UNESCO & PLAN EXPAND DISABILITY METHODOLOGY

July 19, 2019

UNESCO and Plan International have expanded the reach of their training methodology, Plan2inclusivize, which empowers community volunteers and educators to practice inclusion of children with disabilities in sports and physical activities. The project aims to create a broader understanding of inclusion in schools and beyond, to ensure effective and equal participation in society for all.

A recent UN DESA report found that 44 percent of countries today prevent students with disabilities from being taught in the same classroom as others. In some countries, over one in 10 persons with disabilities have been refused school enrolment.

The ambition of the Plan2Inclusivize project is to change this state of play by changing community perceptions and attitudes toward disability through sport. Sport gives an opportunity for persons with and without disabilities to interact in a positive context, forcing them to reshape assumptions about what persons with disabilities can and cannot do.

Inclusivize is a verb created by the UNESCO Chair to combine all actions required to actively promote inclusion.

“It is about developing sport, fitness and  recreational programmes around the world to inclusivize sport,” said Ann O’Connor, international development and research expert at UNESCO Chair. “That means, to get the people with and without disabilities playing sport, having fun and getting active.”

The participants of the training learn about disability, inclusion, quality physical education, sport, human rights, international and national policies. They also participate in practical workshops to adopt teaching methods that include children with disabilities in physical education classes and in leisure time.

The project has directly helped 1,020 children with disabilities, and indirectly impacted 3,000 boys and girls. In 2017, it was successfully piloted in Guinea and mainstreamed into an existing education programme from 2018. Plan International was also involved in the development of the Guinean Inclusive Education Strategy introduced in 2019.

This article originally appeared on un.org