Dear IEI Disability-Inclusive Education Community of Practice Members,
We hope this issue of our newsletter finds you healthy and well. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have wide-reaching impacts across the globe. Many schools are still closed forcing learners to continue learning from their homes. Other schools are beginning to reopen with new protocols in place to keep learners and their teachers safe but also with fear of what might result from bringing students back together in the classroom given the uncertainty of the virus.
On June 23rd, the 2020 Global Education Monitoring Report on Inclusion and Education was launched and has brought increased attention to the importance of inclusive education. It has facilitated many necessary conversations, especially during a moment in time that we can use as an opportunity to build back more inclusively. We are living in a time of much uncertainty, but we have the chance to ensure that learners with disabilities are returning to schools that are more accessible, better equipped to meet their learning needs, and inclusive of learners with disabilities in all areas, including meal programs and WASH.
The IEI has been working hard to address the educational, social needs, barriers and issues for children with disabilities during COVID-19 by developing an
issues paper, “Pivoting to Inclusion: Leveraging Lessons from the COVID-19 Crisis for Learners with Disabilities” which we will be launching during a Global Seminar on Tuesday, July 28
th, from 8:30-10:00 am EDT on World Bank Live.
Many resources have come out since our last newsletter which we are happy to share with you, but as always, we want to hear from you!
Please share papers, project news, blogs, and any relevant information and materials that you feel would benefit our community and stay in touch. You can either email us at
iei@worldbank.org or join our
LinkedIn Group and post directly there.
Especially during a time like this, community is key.
We are excited to see this community continue to grow (we have close to 600 members on our LinkedIn group now!) and we know that it will continue to add value to our work, only with your active participation. We welcome your feedback, questions, and own work that will encourage further discussion.
With best wishes,
The Inclusive Education Initiative Team