According to UNESCO, Ninety per cent of children with disabilities in developing countries do not attend school. The global literacy rate for adults with disabilities is as low as 3 per cent, and 1 per cent for women with disabilities, according to a 1998 UNDP study.
In Sri Lanka, it is estimated that less than 4% of students with disabilities attend school. This number is likely even lower for students with intellectual disabilities.
Sri Lanka does not have a special needs curriculum as part of the national curriculum nor does it have adaptations for people with intellectual disabilities. Students who have aged out of the mainstream schools with special needs units who come to the RCCI for vocational or independence training are often found to have no functional literacy or independence skills.
The RCCI aims to raise awareness of the importance of teaching skills during critical periods of development and in furthering functional skills so that people with disabilities can achieve their potential for independence.
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