Children who live with a physical, sensory, intellectual or mental health disability are amongst the most stigmatized and excluded of all the world’s children. Misunderstanding and fear of children with disabilities result in their marginalization within the family, community, at school, and in the wider society. The discrimination they suffer leads to poor health and education outcomes; affects the self-esteem and chances for participation and interaction with others, and puts them at higher risk for violence, abuse and exploitation.
For countries to achieve Education for All and to meet Millennium Development Goal 2 that of seeing universal completion of primary education, access to education must include all children including those with disabilities. Children with disability face numerous barriers to access education and remain in schools and disability is the single most important determinant of illiteracy, for example, in Uruguay 40% of illiterate 15 year olds were disabled.