Page 130 - RUICHSS 2023 Proceeding

University of Ruhuna ISSN: 2706-0063
Matara, Sri Lanka

1. Introduction and Research Problem

Access to education is well-accepted as a universal right. While there has
been remarkable progress in education attainment globally, there is still

evidence to suggest that many children with disabilities are still being left

behind. The participation and completion rates of education of children with
disabilities are low compared to their peers without disabilities (World

Health Organization and the World Bank, 2011). The World Health
Organization (WHO) estimates suggest that globally, children with

disabilities make up one-third, or approximately 19 million, of the 58
million out-of-school children. Several factors contribute to the fact that a

large number of children with disabilities are out of school. These include;

lack of assistive technology, limited skills of teachers on inclusive teaching,
lack of appropriate and accessible infrastructure in schools, and limited

scope in curricula, among others.

According to the estimates of the WHO, 1.3 billion people – or 15% of the

global population – experience a significant disability today (WHO, 2023).
The Department of Census Statistics of Sri Lanka (2012) reports that 8.7%

of Sri Lanka’s population or nearly 1.2 million people have some form of
disability. These figures, which are significantly lower than the WHO and

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