. People Living With Disabilities ( PLWDs) who fail to attend school as a child are more likely to live a life of complete and perpetual poverty and total dependence once they become adults.
6. Children with intellectual, developmental and sensory impairment are the least likely group to attend school;
7. Again, girls with disabilities in developing countries are almost invisible in existing education and vocational training programs as they face exclusion from education and risks
OUR RESPONSE:
If you need assistance in ensuring that your child receives the best Special education Services in an inclusive and regular school system in your community or neighborhood, then MADI is here to help!
At MADI, we assist in ensuring the smooth educational transition of children with disabilities having the following diagnosis:
As part of its Mission to advocate and enhance the inclusion of children with disabilities in their neighborhood schools, MADI engages in the following programs and services:
SERVICES FOR FAMILIES:
At MADI, we advocate and assist families and parents of children with disabilities by ensuring that their special needs child receives the best and Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) tailored to their individual needs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004(IDEA);
At MADI, we help families and parents to:
In addition to the above services, MADI also:
FACTS AND FIGURES (The Challenge).
OUR RESPONSE:
At MADI, once a disaster strikes, the response follows immediately. Our experienced Inclusive Humanitarian Response Team(IHRT) ensures the timely supply of basic needs like assistive devices, food, clothing, medication, education in emergency services, etc
Project 1: Emergency Food & Nutrition Program:
MADI's food and nutrition assistance program involves the distribution of free food and grocery allowance to low income persons with disabilities and their families during emergency outbreak. The objective is to increase their ability to have a healthy and balanced diet under disaster circumstances.
Project 2: Education in Emergency Program:
MADI's education in emergencies program provides educational and didactic materials to children with disabilities who have stopped going to school as a result of the crisis.
Project 3: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene(WASH) program:
Project 4: Livelihood Program:
Project 5: Clothing Program:
MADI's Clothing Program is aimed at supplying free clothing to women, children, girls, youths with disabilities who cannot afford to purchase clothing especially during emergencies. This is to enable families of persons with disabilities maintain proper hygiene and sanitation .
MADI assists in providing Short -Term and Long-Term recovery efforts to persons with disabilities in communities that have been trapped into conflict and natural disasters. We stand with the families of affected persons with disabilities as they struggle to rebuild their lives after disaster outbreak. We do this by:
During the recovery phase, our experts and volunteers remain in the affected area to initiate, design and plan long term programs that include persons with disabilities into all aspects of community life such as:
All our staff and volunteers receive training in Emergency Management, CPR, First Aid. Staff receive ongoing specialized training based on the physical and emotional needs of each person we support.
OUR HUMANITARIAN WORK IS FUNDED FROM A VARIETY OF FUNDING SOURCES:
At MADI, we provide inclusive vocational training and employment assistance to persons with disabilities.
Persons with disabilities have limited employment and economic opportunities as they face numerous barriers in their communities as a result of their impairment.
Inspired by the principle of “living no one behind“,
-we prepare persons with disabilities in vocational training and job search that is inclusive, so that they can become valuable assets and not liabilities in their communities;
-We assist persons with disabilities overcome barriers to employment by creating income generating activities and provide inclusive vocational training to women, girls, men, boys with disabilities;
-Income generating activities like hairdressing, tailoring are provided to single mothers living with disabilities.
Advocacy can be many things – from having conversations in your community, to demonstrating on the Capital steps to speaking with your legislator.
“I want all people with disabilities to be treated fairly and with respect. I want to be an example to other people with disabilities and show them how to stand up for themselves and what they want. Sometimes, people with disabilities are misunderstood, I have the opportunity to tell my story and ask for support from lawmakers for more opportunities for people with disabilities.”
Bill Joe.
MORE ACTION for Disability Inclusion(MADI), Inc.
P.O. Box 51, HAGERSTOWN, Washington County,MD 21741 : www.more-actionmadi.org| info@more-actionmadi.org
Copyright © 2019 MORE ACTION FOR DISABILITY INCLUSION(MADI),INC - All Rights Reserved.
<script src="https://donorbox.org/widget.js" paypalExpress="false"></script><iframe allowpaymentrequest="" frameborder="0" height="900px" name="donorbox" scrolling="no" seamless="seamless" src="https://donorbox.org/embed/inclusive-education-for-children-eith-disabilities" style="max-width: 500px; min-width: 250px; max-height:none!important" width="100%"></iframe>