C. Exercise

1. Group work method

Number of groups: Three groups, each consisting of 7 to 10 participants.
Time: 30 minutes.
Task: Answer the questions at the end of the case study and then share the results of your work with all participants in no more than 7 minutes, either as a group or through a nominated spokesperson.

2. Case Study

Saeed is 7 years old and his family lives in a remote area. Saeed is a blind child whose family is trying to enrol him in primary education in the village. The nearest primary school is about 40 kilometres away from the family home, there is no transport between his home and the school, and the school is not equipped for the inclusion of blind children. Saeed's family have decided to send him to the capital city, where the only school for blind children in the country is located. Because of the distance, the family has enrolled Saeed in the boarding section so that he can stay there throughout the school year, except for mid- and end-of year holidays and weekends when his family comes to take him home. The school is equipped with Braille curricula, screen readers, qualified teachers, and programmes for learning motor skills and day-to-day life skills.

When visiting the school, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities asked why the children were not integrated into mainstream schools. The answer given was: "It is not possible to integrate blind children at a young age. They are enrolled in the school until the age of six and are then transferred to preparatory schools until they reach an age when they can reasonably be integrated with their peers in those schools, who will by then also be of a reasonable age to understand diversity and accommodate them. There are also specialized services provided to blind students that require a special environment, such as education in reading and writing in Braille, the use special tools for mathematics that rely entirely on touch, and the teaching of motor skills and skills to carry out day-to-day activities such as using eating utensils (a fork and knife), inspecting one's appearance, and tidying one's room, among others."

In the final report of the State visit, the Special Rapporteur wrote: "More efforts are required to promote inclusive education for blind students, especially in early childhood. The State party must develop a strategy to ensure inclusive education away from restrictive environments and any form of institutionalization."

3. Case Study Questions

Do you have any alternative solutions that Saeed's family can take instead of sending him to the school for blind children? If so, what are they? Would homeschooling, for example, be one of these solutions and why?
Does the prevailing system of schools for blind children constitute a form of institutionalization that is incompatible with the right to independent living, even with weekend and longer seasonal absences and constant family visits? If so, why?
Are the justifications given by school officials for educating blind students in a special environment acceptable, and if so, and why?
What are the first three important steps that must be taken to implement the recommendation of the United Nations Special Rapporteur to the State party?
Do you have other comments on the case study?