Welcome To William & Marie Taylor School (WMTS)
The right to an elementary education is universally recognized and accepted as a basic human right (United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights), yet in Bangladesh very few disabled children have the opportunity to benefit from an education. Mainstream schools have neither the facilities nor the expertise to enable disabled children to attend. This is detrimental not only to the individual children but also to the long-term future of our country. The skills and potential of disabled children are rarely fulfilled and in most cases disabled children grow up to be seen as burdens on society rather than full participants with the potential to contribute both to the development of their own communities and the development of our nation as a whole.
CRP has operated a special needs school at its Savar headquarters since 1993. However, recognizing the shortcomings of a segregated educational system, CRP began the construction of an inclusive school building in 2005 and the school was named “William and Marie Taylor School”.
The school brings together special needs students and mainstream students chosen from both families of CRP staff members residing on the CRP campus and from the surrounding local community.
By mixing and interacting with disabled children at an early age, many of the barriers and superstitions surrounding disability can be broken down. We hope that this can be replicated nationwide, leading to a more tolerant and understanding society. An inclusive educational environment also enables children with special needs to access a level of education appropriate to their capabilities, and allows them the same access to sporting, recreational and extra-curricular activities as those attending mainstream schools. CRP also promotes inclusive education with government agencies and through its Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) activities.
