EDS4803
Assignment 2
Due 25 July 2025
,EDS4803
Assignment 2
Due 25 July 2025
EXCEPTIONAL ANSWERS
Question 1: Critical Discussion of Educational Approaches Supporting Learners
with Disabilities, with Reference to the Rights-Based Approach
Introduction
The education of learners with disabilities has undergone significant transformation,
underpinned by evolving philosophical, legal, and pedagogical frameworks. Among
these, the Rights-Based Approach (RBA) emerges as a dominant paradigm grounded in
human rights principles, emphasizing equity, non-discrimination, dignity, and active
participation. This response critically examines the RBA within the context of
educational support for learners with disabilities, articulating its strengths, limitations,
underlying assumptions, and broader implications for inclusive practice.
Overview of the Rights-Based Approach
The RBA is rooted in international human rights frameworks, most notably the United
Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD, 2006), which
enshrines inclusive education as a fundamental right rather than a discretionary policy
option. By shifting focus from charity and medical models towards a social model
premised on legal entitlements, the RBA conceptualizes learners with disabilities as
rights-holders entitled to equitable, quality education (UNCRPD, 2006). This
repositioning emphasizes dignity, autonomy, agency, and participation, thereby
requiring states to ensure reasonable accommodations, dismantle systemic barriers,
and cultivate inclusive learning environments.
, Underlying Assumptions
Implicit in the RBA is the universalist assumption that rights are equally enforceable
and realizable across diverse contexts. This presumes a level of state capacity,
infrastructural readiness, and societal acceptance that may not exist uniformly,
particularly in under-resourced settings.
Strengths of the RBA
The RBA’s primary strength lies in its legal and moral authority. By framing education
as an enforceable right, it compels governments and institutions to prioritise inclusive
policies over discretionary benevolence. For example, South Africa’s Education White
Paper 6 (2001) aligns with the RBA by advocating systemic inclusive education reform
to accommodate diverse needs (Department of Education, 2001).
Moreover, the RBA fosters structural transformation by requiring curriculum
adaptations, teacher capacity development, and accessible infrastructure, while
simultaneously empowering learners and their families to demand accountability
(Walton, 2018). This rights-based framing fosters advocacy, agency, and self-
determination, shifting learners from passive recipients to active claimants of
educational justice.
Broader Implications
A rights-based framing of disability in education influences policy prioritisation, funding
allocation, and societal attitudes towards disability as an issue of justice rather than
charity or rehabilitation.
Limitations and Challenges
Despite its normative strength, the RBA faces practical and ideological challenges.
Implementation often lags due to resource constraints, especially in low-income
contexts where infrastructural barriers, untrained staff, and limited assistive
technologies hinder realization of UNCRPD standards (Walton, 2018). Furthermore, the
RBA risks over-legalisation, reducing inclusion to procedural compliance rather than
fostering transformative pedagogical practices that address learners’ holistic needs.
Assignment 2
Due 25 July 2025
,EDS4803
Assignment 2
Due 25 July 2025
EXCEPTIONAL ANSWERS
Question 1: Critical Discussion of Educational Approaches Supporting Learners
with Disabilities, with Reference to the Rights-Based Approach
Introduction
The education of learners with disabilities has undergone significant transformation,
underpinned by evolving philosophical, legal, and pedagogical frameworks. Among
these, the Rights-Based Approach (RBA) emerges as a dominant paradigm grounded in
human rights principles, emphasizing equity, non-discrimination, dignity, and active
participation. This response critically examines the RBA within the context of
educational support for learners with disabilities, articulating its strengths, limitations,
underlying assumptions, and broader implications for inclusive practice.
Overview of the Rights-Based Approach
The RBA is rooted in international human rights frameworks, most notably the United
Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD, 2006), which
enshrines inclusive education as a fundamental right rather than a discretionary policy
option. By shifting focus from charity and medical models towards a social model
premised on legal entitlements, the RBA conceptualizes learners with disabilities as
rights-holders entitled to equitable, quality education (UNCRPD, 2006). This
repositioning emphasizes dignity, autonomy, agency, and participation, thereby
requiring states to ensure reasonable accommodations, dismantle systemic barriers,
and cultivate inclusive learning environments.
, Underlying Assumptions
Implicit in the RBA is the universalist assumption that rights are equally enforceable
and realizable across diverse contexts. This presumes a level of state capacity,
infrastructural readiness, and societal acceptance that may not exist uniformly,
particularly in under-resourced settings.
Strengths of the RBA
The RBA’s primary strength lies in its legal and moral authority. By framing education
as an enforceable right, it compels governments and institutions to prioritise inclusive
policies over discretionary benevolence. For example, South Africa’s Education White
Paper 6 (2001) aligns with the RBA by advocating systemic inclusive education reform
to accommodate diverse needs (Department of Education, 2001).
Moreover, the RBA fosters structural transformation by requiring curriculum
adaptations, teacher capacity development, and accessible infrastructure, while
simultaneously empowering learners and their families to demand accountability
(Walton, 2018). This rights-based framing fosters advocacy, agency, and self-
determination, shifting learners from passive recipients to active claimants of
educational justice.
Broader Implications
A rights-based framing of disability in education influences policy prioritisation, funding
allocation, and societal attitudes towards disability as an issue of justice rather than
charity or rehabilitation.
Limitations and Challenges
Despite its normative strength, the RBA faces practical and ideological challenges.
Implementation often lags due to resource constraints, especially in low-income
contexts where infrastructural barriers, untrained staff, and limited assistive
technologies hinder realization of UNCRPD standards (Walton, 2018). Furthermore, the
RBA risks over-legalisation, reducing inclusion to procedural compliance rather than
fostering transformative pedagogical practices that address learners’ holistic needs.
