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Disability and Inclusive Education Initiative

Students writing at desks in classroom; one is using a wheelchair.

For the 93 million children with disabilities across the globe, access to quality education is often difficult or nonexistent. Consequently, those with disabilities are at a distinct economic and social disadvantage to their peers as they are unable to develop their skills and talents through inclusive education and advance their employment opportunities. Inclusive education and inclusive employment pathways are frequently undervalued and misunderstood, perpetuating the gap in opportunity and further marginalizing millions of young people that are ready to contribute their unique and valuable skill sets to participate in their communities, improve their societies, and grow their economies.

The challenges that people with disabilities face in both education and employment, however, are not insurmountable. The business sector has a tremendous opportunity to be active changemakers in supporting educational and economic opportunity for people with disabilities while at the same time improving business and social impact.

Policy Brief

As part of our commitment to the 2018 Global Disability Summit, the Global Business Coalition for Education (GBC-Education) is developing a policy brief to map current challenges, best practices, opportunities and actions the business community can make to:

  1. Work towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4).
  2. Support education systems in delivering inclusive, equitable quality education.
  3. Provide continuity between education and the world of work through inclusive hiring and employment processes

GBC-Education will showcase businesses that are undertaking meaningful work and champion models of effective practices that support inclusion in the workplace and educational systems.

Action Areas

Support for public education

such as how business leaders can be advocates for strong and inclusive public school systems.

Corporate policy

including inclusive hiring practices, support for employees with disabilities and training for non-disabled employees on interacting and working with their disabled peers.

Assistive technology

including technologies utilized to facilitate learning in the classroom and improve the ability to hire, accommodate and actively engage employees with disabilities.

Training programs

which create employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

GBC-Education Disability and Education Task Force

The Disability and Education Task Force will seek the advice and guidance of leaders in business, education, disability, and inclusion. This cross-sector task force will advise the development of recommendations for businesses and champion the dissemination of a policy brief to encourage the business community to take action.

Members of the task force will be asked to provide feedback 1-2 times throughout the course of the year on the findings and recommendations of the brief and support outreach for the report’s dissemination and implementation.