Salamanca 25 Years Later: A Commentary on Residual Dialogues of Disability and Diversity

Abstract

The concepts, premises, and promises of inclusive schooling as a global movement crystallized at
UNESCO’s 1994 World Conference on Special Needs Education in Salamanca. Despite their marked influence over the past 25 years, the Salamanca documents also ushered in a set of continuing challenges. Using the documents as a departure point, this paper addresses three main areas: UNESCO’s role in erecting an architecture for inclusive schooling; core issues that arose in the Salamanca documents, particularly relating to contentious debates about the audience for inclusive schooling; and continuing issues in interpreting the Salamanca directions.