IN1school project to put the right to inclusive education on the Dutch agenda

Persons with disabilities have the right to go to school as anyone else.  Children with and without disabilities have the right to go to school together.   In the Netherlands, many children with disabilities have to go to special schools or don’t go to school at all.   The IN1school project is fighting for the right of children with disabilities to go to the school of their choice.

The right to inclusive education is enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD). The Netherlands only signed the UN CRPD on 21 January 2016, and will not come into force before July 2016.  The IN1school project, initiated by the Dutch Association for Disabled Children(NSGK), aims to put the right to inclusive education on the Dutch agenda.

All children should be welcomed in schools and no one should be excluded because of his background or disability. Children with or without disabilities have the right to go to school together, a school of their choice in their area. A school should know how to respond to every child needs to learn and develop, and provide the appropriate support and care to all children. However, the current education system in the Netherlands includes mainstream and special schools. Many children with disabilities have to go to special schools or receive no education at all, which leads to the exclusion and discrimination of many children and violates their right to education.

By raising awareness on the unequal treatment of children with disabilities in education, the project advocates to incorporate the right to inclusive education in the Dutch legislation and to achieve a sustainable shift towards inclusive education in the Netherlands.To do so, IN1school works on increasing opportunities for children with disabilities to attend regular schools closer to their homes by conducting research and disseminating good practices of inclusive education that can inspire parents and teachers.

The project consists of people – with and without disabilities – who share the ideal of inclusive education and have experience in the fields of law, education, politics and employment. Willing to share their knowledge and experience in this field with others, project partners are looking for connection with networks of parents and young people, interest groups, experts and lawyers to work together bring inclusive education closer.

If you would like to contact the project partners, please click here.

For more information on the IN1school project, please click here. (only available in Dutch)