Margret A. Winzer

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: Notes on Genealogy and Prospects

Abstract The dense and complex Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is both a human rights treaty and a development tool. It supplements the web of existing human rights instruments insofar as they relate to disability. Schooling is enshrouded as a rights-based case; inclusive education as a development tool for all persons with disabilities. The human rights agenda that informs the CRPD is intimately related to, and erected upon, earlier ideas and histories; education links to a series of world conferences that identified broad development goals and targets. This paper addresses the genealogy of the CRPD. It elaborates these two interlinked perspectives- the intersection of human rights and disability and the education-related positions. It finds that the CRPD may indeed exert a powerful influence in positively affecting the lives of persons with disabilities but, so far, prospects remain limited. The rights protections and education directions have not yet advanced to robust equa...

Globalization, Teachers and Inclusive Schooling

Positive attitudes held by general classroom teachers toward the principles of inclusion and toward students with disabilities are central in ensuring the successful progress of the inclusive movement. To underline the critical nature of teacher attitudes, this comparative study draws on a sample of the literature from western nations implementing sophisticated policies – the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The general tenor of the research indicates that while contemporary teachers typically exhibit positive attitudes toward the principles of inclusion, some feel under siege and unprepared to comply with the broad array of requirements. And, despite the idiosyncratic nature of national priorities, legislation, teacher training, and implementation, attitudes transcend national boundaries to the extent that teachers’ views on various facets of the inclusive agenda tend to be remarkably consistent across time and across nations.