Awareness-raising, Legitimation or Backlash? Effects of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on Education Systems in Germany

in Globalisation, Societies and Education (2016), 13(2), 227-250

Global discourse about human rights, Education for All, and inclusive education has altered social norms relating to dis/ability and schooling, especially through awareness raising, by legitimating ... [more ▼]

Global discourse about human rights, Education for All, and inclusive education has altered social norms relating to dis/ability and schooling, especially through awareness raising, by legitimating advocates’ positions, and by facilitating policy reforms. Affected by societal and educational change, special education systems and their participants have also transformed societies. Widespread recognition of education’s impact—and of institutionalized discrimination that disabled pupils face—galvanizes contemporary debates. If special education successfully provided learning opportunities to previously excluded pupils, the goal has shifted to inclusive education. In such settings, all children, regardless of their characteristics, attend neighbourhood schools where they are supported to reach their individual learning goals in diverse classrooms. This global ideal has gained legitimacy, as most countries have ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (UN-CRPD), which mandates inclusive education, specifying facilitated access and meaningful educational opportunities. This has considerable implications for all learners. Ex-amining the effects of the UN-CRPD in Germany, one of the most highly stratified and segregated education systems in Europe, provides a hard test case of the (potential) impact of this international charter on national education systems. To meet its mandate, Germany’s sixteen states (Bundesländer) would have to radically reform their education systems, whose segregated structures remain antithetical to inclu-sive education. Examining education policy reform processes since the 1970s, we find contrasting reactions: In Schleswig-Holstein, inclusive education has diffused broadly and attained broad legitimacy, but in Bavaria its development has stalled; school segregation remains pervasive. Below national level, the UN-CRPD’s potential to affect the pace and scope of change—depends on the structures in place at ratification. [less ▲]

Diverging Paths: How the UN Disability Convention Affects School Reforms in Germany

in WZB Report (2014)

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, ratified in Germany in 2008, mandates “inclusive” education. This necessitates profound reforms because the ambitious goals of the ... [more ▼]

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities, ratified in Germany in 2008, mandates “inclusive” education. This necessitates profound reforms because the ambitious goals of the Convention challenge the segregated special education systems of the Bundesländer and ultimately stratified schooling as a whole. However, the implementation of inclusive reforms faces serious obstacles. By comparing Schleswig-Holstein and Bavaria, we show how these can be overcome and what role the UN Convention can play in this regard. [less ▲]

Von der schulischen Segregation zur inklusiven Bildung? Die Wirkung der UN-Konvention über die Rechte von Menschen mit Behinderungen auf Bildungsreformen in Bayern und Schleswig-Holstein

E-print/Working paper (2013)

Germany has among the most highly stratified and segregated educational systems in Europe. Its differentiated special school system, in particular, exemplifies institutional inertia. Yet Article 24 of the ... [more ▼]

Germany has among the most highly stratified and segregated educational systems in Europe. Its differentiated special school system, in particular, exemplifies institutional inertia. Yet Article 24 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Disabled People (UN-CRPD), ratified in Germany in 2008, mandates implementation of inclusive education. To achieve the UN-CRPD’s goals, Germany’s sixteen Bundesländer must radically transform their education systems, whose structures remain antithetical to inclusive education. Examining education policy reform processes in two contrasting cases, we investigate four types of mechanisms of institutional reproduction responsible for path-dependent developments: power-based, legitimacy-based, utilitarian, and functional. We compare Schleswig-Holstein, where inclusive education has diffused broadly, with Bavaria, where implementation has stalled due to backlash and school segregation remains pervasive. Delving below the national level and emphasizing the importance of timing, we show contrasting effects of an exogenous shock on the direction of endogenous reforms. [less ▲]

Persistente schulische Segregation oder Wandel zur inklusiven Bildung? Die Bedeutung der UN-Behindertenrechtskonvention für Reformprozesse in den deutschen Bundesländern

in Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Soziologie = Revue Suisse de Sociologie (2013), 39(5), 267-292

Im Jahre 2009 ist in Deutschland die UN-Behindertenrechtskonvention (UN-BRK) in Kraft getreten, in welcher sich Deutschland verpflichtet, ein inklusives Bildungssystem zu gewährleisten. Dafür müssen die ... [more ▼]

Im Jahre 2009 ist in Deutschland die UN-Behindertenrechtskonvention (UN-BRK) in Kraft getreten, in welcher sich Deutschland verpflichtet, ein inklusives Bildungssystem zu gewährleisten. Dafür müssen die Bundesländer grundlegende Reformen einleiten: Das Menschenrecht auf inklusive Bildung steht in klarem Widerspruch zum gegliederten Schulsystem. Welche Barrieren bestehen bei der Umsetzung inklusiver Schulreformen in Deutschland? Wie können diese überwunden werden und welche Bedeutung hat dabei die UN-BRK? Schleswig-Holstein, ein im schulischen Bereich vergleichsweise inklusives Bundesland, wird mit dem schulisch stark segregierenden Bayern kontrastiert. Die Untersuchung verdeutlicht die Grenzen und Potenziale der UN-BRK, das Ziel eines inklusiven Bildungssystems zu verwirklichen. [less ▲]