On the International Day for People with Disabilities, this event looks at what is needed for children and adults with disabilities to have access to equal education, especially with the challenges of providing learning during and in the aftermath of COVID-19.

This event marks 50 years since the Chronically Sick and Disabled Peoples’ Act was passed, which was passed as a private member’s bill brought to parliament by MP Alf Morris. (later Baron Morris of Manchester). The focus of education in this event relates to Morris’ background as teacher and university extension lecturer. We ask what would Alf Morris do today to ensure equity in education?

Jolanta Lasota (@JLasota01) is Chief Executive of Ambitious about Autism, which is a national charity for children and young people with autism. It provides services, raises awareness and understanding, and influences policy. She also Chairs the Autism Education Trust, a not-for-profit programme funded by the Department for Education to improve educational access, experience and outcomes for children and young people with autism.

Nicola Martin is Head of Research, Higher Degrees and Student Experience and Professor of Social Justice and Inclusive Education at London South Bank University. She was formerly Head of the Disability and Wellbeing Service at LSE. She has 35 years’ experience in education working with disabled pupils and students from nursery age to adults in FE and HE. Her research interests are informed by emancipatory principles and include critical disability /autism studies. 

Amelia Roberts is Deputy Director of the UCL Centre for Inclusive Education. She works internationally and with UK Local Authorities and School Alliances to improve the attainment and participation of pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities. She leads on the Knowledge Exchange programme in Social, Emotional and Mental Health; SWERL (Supporting Wellbeing, Emotional Resilience and Learning) which has been rolled out to over 55 schools since 2018.

Amelia Peterson (@AKMPeterson) is a fellow at LSE Social Policy. Her research draws in part on her experience working with education practitioners and system leaders across a wide range of countries including an English secondary school. Her book on new purposes for education, written with Valerie Hannon, will be published by Cambridge University Press in February 2021.

This event will have live captioning and BSL interpreters. 

The British Library of Political and Economic Science (@LSELibrary) was founded in 1896, a year after the London School of Economics and Political Science. It has been based in the Lionel Robbins Building since 1978 and houses many world class collections, including The Women's Library.

This event forms part of LSE’s Shaping the Post-COVID World initiative, a series of debates about the direction the world could and should be taking after the crisis.

Twitter Hashtags for this event: #LSEDisabilityAct50 #LSECOVID19