The hub for global thought leadership for inclusive education, the Special Olympics Global Center for Inclusion in Education champions initiatives to include people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in all facets of academia, sport and community. Addressing a critical reality that children with disabilities are 49% more likely to have never attended school, the Global Center is relentless in advancing research, programming and policy to make inclusion the gold standard. The gap between policy and inclusive practice demands urgent action. A review of 209 countries exposed this gap with 17% of countries legally protecting the right to inclusive education and 38% encouraging this practice through policy.
This gap is more than a numerical discrepancy, it’s human. It’s students worldwide missing their chance to be socially included, to strengthen social-emotional development and to improve their academic futures. Progress is ongoing, but the fact of the matter remains: educational inclusion is more than increased student attendance in classrooms. Educational inclusion is a result of socioeconomic circumstances, of geographical and financial disadvantages, of accessibility to technology and community resources.
This episode of Inclusion Revolution Radio is hosted by Karon McDonald, a student at River Terrace Education Campus in Washington, D.C., and Amira Erlington-Edwards, a student at Howard University. They are joined by two guests deeply familiar with the high stakes of inaction when it comes to inclusion in education.
Special Olympics Senior Vice President of Global Youth and Education Rachel Brody is at the forefront of youth leadership and education programming. Her experience with Teach For America and Teach For All has broadened her perspective on inclusion through program design and implementation, while raising important questions about where organizations may be missing the mark. Regardless of the complexities these issues raise, Rachel believes the path toward inclusion becomes clearer on the basketball court, on the soccer field and in the simple act of playing together.
Special Olympics Board of Directors member Jim Ryan is president emeritus of the University of Virginia, where he enacted real change, making tuition free for families earning under $80,000 a year. Now a professor of law and education, Jim is committed to guiding a new generation of changemakers. From being the first person in his family to go to college to working alongside the chief justice of the United States, Jim is a strong advocate for Special Olympics initiatives.
Tune in for their stories of success and their calls to action!
