The Organization of American States (OAS) and Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) are launching a joint project to create an online repository of resources that make teaching and learning more accessible for persons with disabilities.

The launch of the project includes a three-month survey of those who produce or use existing teaching and learning resources for persons with disabilities. The OAS, through its Secretariat for Access to Rights and Equity, and AUI will use the results of the survey to develop a searchable resource portal accessible to the public by end of summer 2020.

The project responds to the situation facing persons with disabilities in educational systems in the Americas, in which many are segregated, rejected, objectified, ignored and/or left behind. According to UNICEF, UNESCO, and World Bank studies, on average only 20% of children and young persons with disabilities attend school worldwide. In the Americas, seven out of ten children with disabilities do not attend school, and more than 8 million are at risk of being excluded from the system. This constitutes a systematic violation of the right to education. Through this project OAS and AUI will raise awareness of, and increase access to teaching and learning resources for this vulnerable community.