Education, once a privilege, is now a human right. This was irrevocably illustrated by the introduction of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 (Article 26) with numerous global treaties following suit in the years since.
At present, the Government is looking into much-needed reforms to Sri Lanka’s education system, from upgrading curricula to strengthening processes and methods used in education at a national level.
In this backdrop, two women, Niluka Gunawardena and Lasanthi Daskon, are driving a charge to bring inclusive education into the national education agenda and in so doing, make education more accessible and effective for differently-abled students of all ages.
Educator, researcher, and disability advocate Niluka is herself a woman with a disability who has gone through the local education system and come across several roadblocks of her own, and Lasanthi is an attorney-at-law whose husband, who has since passed away, was disabled. Both women have studied disability and inclusivity at the graduate level, with Niluka studying disability and gender, and Lasanthi having read for an MA in inclusive education.
[caption id="attachment_134766" align="alignright" width="282"]
"We need information that is not just a general statistic. We need to be looking for data disaggregated by age, gender, and location. More complex data for a better understanding of what the diverging needs are of this population that is generally lumped together Educator, researcher, and disability advocate" Niluka Gunawardena[/caption]
Disability in Sri Lanka
The Department of Census and Statistics of Sri Lanka estimates the population of persons with disabilities in Sri Lanka to be 1,617,924 or 8.6% in 2011. However, organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) estimate that it could be up to 15% of the population. The lack of reliable data is one of the biggest concerns in relation to the population of persons with disabilities in Sri Lanka. The disability prevalence rate of 15% of the global population or one billion people is also cited by the World Health Organisation (WHO) (2020) making persons with disabilities the world’s largest minority.
In Sri Lanka, the sad truth is that people with disabilities are marginalised and often invisible, both from a statistical and social standpoint. Negative perceptions of disability persist in Sri Lanka and with it, stigma. It is seen as something to be shameful and apologetic about. Children with disabilities are also viewed as a “bad omen”. Mothers are often blamed for the birth of infants with disabilities. Furthermore, it is assumed that the family will care for children with disabilities with limited external support. There is also a lack of information and resources available to parents which prevents them from making informed decisions about their children and their life prospects.
This same stigma also limits the information available and often perpetuates the cycle of shame and discrimination. This stigma combined with economic hardship often results in the isolation, abandonment, or institutionalisation of children with disabilities.
The inherent ableism of the world, from social discrimination and stigma to structural barriers of inaccessible built environments and ableist institutional mechanisms, leads to a lack of social participation, exposure, and access for children with disabilities. This adversely affects their opportunities for education, interaction with peers, dignity, and social participation, not just at school level but through life.
The right to inclusive education
Children with disabilities often first fully encounter this inherent ableism when they join the education system, be it at a private school or government school. Niluka and Lasanthi, both through their own experiences and through the experiences of other young people with disabilities and their families, were all too aware of the role education plays in helping children with disabilities grow, and how often the system can fall short.
To fix this, Niluka and Lasanthi co-authored an inclusive education advocacy document to submit to the Ministry of Education in an attempt to make inclusive education a priority when considering educational reform. The advocacy document, “Right to Education of Children Living with Disabilities in Sri Lanka”, offers context into disability in Sri Lanka and the key issues people living with disabilities face, where Sri Lanka stands with inclusive education and the Government’s legal obligations to provide inclusive education, and makes several recommendations on how Sri Lankan education can be made more inclusive.
“We realised we needed to bring attention to it,” Niluka shared. “With the discussion on education policy reforms which are going on at the moment, this is the ideal point to put the needs of children with disabilities into written form and get the conversation started on inclusive education as a priority.”
[caption id="attachment_134765" align="alignleft" width="283"]
"All the other aspects of getting access to education are important. Access to education cannot stand in and of itself. It needs to come in as part of a broader framework Educator, researcher, and disability advocate" Niluka Gunawardena[/caption]
Making education more inclusive
Brunch spoke with Niluka to learn more about some of the key recommendations “Right to Education of Children Living with Disabilities in Sri Lanka” makes for more inclusive education.
One major need to drive inclusivity is up-to-date statistics. “We need information that is not just a general statistic,” Niluka said. “We need to be looking for data disaggregated by age, gender, and location. More complex data for a better understanding of what the diverging needs are of this population that is generally lumped together.”
