ABSTRACT

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Committee makes clear the differences in forms of education for disabled children: The Committee highlights the importance of recognising the differences between exclusion, segregation, integration and inclusion. Inclusion is a process of school change that benefits not only disabled people but also the entire school community. Article 24 requires state parties to develop an inclusive education system where disabled children have a right to attend their local school, and the support they need should be provided with reasonable accommodations so that they thrive socially and academically. The concerns of the government were echoed by the Joint Parliamentary Committee on Human Rights Report on the UN Convention. In the fixed continuum of provision, the disabled child is slotted in and moved around according to an impairment-based assessment. The General Education System in the United Kingdom includes mainstream and special schools, which the UK Government understands is allowed under the Convention.