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The Academic Network of European Disability Experts (ANED)

Education / training - Synthesis report Education and Training

During ANED’s third Annual Meeting on 1st December 2010 Professor Serge Ebersold (INS HEA, Institut national supérieur de formation et de recherche pour l’éducation des jeunes handicapés et les enseignements adaptés) presented  summary findings from his synthesis report on progress towards inclusive education and training for young disabled people in European countries, based on country reports prepared by ANED members. The full report is now available.

Access to education is important in its own right and also has a protective effect throughout the life course, increasing the chances for those who have to be in work and decreasing their risk of future poverty. The report highlights the efforts made to accommodate disabled students but also the very significant challenges and barriers that remain. Access to education is important in its own right but also has a protective effect throughout the life course, increasing the chances for those who have to be in work and decreasing their risk of future poverty. Across Europe there are positive trends but this varies greatly, including between groups of children with different types of impairment.
At the international level, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (Article 24) strengthens the principles of non-discrimination and promotes equal opportunities in education at all levels. There have been increased opportunities in mainstream education in all countries but this has been more difficult for some groups of students than others (especially those with cognitive/intellectual impairments). In addition, significant investment continues to be made in special schools, often targeted to students with particular types of impairment. Although most countries have retained a ‘special needs’ approach, this varies considerably and makes it difficult to compare categories and definitions of ‘disability’ in education and training.
Transition to post-compulsory education is problematic for young disabled people across Europe. They have much lower opportunities in transition to upper secondary education, where access to mainstream education is more difficult (especially in countries where disabled students are channelled towards special vocational training centres). They tend also to have lower opportunities in progressing and graduating within upper secondary education and face difficulties in accessing vocational training opportunities. Young disabled people have fewer chances than non-disabled youth to enter and progress within higher education. They are less likely to enrol in professionally promising courses or to graduate, and they are more likely to drop out after the first year and to have erratic and longer pathways within higher education.

In spite of the progress made, education systems routinely fail to provide disabled people with the skills and opportunities required to progress beyond compulsory education and to become employable. In particular, too little attention is paid to support for transition from compulsory to post-compulsory education, or from education into vocational training or the labour market. Support systems are highly segmented with varying levels of support for young people in different contexts.

Presentation Prof. Serge Ebersold:

Powerpoint (PDF 270 kB)
Handout (PDF 177 kB)

Ingrid Körner (Chair - Inclusion Europe Working Group on Inclusive Education) stressed the cost effectiveness for states in developing inclusive education. She also emphasized the importance of adding qualitative analysis to statistics: satisfaction with education for disabled children was generally very low. Some children remain totally outside of the mainstream education system. More mutual learning through study visits between European countries would also be helpful.

Amanda Watkins (the European Agency for development in Special Needs Education, EASNE) outlined the work of the Agency and the difficulties in comparing national administrative data. She emphasised that education in separated classes should be seen as continuing segregation and also argued that it is important to supplement statistical data with the voices of disabled children, and their parents.