he world is faced with a growing public health crisis—an epidemic of loneliness—fueled and deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Young people with intellectual disabilities (ID), one of the most vulnerable and marginalized populations globally, have been hit particularly hard.
At their peak, nationwide school closures disrupted the learning of 91% of enrolled learners worldwide. In 2020-2021, 147 million children missed more than half of their in-person schooling. This amounted to 2 trillion hours of lost in-person learning globally. School closures have a very real impact on all students, but young people with ID often pay the heaviest price as inequalities in learning widen.
Despite progress over recent years, too many of the world’s estimated 250 million people with ID continue to face unimaginable stigma and isolation, where they are shut away and hidden. In many parts of the world, young people with Down syndrome, autism, or Williams syndrome are unlikely to ever set foot in a school, a foundational gateway to forming healthy relationships and developing a sense of belonging, confidence, and self-worth. Absent intervention, this group is at risk of being left behind and further isolated from society.
As policymakers and education leaders attempt to triage the many challenges faced by young people in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, they should consider prioritizing the principles and promise of social inclusion—improving the terms on which individuals and groups take part in society so they may lead a better life. For students with disabilities, this isn’t just about creating physical infrastructure, like wheelchair ramps or special signage. It’s about creating social infrastructure—social activities, clubs, and competitions—that bring people together and create truly inclusive attitudes and mindsets.
Social and emotional learning (SEL)—the process through which young people learn to manage feelings, set goals, make decisions, and feel empathy for others—is an effective vehicle to achieve social inclusion. The science behind the benefits of SEL is clear. Drawing from psychology, economics, medicine, and brain and learning science, the research shows social-emotional skills predict academic and career success and improve cognitive skills, including creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving. Developing certain social and emotional skills in children can help counteract the negative effects of poverty and close opportunity and achievement gaps. Beyond cognitive development and academic outcomes, the OECD’s Survey of Social and Emotional Skills found SEL benefits are important drivers of mental health and labor market prospects. Building SEL competency is especially crucial for students with ID who learn to manage their emotions, increase self-efficiency, and build stable relationships.
SEL and social inclusion are a natural pairing. Research shows when SEL programs include students with ID, all students benefit. Schools see decreased bullying, more trusting relationships with teachers and staff, improved peer-to-peer relationships, better grades, and students who are more helpful and empathetic toward students with ID. Critically, graduation rates also increase. These findings are affirmed by what Special Olympics sees in its own programs incorporating SEL, with consistent results across diverse cultural contexts and geographies spanning China, Greece, India, Kenya, and the US, among other countries.
Ultimately, utilizing SEL to promote social inclusion supports the educational outcomes that governments have set out to achieve. These include Goal 4 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which asserts that countries must “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all,” as well as full implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), particularly the obligation to provide access to “an inclusive, quality and free primary education and secondary education on an equal basis with others in the communities in which they live.”
As leaders and educators, we have the agency to break down the barriers between these communities and to build a bridge between people. Loneliness cannot be cured by technology or a miracle pill, but it can be diminished through social inclusion—true inclusion for all—if we are only willing to create the conditions for it.
a global affairs media network
Combating Loneliness with Inclusion
Photo by Şahin Sezer Dinçer via Unsplash.
January 19, 2023
As policymakers and education leaders attempt to triage the challenges faced by young people in the aftermath of the pandemic, they should consider prioritizing the principles of social inclusion—improving the terms on which individuals and groups take part in society, writes Dr. Jacqueline Jodl.
T
he world is faced with a growing public health crisis—an epidemic of loneliness—fueled and deepened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Young people with intellectual disabilities (ID), one of the most vulnerable and marginalized populations globally, have been hit particularly hard.
At their peak, nationwide school closures disrupted the learning of 91% of enrolled learners worldwide. In 2020-2021, 147 million children missed more than half of their in-person schooling. This amounted to 2 trillion hours of lost in-person learning globally. School closures have a very real impact on all students, but young people with ID often pay the heaviest price as inequalities in learning widen.
Despite progress over recent years, too many of the world’s estimated 250 million people with ID continue to face unimaginable stigma and isolation, where they are shut away and hidden. In many parts of the world, young people with Down syndrome, autism, or Williams syndrome are unlikely to ever set foot in a school, a foundational gateway to forming healthy relationships and developing a sense of belonging, confidence, and self-worth. Absent intervention, this group is at risk of being left behind and further isolated from society.
As policymakers and education leaders attempt to triage the many challenges faced by young people in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, they should consider prioritizing the principles and promise of social inclusion—improving the terms on which individuals and groups take part in society so they may lead a better life. For students with disabilities, this isn’t just about creating physical infrastructure, like wheelchair ramps or special signage. It’s about creating social infrastructure—social activities, clubs, and competitions—that bring people together and create truly inclusive attitudes and mindsets.
Social and emotional learning (SEL)—the process through which young people learn to manage feelings, set goals, make decisions, and feel empathy for others—is an effective vehicle to achieve social inclusion. The science behind the benefits of SEL is clear. Drawing from psychology, economics, medicine, and brain and learning science, the research shows social-emotional skills predict academic and career success and improve cognitive skills, including creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving. Developing certain social and emotional skills in children can help counteract the negative effects of poverty and close opportunity and achievement gaps. Beyond cognitive development and academic outcomes, the OECD’s Survey of Social and Emotional Skills found SEL benefits are important drivers of mental health and labor market prospects. Building SEL competency is especially crucial for students with ID who learn to manage their emotions, increase self-efficiency, and build stable relationships.
SEL and social inclusion are a natural pairing. Research shows when SEL programs include students with ID, all students benefit. Schools see decreased bullying, more trusting relationships with teachers and staff, improved peer-to-peer relationships, better grades, and students who are more helpful and empathetic toward students with ID. Critically, graduation rates also increase. These findings are affirmed by what Special Olympics sees in its own programs incorporating SEL, with consistent results across diverse cultural contexts and geographies spanning China, Greece, India, Kenya, and the US, among other countries.
Ultimately, utilizing SEL to promote social inclusion supports the educational outcomes that governments have set out to achieve. These include Goal 4 of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which asserts that countries must “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all,” as well as full implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), particularly the obligation to provide access to “an inclusive, quality and free primary education and secondary education on an equal basis with others in the communities in which they live.”
As leaders and educators, we have the agency to break down the barriers between these communities and to build a bridge between people. Loneliness cannot be cured by technology or a miracle pill, but it can be diminished through social inclusion—true inclusion for all—if we are only willing to create the conditions for it.
