Resources

Millions of children were forced to stay at home and out of school when the COVID-19 pandemic broke out. Despite planned school re-openings in some areas, school closures continue to affect 46 percent of the world's students. Governments, global education stakeholders, civil society, and educators have worked in response to COVID-19 to guarantee that learners may continue to learn while also working to contain the virus and promote their health and well-being. From the standpoint of equality, there is rising worry about the potential exclusion of the most vulnerable groups, particularly disabled children. The problem is that COVID-19 affects people from lower socio-economic categories disproportionately. According to research, children with disabilities and their families are especially susceptible since they are more likely to be impoverished and lack access to critical information.

During the Pandemic, poverty is a major feature that exacerbates exclusion from education, health, and social inclusion. This research focuses on the new social and educational needs, barriers, and issues that children with disabilities, their families, and instructors are facing. The paper outlines recommended practices to meet the immediate needs of learners with disabilities, medium-term strategies for re-opening, and long-term actions that should be implemented to make progress toward more equitable, inclusive learning ecosystems during and after the pandemic, based on the twin-track approach to disability-inclusive development and the principles of Universal Design for Learning.