The Power of Youth in Co-creating Education 

23 January 2026

This weekend, ALLFIE joins the rest of the world to mark the International Day of Education, on the theme of: The Power of Youth in Co-creating Education. But we do so amidst the prevailing confusion and uncertainty around the future of Inclusive Education in England, a situation that is a direct result of successive governments that seem all too eager to achieve their budgetary goals at the expense of Disabled people’s rights.

Indeed, the government’s reported attempts to take away Disabled students’ legal rights form part of its wider attack on Disabled people’s rights, the height of which was its attempt to take away disability benefits last summer.  They almost got away with it, but Disabled people raised their voices and stopped them in their tracks. Yes, the voices of Disabled people prevailed over the government’s despicable plans to cut social security support to many Disabled people, demonstrating Disabled people’s power in collective resistance, solidarity, and the fight to defend our hard-won rights.   

ALLFIE’s Our Voice is a Young people’s campaigning and activism project which works with Disabled people aged 16 to 30. Our Voice builds collective power, amplifies Young Disabled people’s voices, and challenges the systems that exclude us from education and political decision-making. Our Voice campaigns unapologetically for Inclusive Education as a fundamental human right – not a privilege or policy option. 

This collective power reminds us of the Disabled Peoples Movement’s motto: ‘Nothing About Us Without Us’. This motto has been embraced by Disabled people all over the world, including Young Disabled people who want to play an active role in shaping education, such as the members of ALLFIE’s Our Voice project. They are demanding to be involved in the design of every aspect of education because they have “lived experience of when things go right and when things go wrong.”  They say policymakers “need to listen to us and what we’re saying” and that “we need real true collaborative work.” Indeed, their voices are essential to the co-creation of an education system that is inclusive. Recognising and amplifying the power of Young Disabled people to co-create education is central to defending Inclusive Education and ensuring it reflects the rights, aspirations, and realities of Disabled people both now and in the future.

On International Day of Education, we reaffirm that the future of Inclusive Education depends on the leadership, insight, and collective power of Young Disabled people.

By Edmore Masendeke, ALLFIE’s Policy and Research Lead