The organisation’s recent study titled “Include Us in Education! A qualitative research study on barriers and enablers to education for children with disabilities in Nepal”, conducted in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, concluded that when children with disabilities drop out of school, it can have a negative impact on their psychosocial well-being as many will have faced violence, bullying and discrimination by peers and teachers in community and home life. The result was an output of in-depth interviews with 21 families, consisting of 20 caregivers and 13 children. According to the research, having dropped out from school, children with disabilities are forced to stay at home, which leads to a limited opportunity to socialise with peers, leading to a feeling of isolation. The research also examined the barriers that children with disabilities in Nepal face when it comes to enrolling, staying in and attending school. Economic factors, including direct costs of schooling, caused problems for families while the time it takes for parents to take their children to and from school was a more persistent barrier, the statement said.

The research further found that children often missed school, dropped out or never attended due to poor health or the need for ongoing treatment and rehabilitation that interfered with schooling. Negative parental attitudes also posed a barrier as they questioned whether there was any use in sending their child—particularly if they had an intellectual disability—to school.