Globally, between 93 and 150 million children are living with disabilities. Children with disabilities are less likely to attend or complete a full cycle of schooling. Girls with disabilities face the greatest barriers to education. Prejudice, stigma and the often already low value associated with girls’ education can result in girls with disabilities being overlooked.
Recent studies have shown that children with hearing or visual impairments had better schooling outcomes compared with children with learning or communication impairments (Kuper et al., 2014). Eyeglasses are classified as an assistive device in the international classification system for functioning, disability and health.
Cambodia eyeglasses project
In Cambodia, a survey conducted in 2010 showed that no children in rural areas with visual impairment had glasses and 80% of visual impairment was due to uncorrected refractive error. One of the key findings indicated that many children who dropped-out of school or never enrolled had health issues, among them often visual and hearing problems.
In 2012, the Global Partnership for Education and other partners supported Cambodia’s Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport to conduct a pilot project on low vision. The pilot project had 4 key objectives:
- Learn more about refractive error in children in Cambodia age 11-15 and the need for vision screening in schools
- Assess if teachers are capable to do basic vision testing when training and equipment is provided
- Identify children with poor vision caused by refractive error and provide them with the appropriate glasses to improve their vision
- Measure the impact on students’ lives after 4-5 months of the provision of glasses
Linking health and education at Women Deliver
At the 2016 Women Deliver conference in Copenhagen this week, several events are taking place to highlight how linking health and education offers opportunities for transformational progress.
Empowering girls and women through health and education
A Women Deliver 2016 side event hosted by the Global Partnership for Education and the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria
17 May 2016 | 7:00-8:00 | Room B5-2
Ensuring education for children with disabilities: from exclusion to inclusion
A Women Deliver 2016 event hosted by the Global Partnership for Education and Plan International
17 May 2016 |10:30-12:00 | Room B3-1