Centre for Children’s Rights Seminar

Is there a Right of Parents to Choose the Form of Education for Disabled Children?

Speaker: Dr Gauthier de Beco Reader in Law – University of Huddersfield

All welcome and registration is not required.

This presentation examines whether parents of disabled children have a right to choose the form of education for their children. It enquires into why such a right exists or not in the field of international human rights law. The question of opting for the type of education for disabled children raises serious issues in relation to the right to inclusive education, especially since the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) remains unclear regarding the continued availability of special schools. The presentation therefore sets out the arguments in favour and against the right to choose the form of education for such children, from both a legal and a practical point of view. It also addresses parental responsibilities, including the role of families in the provision of education, as well as how inclusive education may be conducive to making society inclusive more broadly. It argues that that the emphasis on the right to choose the form of education for disabled children – which is recognised in some jurisdictions, such as in the UK – is a misconception that is in fact due to a failure to offer options that are equally valuable and accessible.