Michelle Daley, director at ALLFIE, explains: "If you're not part of the mainstream, then you're separated. If you're separated, what do your opportunities look like? The evidence shows that Disabled people placed in segregated settings have fewer opportunities.”
Formed in 1990 and led by Disabled people, the Brixton-based Disabled People’s Organisation believes in the right of all Disabled people to be able to access and be supported in mainstream education. They believe that separation deepens societal stigma and discrimination, not only harming Disabled individuals but also negatively affecting society as a whole by reinforcing discriminatory attitudes and behaviours.
Separation throughout a Disabled person's life can cause them to be seen as less valuable, opening the door to abuse and oppression in segregated settings.
“Disabled people become taken care of in a way that can infantilise them, because it is so often viewed in terms of deficits," said Iyiola Olafimihan, justice and campaigns lead at ALLFIE. Edmore Masendeke, policy and research lead, added that some people appear to see offering very basic services “that keep the person alive as, on its own, doing them a favour.”
A photo of ALLFIE and others campaigning for inclusive education. A purple banner reads 'Educate, Don't Segregate'.
Education, not segregation
ALLFIE is the only national organisation in the UK specifically working to make sure Disabled people can access Inclusive Education in mainstream settings.
Their work is rooted in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and the Social Model of Disability, which states that people are disabled not by their impairments but by society’s failure to take their different needs into account.
In 2007, the UK signed the UN treaty, agreeing that all Disabled people have the same fundamental rights and freedoms as everyone else. In doing so, the UK committed to ensuring that all Disabled people in the UK have access to Inclusive Education. Despite this, the UK media often implies that Disabled children and young people are to blame for budget crises.
"We responded to the National Audit Office consultation, and we found that to place a disabled child in an independent segregated school is £65,000 per year, compared to £18,000 per year if they go to a mainstream school. The problem isn’t Disabled children draining your budget," said Edmore.
A red banner that reads 'SEND Action. Disabled Children V Government.'
In 2024, ahead of the general election, ALLFIE created a manifesto with six demands of the government to ensure equity, equality, and the right to Inclusive Education for all Disabled people. These included ending all forms of segregated education and making Inclusive Education training mandatory nationwide.
The manifesto has become essential to ALLFIE's mission, serving as both a guide for their initiatives and a tool for assessing the commitments of political parties regarding disability in education.
As part of this campaign and policy work, ALLFIE also contributed to consultations on the national curriculum. A significant concern highlighted in these discussions is the lack of pathway opportunities for Disabled children and young people from marginalised communities who are performing below the national curriculum standards.
"Because the education system is set up based on competition, ranking and ratings, you start seeing what school wants who,” said Michelle, “parents don't pick schools, schools pick children."
A photo of ALLFIE and others sitting around a table together at a meeting.
Highlighting injustice and making progress
Their work is gaining traction – in August 2024, ALLFIE featured in Channel 4’s Equal Play documentary, promoting Inclusive Education ahead of the 2024 Paralympic games, acknowledging that sport is not a given for all Disabled pupils and students.
They also held a conference welcoming Steve Broach KC, a public barrister, who spoke about the Children and Families Act that protects Disabled children and young people.
Another major project in 2024 was their Disabled Black Lives Matter (DBLM) research. After the murder of George Floyd in 2020, ALLFIE started this campaign to address racial and intersectional inequality of Black/Global Majority Disabled people, in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement. Sadly, studies have shown that Black Disabled children are much more likely to be excluded from school. The 2019 Timpson Review on school exclusion found that a Black Disabled boy from an under-resourced background with an Education, Health and Care plan has a 58% chance of being excluded from school.
Going forward, ALLFIE is planning further work looking at inclusion and the national curriculum. They will also be working with Systemic Justice to deliver a series of workshops on human rights within education.
Whilst ALLFIE shows no sign of slowing down, they also pointed out that progress is being made. Their Inclusion Now magazine features examples of progress on Inclusive Education.
- ALLFIE received a grant of £180,000 over 26 months in 2023 through our Rights and Justice programme. In 2024, they received a discretionary increase of £50,000 to include work to support staff wellbeing, organisational resilience, and effective learning.