THE EDUCATOR

ICEVI-WBU JOINT EDUCATION POLICY STATEMENT

PREAMBLE

     Reaffirming the right to elementary, fundamental and compulsory education of all individuals enshrined in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights; and renewed by the world community at the 1990 World Conference on Education for All and the subsequent World Education Forum, 2000;

Recalling the principles contained in the 1982 UN World Programme of Action Concerning Disabled Persons;

Acknowledging the right to education as it is stated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1989;

Noting with satisfaction the 1993 United Nations Standard Rules on Equalisation of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, which urges States to ensure that the education of persons with disabilities is an integral part of the general education system;

Endorsing the Salamanca Statement on Principles, Policy and Practice in Special Needs Education;

Affirming the Millennium Development Goals;

Supporting the UNESCO Flagship, "Education for All: The Right to Education for Persons with Disabilities: Towards Inclusion";

Endorsing the Biwako Millennium Framework for Action: towards an Inclusive, Barrier-free and Rights-based Society for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific;

Advocating to the United Nations for the adoption and subsequent implementation of the International Convention on Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities; The International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment (ICEVI) and the World Blind Union (WBU) jointly formulate and endorse the following principles related to the education of blind and visually impaired persons:

POLICY STATEMEN

ICEVI and WBU:

A. Urge governments to:

1. Guarantee to blind and visually impaired children, youth and adults the same rights and access to educational services as is guaranteed to all children, youth and adults in accordance with the Universal Declaration on Human Rights.

2. Place the educational services for blind and visually impaired children and youth under the same government bodies as that of children without blindness or visual impairment.

3. Guarantee all blind and visually impaired children and youth in integrated, inclusive, or special school programs - as well as their teachers - access to the equipment, educational materials and support services required, such as:

    •books in Braille, large print or other accessible formats, and
    •low vision devices for those who require them, at the same time as non-disabled students in order to facilitate their equal access to all aspects of the educational services provided to other children.

4. Offer education of a high quality and standard in a range of educational options, including special schools.

5. Give prominence to the voice of parents and (where appropriate) children and youth in decisions about placement.

6. Provide quality literacy and independence skills and lifelong learning opportunities for adult blind and visually impaired persons who have not been given basic education in their childhood.

B. Teacher Training:

ICEVI and WBU will work together to:

1. Promote special training of teachers, parents, rehabilitation workers, and others, who provide education and instruction to blind and visually impaired children, youth and adults.

2. Assure that teachers, who are in integrated and inclusive school programs and have blind or lowvision students in their classrooms or those teachers who are in special schools for such children, receive adequate training and skills in Braille and other educational means in order to provide quality education.

3. Encourage remuneration commensurate with qualifications and training to ensure that investments in human resources are not lost.

4. Organise local, national and regional seminars, training courses and conferences to
update the skills and knowledge of teachers and others working with blind and visually
impaired children, youth and adults.

C. Support from ICEVI and WBU:

ICEVI and WBU pledge:

1. While there is agreement between them, their willingness to work with governments to assist with information, knowledge and guidance regarding the full range of educational options for blind and visually impaired children, youth and adults, on the clear understanding that their education is primarily a government responsibility.

2. To assist government initiatives by helping to secure information about equipment and materials to ensure equal access of all blind and visually impaired children and youth to obtain a good education, regardless of their socio-economic level.

3. To promote the development of programmes to educate and sensitise the general community to the needs of blind and visually impaired children, youth and adults.

D. Early Childhood Intervention Programs:

ICEVI and WBU shall:

Acknowledge the critical importance of the pre-school years to the long-term social, emotional and educational development of blind and visually impaired children.

Recognise the need for the development of appropriate services for very young and pre-school blind and visually impaired children.

Encourage the screening, early intervention and quality habilitation of blind and visually impaired children by specially trained teachers and instructors.

E. Additional needs:

ICEVI and WBU will:

1. Promote the establishment of programs and services for blind and visually impaired children and youth with additional disabilities.

2. Promote programs and services for deafblind children through efforts at community levels, awareness raising, screening and human resource training.

3. Provide special attention to the education and literacy needs of blind and visually impaired children, youths and adults from especially vulnerable groups such as refugees and indigenous populations.

F. Toward Action by the International Council for Education of People with Visual Impairment and the World Blind Union :

Therefore, ICEVI and WBU agree to:

1. Establish at an international level, an ICEVI/WBU Joint Education Committee to:

    a.Identify priorities
    b.Request from governments, non-governmental organisations and United Nations Agencies, the necessary material, technical and human resources to improve and expand educational access for blind and visually impaired children, youth and adults.
    c.Offer their services and support to UN Specialised Agencies, governments, local communities, educational organisations and authorities, NGOs, and organisations of and for blind and visually impaired persons that are represented within ICEVI and WBU.
    d.Establish common strategies and coordinate efforts aimed at improving and expanding access to educational services for blind and visually impaired children, youth and adults throughout the world, in line with (c) above.

2. Encourage establishment within each region of a joint ICEVI/WBU Committee with regional goals that are reflective of the tenets of this document. Such regional committees should:

    a.Include parents and other family members of the blind or visually impaired child, or the youth himself/herself, where appropriate, in an effort to ensure that established needs have taken into consideration all perspectives.
    b.Ensure maximum impact of lobbying efforts directed at governments, international bodies, and UN Specialised Agencies.

3. Promote the active participation of ICEVI and WBU in international forums on education and related matters to ensure that their respective memberships participate in decision making at all levels.

4. Jointly follow the progress and work of Education for All programs to ensure the inclusion of the needs of blind and visually impaired children, youths and adults.

5. Include information and articles on joint actions in their respective publications : The
Educator and The World Blind.

6. Regularly update the readership on the work of the other.

7. Establish a link to each other?s web pages.

8. Take all other necessary actions to ensure that information concerning the educational needs of blind and visually impaired persons is included in national and international publications in the field of general education.

APPENDIX 1
INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS & INITIATIVES