ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the linkages between disability, education and poverty, and then considers three strategic approaches to the education of disabled children: special education, integrated education and inclusive education. It presents brief summary of relevant international agreements, from the 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child to the Sustainable Development Agenda and focuses on their implications for the education of disabled children. The chapter discusses the challenges facing policy makers and practitioners, particularly in the Global South. The special education approach, which has effectively led to the creation of a parallel education system for disabled children, is often criticised for reinforcing the segregation of disabled people from a young age, and for labelling disabled children, either by their impairments or as 'special needs children'. Innovative strategies, such as making simple, low-cost accessibility improvements within schools, encouraging children to support each other and harnessing potential support within the local community, can help schools to rise to these challenges.
