On the International Day of Education, we celebrate the progress the Inclusion International network has made towards inclusive education for all children.

While the journey towards inclusive education for all is ongoing, the Inclusion International network has been behind key wins in securing the right to inclusive education around the work – at the international, national, and local levels.

The work of our network in advocating for a fully inclusive General Comment No. 4, a document that helped secure the rights of all learners, including learners with intellectual disabilities, to access education in an inclusive classroom was a key milestone in our progress towards inclusive education for all.

What is General Comment 4?

The CRPD Committee, the group of experts responsible for monitoring if and how countries are following the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), writes “General Comments” on different topics. General Comments are advice to governments about what they should do to fulfil different articles of the CRPD.

Published in 2016, General Comment 4 is about Article 24 of the CRPD, on the right to inclusive education.

Importantly, General Comment 4 affirmed the right of all learners with disabilities to get a good education in the same place as learners without disabilities, ensuring that students with disabilities were learning together with their peers without disabilities.

General Comment 4 became a key advocacy resource for our network, who could now use this CRPD Committee guidance to ensure their governments were supporting the inclusion of children with intellectual disabilities in mainstream classrooms.

What was Inclusion International’s role in shaping General Comment 4?

In 2016, Inclusion International played an important role in making sure this document truly reflected the needs and rights of people with intellectual disabilities and their families.

As a network representing an underrepresented and often excluded group within the disability movement, our network knew we needed to bringing expertise, lived experience, and a powerful voice to the table during the drafting of General Comment 4. To help secure language in the General Comment that included our movement, we made sure that the voices of people with intellectual disabilities and their families were heard throughout the drafting process.

Our network developed a coordinated strategy where our members around the world worked together and advocate through their representatives to push a common message. We worked alongside other Organisations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs) and directly with the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to provide essential input and feedback. This strategy included sharing real-life stories, highlighting barriers to inclusion, and proposing real solutions. 

Diane Richler, President of Inclusion International at the time, and Maureen Piggott, then President of Inclusion Europe, worked closely together in Geneva and shared the experiences of members from around the globe. 

Being in Geneva during the negotiations for General Comment 4 was intense. Maureen and I met individually with almost all the CRPD Committee members, their staff, and the UNICEF team that was supporting them. I remember the tensions… how we weren’t sure until the very end whether the Committee would endorse full inclusion or not.

Diane Richler, President of Inclusion International during General Comment 4 negotiations in 2016

What impact did Inclusion International have on General Comment 4?

The Inclusion International network’s key demand was that the General Comment call on governments to transform their systems to make sure education systems would become inclusive of all learners.

It was important to our network to ensure that the language of General Comment 4 advanced inclusive education systems, and did not permit or encourage segregate schools for children with disabilities – which disproportionately impact children with intellectual disabilities, who are the group most likely to be excluded from mainstream schools.

Our network advocated for an inclusive education system approach, and push for language that supported some of the key ingredients in an inclusive education system.

Among our network’s key wins, the final draft of General Comment 4 recognised:

  • Individualised support and reasonable accommodation: Recognising that every learner is different. Each learner requires tailored support to thrive.
  • Accessible environments, curricula, and learning materials: Ensuring that the learning environment is physically and intellectually accessible to all.
  • Recognition of diverse communication modes: Acknowledging the importance different ways people communicate, like sign language, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), and other forms of communication.
  • Trained teachers: Emphasising the need for teachers who are equipped with the skills and knowledge to support inclusive classrooms.
  • Monitoring and accountability: Establishing mechanisms to track progress and ensure that inclusive education policies are effectively implemented.

Our network knew that General Comment 4 is not just words on paper – it’s a tool for change that supports families, advocates, and policymakers to demand and create truly inclusive education systems.

General Comment 4’s endorsement of our network’s definition of inclusive education demonstrated the power of the Inclusion International network, and the strength that our members voice has when we use it collectively to achieve a shared goal.

Inclusion International’s advocacy shaped General Comment 4 to be more inclusive, and ensured it reflected the lived experiences and perspectives of persons with disabilities and their families.

Revisiting our achievements on General Comment 4 and other key wins in forwarding inclusive education is an important reminder of how our network can make real change when we work together for inclusive education.

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To learn more about General Comment 4 and how you can use it, read the easy read and plain language versions here.