Factsheet
Drawing on 117 interviews with young people and their parents in Nepal, Rwanda, and Senegal, this factsheet from Humanity & Inclusion highlights the struggles and levers for adolescent girls with disabilities to stay and progress in education. The arguments presented in this factsheet are based on the lived experiences of the people interviewed and aim to amplify their voices.
Despite global and national commitments to ensure quality and inclusive education for everyone, the reality remains stark. If accessing and staying in school is a challenge for children with disabilities, the situation worsens during adolescence. Adolescents are twice as likely to be out of school as younger children (UNICEF, 2015), reflecting the critical nature of adolescence – a period of transition in life and education when the risk of dropping out increases significantly.
For adolescent girls with disabilities, this risk is even greater due to the intersection of age, gender, and disability. Only 41.7% of girls with disabilities have completed primary school, compared with 50.6% of boys with disabilities and 52.9% of girls without disabilities (WHO and World Bank, 2011). In adolescence, they face unique additional barriers, including gender-based violence, early and forced marriage, imposed domestic responsibilities, and inadequate hygiene facilities, making them even more vulnerable to dropping out.
The factsheet calls on governments, international donors, school authorities and civil society to take actions across four key areas:
- Changing harmful beliefs on disability and gender
- Creating accessible and inclusive educational settings
- Ensuring protection and safety
- Supporting and empowering families and communities
Tailored interventions are essential during this period to prevent exclusion and ensure continuity in education. Only by embracing a gender-transformative, holistic, intersectional approach can we ensure that adolescent girls with disabilities can learn, grow and reach their full potential.