Families of people with intellectual disabilities play an essential role in local level advocacy for inclusive education, but get little recognition as agents of change in making inclusion in the community happen.

This report explores the role of families of people with intellectual disabilities, documenting their strategies and successes in promoting inclusive education at the community level.

In communities, when teachers, schools, and other actors break down barriers that exist for learners
with intellectual disabilities and move towards delivering inclusive, quality, and equitable education for all children, it is the work of families behind the scenes that has produced that change. Families take the lead in breaking down barriers to inclusive education.

Taking Action for Inclusive Education: Families as Catalysts for Inclusive Education in the Community

The evidence in this report focuses on sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, collected through Inclusion International member organisations in Tanzania, Benin, Kenya, Peru, and Nicaragua.

Through direct testimonials and case studies from families of people with intellectual disabilities working together in groups at the local level, the report documents how family groups break down barriers to inclusive education, how they find allies in the community and spread the message of inclusion, and how they build on these successes to create a sustainable movement for inclusive education.

This report is an important tool both for family groups to learn the lessons and successes of the family groups that came before them, and for any organisation that is working to improve access to inclusive education – for whom family groups are an important ally.

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