Topic > Legislation to support inclusive education

There are many important laws and acts in the UK for inclusion in education. These include The Equality Act (2010), The Human Rights Act (1998) and The SEN Code of Practice (2015). In Australia there is the Disability Discrimination Act (1992). In Finland there is the Basic Education Act (1998). In Kenya there is the Basic Education Act (2013). The list goes on and on, but it is important to know that in several countries around the world there is legislation to support the inclusion of disabled people. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayThe Universal Declaration of Human RightsThe 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights is "a seminal document in the history of human rights" (UN.org). This was devised when representatives from around the world came together to draw up a list of basic human rights. It is made up of 30 articles representing each human right. Some of these human rights include; the right to life, liberty and security of the person, no one can be held in slavery or servitude, the right to freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and everyone is equal before the law. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was proclaimed by the United Nations. Most countries respect these human rights. However, countries such as Libya, North Korea and Sudan are considered human rights violators. All these three countries do not have equality in rights to education which goes against article 26, everyone has right to education and article 1, all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is important within education and inclusion as the first article of the declaration states “Everyone has the right to education” (article 26). This is important as it shows that anyone, regardless of race, gender, physical and mental health, everyone has the right to receive an education. Another important article within the Universal Declaration of Human Rights is: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and must act towards each other in a spirit of brotherhood." (Article 1). These two articles state that everyone is equal and everyone has the right to education. Therefore, it can be interpreted that the inclusion of disabled people in mainstream schools is very important. The Salamanca Declaration In 1994, UNESCO together with the Spanish government held the World Conference on Special Needs Education. This conference was attended by 300 representatives from 92 governments and 25 international organizations. This is where they came up with the Salamanca Declaration. The Salamanca Declaration was born from the agreement that every child with a disability or special educational needs should have the opportunity to attend an education and that inclusion should be the “norm”. They believed that each child was unique in his or her learning needs and that education systems should be designed to meet all of these needs. It was important to them that children with special educational needs had the opportunity to attend mainstream schools if they wished and that mainstream schools were able to meet the needs of each child. It was here that it was decided that all schools should have provision for all children, whether they have special educational needs or not. The Salamanca Declaration states that they recognize how important it is for people with special educational needs to be included in the mainstream education system. He states that: “The education system should be”.