Bridging the Gap: Inclusive Education in Latin America and the Caribbean

In Latin America and the Caribbean, 10-15% of school-aged children live with disabilities or learning difficulties, making inclusive education both a moral responsibility and an economic imperative. With 12.5-18.9 million children at risk of being left behind, inclusive education— in which children with and without disabilities learn together—offers a crucial path to ensuring equal opportunities.

Despite strong commitments to inclusive education across Latin America and the Caribbean, however, the reality on the ground is uneven, with many students with disabilities still placed in segregated schools or special classes.

Legal Frameworks and Policy Commitments—Building the Foundation

Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean have established a foundation for inclusive education through strong legal frameworks. All nations in the region have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), ensuring that children with disabilities have the right to education within the general education system. National laws further reinforce this commitment, with most countries mandating reasonable accommodations in schools to support the inclusion and learning of students with disabilities.

However, the implementation of these policies varies widely across the region. While countries like Chile and Brazil have developed comprehensive programs that facilitate the inclusion of students with disabilities in mainstream schools, others continue to rely on segregated schooling models. This gap between policy and practice underscores the need for ongoing advocacy and support to ensure that all children can interact and learn side by side.

The Enrollment-Completion Disconnect—A Persistent Challenge

One of the most significant challenges is the disconnect between enrollment and completion rates for children with disabilities. While enrollment rates for children with disabilities in Latin America and the Caribbean are not particularly low, these students must still finish their education. Most children with disabilities attend primary and secondary school, but gaps widen with age, particularly with regards to completion.

Evidence suggests that inclusive education policies play a role in reducing these disparities. In countries like Chile and Brazil, where most students with disabilities attend mainstream schools, enrollment gaps at the primary and secondary level are minimal, at under 3 percentage points, and more than 68 percent of students with disabilities complete those levels of education. In contrast, countries with lower levels of inclusion, such as Bolivia and Peru, still show substantial completion gaps, with secondary school completion rates for students with disabilities lagging behind those of their peers by as much as 48 percentage points.  This might be related in part to the low rates of disability measured in surveys in these countries. In contrast to other countries in the region, the surveys may only be only capturing people with disabilities with high support needs. These people are thus also more likely to experience discrimination or lag behind. The large gaps in Peru and Bolivia may thus not actually be as large as they seem to be. Still, the fact that gaps in completion rates vary significantly across countries and appear to be smaller in those that have expanded access to inclusive education  bolsters the case for boosting inclusive education regionwide.

Table 1: Gaps in Completion Rates between Persons with and without Disabilities

Learning from Leaders—Chile and Brazil’s Inclusive Education Models

Chile and Brazil have emerged as leaders in the region in this regard, pioneering innovative approaches to inclusive education. Chile’s Education Integration Program (PIE) offers additional funding to schools that enroll students with disabilities, promoting inclusion within mainstream schooling. Similarly, Brazil’s Specialized Educational Support Program (AEE) provides additional resources and learning support within mainstream schools, substantially reducing segregation.

These programs have yielded positive results, and there have been substantial increases in the number of students with disabilities attending mainstream schools.  In Brazil, students with disabilities in mainstream schools increased by 69.5% between 2014 and 2021, while in Chile their numbers rose by 36.5% during the same period.  

 Taking inspiration from the successful implementation of those endeavors and adapting Chile and Brazil’s models to their own contexts, other countries might similarly prioritize resources for inclusive education, including investments in teacher training, assistive technologies, and infrastructure improvements to make schools accessible to all students. As in Chile, other countries may also consider providing financial resources for schools that are implementing inclusive education programs and monitoring outcomes.

Countries might develop more robust systems that identify students with disabilities and learning difficulties. They might develop learning plans based on individual assessments and monitor progress toward these goals. The key is creating sustainable and scalable programs that ensure every child has the opportunity to reach their full potential. Inclusive education is an essential goal. It is a pathway to a more equitable and prosperous future for Latin America and the Caribbean in which all children are given the opportunity to succeed.