Tying into lumping people with disabilities together, Niluka explained that there is a lack of recognition of diversity within disabled populations, which is also something that needs to be addressed, given the wide range of disabilities that people can live with, from physical disabilities to an audio or visual impairment to intellectual disabilities: “The lived experience is quite different for people with different disabilities, which is why they can’t be lumped into one group. We need to keep in mind that there is diversity, and while education needs to be made as universal as possible, there are also specific needs that students will have based on their impairment.”
Another key recommendation, and one that Niluka shared, which came mostly from the parents of children with disabilities, is the need for each school to have a quota of disabled children in their student body that they need to meet each year. Not only does this make education more inherently accessible to children with disabilities, but it also forces schools to become more universal and inclusive in their methods while also giving disabled students the ability to interact with peers who are also disabled. This approach also teaches children without disabilities to be more inclusive and teaches diversity.
Niluka also emphasised the importance of the Universal Design of Learning (UDL) framework for all schools in Sri Lanka where teaching methods, textbooks, materials, and the physical environment are designed to enable children with diverse abilities and disabilities to study with their peers in the same class. This would essentially mean all education, from design, to delivery, to planning of learning resources, would be created to be as accessible as possible to as many students as possible. Niluka explained that the University of Colombo, for example, implements UDL with its reading material in different formats, both visual and audio, with even things like PowerPoint packs also being designed to be as accessible and inclusive as possible. “This way, you don’t have to make special accommodations when someone who is disabled comes in because measures have already been taken at the outset to make learning as accessible as possible,” Niluka said, adding that this universality should not be limited to just teaching and learning but to access to education as well, from disabled-friendly buildings to disabled-friendly transport and other disabled-friendly resources. “All the other aspects of getting access to education are important. Access to education cannot stand in and of itself. It needs to come in as part of a broader framework.”
Another key aspect of making education inclusive is training and sensitising the “grown-ups” in education, including policymakers, education officials, principals, teachers, and other educators and showing them how to deal with children with disabilities. “As someone who was disabled myself, I realised that the crucial entry point is where the majority of the struggles lie. We don’t need just disability education, but also diversity education. This is a gap that needs to be addressed.”
With their advocacy document “Right to Education of Children Living with Disabilities in Sri Lanka” now complete, Niluka and Lasanthi are submitting this document to the Ministry of Education along with a petition asking the Ministry to make inclusive education a priority in the national education agenda.
For more information about “Right to Education of Children Living with Disabilities in Sri Lanka” or to sign the petition, please scan the QR code here. The petition closes on 12 May.
"We need information that is not just a general statistic. We need to be looking for data disaggregated by age, gender, and location. More complex data for a better understanding of what the diverging needs are of this population that is generally lumped together Educator, researcher, and disability advocate" Niluka Gunawardena[/caption]
Disability in Sri Lanka
The Department of Census and Statistics of Sri Lanka estimates the population of persons with disabilities in Sri Lanka to be 1,617,924 or 8.6% in 2011. However, organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) estimate that it could be up to 15% of the population. The lack of reliable data is one of the biggest concerns in relation to the population of persons with disabilities in Sri Lanka. The disability prevalence rate of 15% of the global population or one billion people is also cited by the World Health Organisation (WHO) (2020) making persons with disabilities the world’s largest minority.
In Sri Lanka, the sad truth is that people with disabilities are marginalised and often invisible, both from a statistical and social standpoint. Negative perceptions of disability persist in Sri Lanka and with it, stigma. It is seen as something to be shameful and apologetic about. Children with disabilities are also viewed as a “bad omen”. Mothers are often blamed for the birth of infants with disabilities. Furthermore, it is assumed that the family will care for children with disabilities with limited external support. There is also a lack of information and resources available to parents which prevents them from making informed decisions about their children and their life prospects.
This same stigma also limits the information available and often perpetuates the cycle of shame and discrimination. This stigma combined with economic hardship often results in the isolation, abandonment, or institutionalisation of children with disabilities.
The inherent ableism of the world, from social discrimination and stigma to structural barriers of inaccessible built environments and ableist institutional mechanisms, leads to a lack of social participation, exposure, and access for children with disabilities. This adversely affects their opportunities for education, interaction with peers, dignity, and social participation, not just at school level but through life.
