On International Education Day, DbI and WFDB renewed their call for immediate respect for the right to education of ALL children with deafblindness. Sadly, the situation remains unacceptable.
Encouragingly, this renewal goes hand in hand with an education-specific reaffirmation by the UN Commission for Social Development. The Commission has just concluded its first meeting since the Second World Summit for Social Development.
In a draft resolution recommended to the Economic and Social Council, the Commission reaffirms, among other things, the commitment to invest in inclusive, equitable, quality education at all levels, skills development, digital literacy education, vocational education and training, physical education and sport and lifelong learning, in particular regarding skills needed for labour market transitions, and to support capacity-building of developing countries in this regard.
Read the text of the renewed call of DbI and WFDB below or or by clicking on THIS LINK in PDF format.
Every child has the right to education!
Both the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention of Rights of Persons with Disabilities proclaim the right to education and full and equitable inclusion of children with disabilities in society.
However, children with deafblindness are still being left behind.
The 1st Global Report on Deafblindness by the World Federation of the Deafblind WFDB in 2018 made it clear: Children with deafblindness are up to 23 times less likely to be in school than children without disabilities, and less likely to be in school than children with other disabilities.
The 2nd Global Report by WFDB in 2023 explored the situation of children living with deafblindness further in 36 countries across the globe. The results are devastating: only 14% are enrolled in education.
The newest comparative data by Deafblind International DbI, which focuses on 27 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, shows that there is still an enormous need for quality education from pre-school to vocational training, for research, and for assistive technology in far too many places.
The current state of affairs is clearly unacceptable. Therefore, WFDB and DbI call, on this International Day of Education 2026, for the immediate respect of the right to education of all children with deafblindness.
The vision and mission of DbI’s current global education campaign “LET ME IN”, which is being implemented in close collaboration with the WFDB, is to bring about effective change in education for these children.
The campaign, which has the potential to reach 5.5 million children, guarantees regionally relevant goals and coordinated projects in a culturally and systemically appropriate form on the basis of growing regional competence networks.
The campaign also includes a research initiative with 29 new research projects on the education of children with deafblindness in countries of the Global South.
Let’s work together across all borders, and despite differences, conflicts, wars, natural and human-made disasters.
- To make pre-school and school accessible for all children with deafblindness
- ensuring inclusive environments,
- quality support,
- and provision of deafblind interpreters, communication guides, intervenors or assistants, depending on the individual needs.
Together we can realize inclusive, lifelong, quality and relevant education for persons with deafblindness worldwide. Any support is welcome on this journey. Please reach out to either one or both of us.
Zagreb and Lucerne, January 24, 2026
Sanja Tarczay, WFDB President Mirko Baur, DbI President
Sanja Tarczay, WFDB President Mirko Baur, DbI President