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

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.