The right to inclusive education
Children with disabilities often first fully encounter this inherent ableism when they join the education system, be it at a private school or government school. Niluka and Lasanthi, both through their own experiences and through the experiences of other young people with disabilities and their families, were all too aware of the role education plays in helping children with disabilities grow, and how often the system can fall short.
To fix this, Niluka and Lasanthi co-authored an inclusive education advocacy document to submit to the Ministry of Education in an attempt to make inclusive education a priority when considering educational reform. The advocacy document, “Right to Education of Children Living with Disabilities in Sri Lanka”, offers context into disability in Sri Lanka and the key issues people living with disabilities face, where Sri Lanka stands with inclusive education and the Government’s legal obligations to provide inclusive education, and makes several recommendations on how Sri Lankan education can be made more inclusive.
“We realised we needed to bring attention to it,” Niluka shared. “With the discussion on education policy reforms which are going on at the moment, this is the ideal point to put the needs of children with disabilities into written form and get the conversation started on inclusive education as a priority.”
[caption id="attachment_134765" align="alignleft" width="283"] "All the other aspects of getting access to education are important. Access to education cannot stand in and of itself. It needs to come in as part of a broader framework Educator, researcher, and disability advocate" Niluka Gunawardena[/caption]
Making education more inclusive
Brunch spoke with Niluka to learn more about some of the key recommendations “Right to Education of Children Living with Disabilities in Sri Lanka” makes for more inclusive education.
One major need to drive inclusivity is up-to-date statistics. “We need information that is not just a general statistic,” Niluka said. “We need to be looking for data disaggregated by age, gender, and location. More complex data for a better understanding of what the diverging needs are of this population that is generally lumped together.”
Tying into lumping people with disabilities together, Niluka explained that there is a lack of recognition of diversity within disabled populations, which is also something that needs to be addressed, given the wide range of disabilities that people can live with, from physical disabilities to an audio or visual impairment to intellectual disabilities: “The lived experience is quite different for people with different disabilities, which is why they can’t be lumped into one group. We need to keep in mind that there is diversity, and while education needs to be made as universal as possible, there are also specific needs that students will have based on their impairment.”
Another key recommendation, and one that Niluka shared, which came mostly from the parents of children with disabilities, is the need for each school to have a quota of disabled children in their student body that they need to meet each year. Not only does this make education more inherently accessible to children with disabilities, but it also forces schools to become more universal and inclusive in their methods while also giving disabled students the ability to interact with peers who are also disabled. This approach also teaches children without disabilities to be more inclusive and teaches diversity.
Niluka also emphasised the importance of the Universal Design of Learning (UDL) framework for all schools in Sri Lanka where teaching methods, textbooks, materials, and the physical environment are designed to enable children with diverse abilities and disabilities to study with their peers in the same class. This would essentially mean all education, from design, to delivery, to planning of learning resources, would be created to be as accessible as possible to as many students as possible. Niluka explained that the University of Colombo, for example, implements UDL with its reading material in different formats, both visual and audio, with even things like PowerPoint packs also being designed to be as accessible and inclusive as possible. “This way, you don’t have to make special accommodations when someone who is disabled comes in because measures have already been taken at the outset to make learning as accessible as possible,” Niluka said, adding that this universality should not be limited to just teaching and learning but to access to education as well, from disabled-friendly buildings to disabled-friendly transport and other disabled-friendly resources. “All the other aspects of getting access to education are important. Access to education cannot stand in and of itself. It needs to come in as part of a broader framework.”
Another key aspect of making education inclusive is training and sensitising the “grown-ups” in education, including policymakers, education officials, principals, teachers, and other educators and showing them how to deal with children with disabilities. “As someone who was disabled myself, I realised that the crucial entry point is where the majority of the struggles lie. We don’t need just disability education, but also diversity education. This is a gap that needs to be addressed.”
With their advocacy document “Right to Education of Children Living with Disabilities in Sri Lanka” now complete, Niluka and Lasanthi are submitting this document to the Ministry of Education along with a petition asking the Ministry to make inclusive education a priority in the national education agenda.
For more information about “Right to Education of Children Living with Disabilities in Sri Lanka” or to sign the petition, please scan the QR code here. The petition closes on 12 May.