History

The history of disabled people, people with learning difficulties and people with emotional difficulties has been one of exclusion and shame.

The rise of the disability movement, and great advances in technology, are transforming the lives of disabled adults, but young people are still very vulnerable to exclusion, disrespect and neglect. The Alliance was formed by disabled people, parents and a few allies, in order to fight together for an education system based on the principles of inclusion.

We know that young people with the greatest needs, have the greatest need for inclusion.

"I think that when you don't have real friends you can't experience real life because real life is how you get on with people. I can't do anything on my own so I am completely dependent on people helping me, so if I am not going to be surrounded by only personal assistants, I have got to find a way of making friends."
Maresa Mackeith

The Alliance was formed in 1990 as a membership organisation. It has a constitution which ensures that disabled people must be a majority of the council of management. We are not a charity and primarily campaign to ensure that no child is forced to live a separate life by the legislative power of local government.

Our goals

To increase the capacity of the Alliance Regional groups to campaign for inclusive learning at the local level
To increase the membership of each regional group to ensure that there is good representation of a diverse range of stakeholders - disabled children, young people and adults, parents and families, educationalists
To support young people, both disabled and non disabled, to organise together, under the Inclusion banner, to become a powerful voice in the debate about the shape of the existing education system and in the future.
That these voices inform that work of the Alliance
That the Alliance becomes the lead campaigning voice of the inclusion movement
To change the political climate to one that believes 'inclusion for all' is possible, by developing key influencing relationships