There are few areas which cause more heartbreak and distress for children with intellectual disabilities and their parents than education does. The statistics are clear - children with intellectual disabilities are increasingly excluded from mainstream schooling, and either isolated in special schools, or denied access to education completely.

In many European Union (EU) member states, such as Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Hungary, Greece, United Kingdom, Lithuania, and Romania, the majority of students with intellectual disabilities and complex needs are referred to segregated schools.

This is a clear breach of the provisions of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which was ratified by the European Union in 2010.

Therefore, the need for inclusive education for all children with disabilities is one of the points highlighted in the Alternative Report on the Implementation of the UN CRPD, a document developed by the European disability movement.

Go to: http://www.edf-feph.org/Page_Generale.asp?DocID=13854&thebloc=30214

This book, recently updated and extended, is designed as an introduction for advocates working with someone with autism for the first time, as well as a refresher for people who already work with this client group.  For many advocates, a diagnosis is not requested or required to work with someone, and this book discusses strategies that are useful when working with people with a variety of needs.

Go to: http://www.autism.org.uk/products/core-nas-publications/advocacy-for-adults-with-autism-spectrum-disorders.aspx?

Crystal Chin shares her story with the Ontario Brain Institute. CP-NET is a province-wide collaboration between Ontario's world class CP researchers and clinicians, not-for-profit patient advocacy groups and industry partners. Current projects fall into one of the following five theme areas: developmental outcomes, genetics, constraint therapy, neuroimaging findings and technological innovations.

Visit www.cp-net.org