Almost every serious discussion of inclusive education in Nepal convenes the same four people: an official from the education ministry, a head teacher, a parent, and a representative of an organisation of persons with disabilities. Those four belong in the room. They are also nowhere near enough.
The decisions that settle an autistic child’s schooling are mostly made elsewhere. An examinations board decides whether accommodations exist at the moment that fixes a young person’s future. A teacher selection commission decides what a teacher must know in order to be hired. A customs schedule decides what a communication device costs. A ward secretary decides whether a child exists on paper at all. None of these bodies is usually invited.
This Summit is an attempt to convene that wider set, and to give the work somewhere to go afterwards.
The Day
Six tracks run through the day, one after another rather than in parallel, so that everyone in the room hears all six. Each track is led by organisations already working in that area, and each is built around the same three questions:
- Where are we now?
- What can feasibly be done?
- What is the evidence behind the solutions being proposed?
Each track team meets before the Summit and presents on the day. The closing session draws the six sets of findings together and opens the discussion on forming a working group.
Who should attend
- Officials from federal, provincial and local government.
- Head teachers, resource teachers and early childhood facilitators.
- Paediatricians, therapists and mental health professionals.
- Parents and family members.
- Autistic self-advocates.
- Researchers and university faculty.
- Organisations of persons with disabilities.
- Employers.
- Journalists.
If your work touches on whether a child with a disability is found, enrolled, taught, assessed or employed, this day concerns you.
Finances
The Summit is financed by the organisations putting it on. No external agency or donor is supporting it. If you are interested in being a co-organizer or a partner, Partner with us page explains how to join them.