This blog post is part of a youth series that we are running this week on the occasion of International Youth Day on August 12. The Global Partnership for Education is committed to working with youth as important members of our partnership.

In June of this year we attended the Global Partnership for Education Replenishment Conference, representing our country, Kenya, as youth delegates. It was there that we joined in the call for developing countries and donor countries to increase their investment in education.

Much more funding is needed to provide all children with a basic education, including those with disabilities. The development goals for education will not be achieved without including the needs of children with disabilities.

Obstacles for children with disabilities in Kenya

Access to education remains a big obstacle to children with disabilities in Africa, particularly in Kenya. There are many policies, both international and national, which govern disability rights in Kenya, but hardly any are implemented.

As Young Campaigners with the Leonard Cheshire Disability, we are empowered to advocate for the right to education for children with disabilities. Sarah, for example, has met relevant stakeholders– including the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Development, Ministry of Education, and National Council for Persons with Disabilities – to advocate for the implementation of these laws and policies. One small victory is that three persons with disabilities have a seat in the parliament, which was unheard of before.

Nicole has taken a different approach to advocacy – through media. Last year, she was featured in a small documentary about the challenges children with disabilities face in learning in the same public schools as non-disabled children. The documentary, which was aired on a Kenyan television channel, makes the case that with the support of trained teachers who know how to support children with special needs, it is possible for these children to learn in a regular school.

We both relate to this issue from personal experience – our disabilities are physical and impair our ability to walk and move.

But we both went through an inclusive education system where we learned in the same classroom with non-disabled children  - all the way from first grade through university. We can testify that yes, it works and is possible.

Let us support inclusive education as an approach to increasing access to education for children with disabilities. 

Talking to the Education Minister

This year on the Day of the African Child we presented a memo to the Kenyan Minister of Education to highlight the physical and social barriers that prevent disabled girls from accessing quality education. We pushed the need to have children with disabilities in regular schools alongside non-disabled children and the need for an adapted curriculum that is adequate for children with special needs.

We also stressed the importance of well-trained teachers that are equipped to teach children with disabilities. The Minister promised to take actions. That alone is not enough: we must follow up to make sure the Minister’s promises are realized.

The GPE Replenishment Conference

At the GPE Replenishment Conference, we both participated in a panel on inclusive education alongside two other youth advocates with disabilities. This panel brought together youth, donor and developing country governments and international agencies to reaffirm a global commitment to leave no child – including those with disabilities – out of school. Even more importantly, panelists and participants were held to account and asked to sign a Call to Action to deliver on their commitments around three areas:

• End the invisibility and exclusion of children and young people with disabilities from education by improving data and evidence;
• Make education and learning accessible and relevant for all; and
• Work in partnership at local, national and international levels to champion inclusive education for all children and young people now and Post-2015.

By 2030, we strongly hope every child in Kenya will be receiving equal treatment and equal education. We were thrilled to see the Kenyan Permanent Secretary for Education at the GPE replenishment conference and we are ready to support him to transform the education sector. Advocacy can always only be the first step. So much more remains to be done until all children with disabilities have equal rights and opportunities to education just like non-disabled children.

Together we can make this world more accessible and inclusive to all.