Parents have the power to ensure children with disabilities learn

Edward gives a sneak peek into a soon-to-be-published report on why parents in Jordan send or don't send children with disabilities to school.

The No Lost Generation | No Lost Generation Initiative co-led by World Vision and UNICEF is focused on helping children impacted by the war in Syria get an education. In Jordan, the Ministry of Education invests in inclusive education to support the education of both Jordanian and Syrian children with disabilities. However, many children do not attend school.

World Vision and Mercy Corps conducted a study with 250 Jordanian and Syrian parents to understand the differences between parents who sent their children to school and those who didn’t. It found parents who didn’t send their children to school were more likely to:

• Have children with intellectual disabilities;
• be pessimistic about their child’s educational prospects and the value of education for their child;
• think that schools can’t meet their children’s needs;
• worry about their child being bullied because of their disability.

The report also found parents who didn’t send their children to school were less likely to:

• have family or community support;
• access specialized transport or assistance;
• afford schools supplies and other school-related costs.

Overall, the study highlighted the significance of caregivers in determining the educational opportunities for children with disabilities. The report recommends:

• coordinated, holistic, community and school support for families with children with disabilities; and
• greater investment in inclusive education.

This study focused on parents of children with disabilities in Jordan. It serves as an important example of the perspective and experience of parents of children with disabilities in any context.

The full report will be published soon. Watch this space for more highlights when the report is launched.

Edward Winter is a Senior Technical Advisor for Social Inclusion, originally from the UK and based in the US. He has over 25 years of experience and a passion for serving the most vulnerable children, particularly those with disabilities. Contact him on ewinter@worldvision.org.