To build inclusive classrooms, let young people with intellectual disabilities take the lead

These last few years have taught us a lot about isolation and separation. Millions of us have felt the pain of bereavement, the loneliness of quarantine, the sad irritation of working and learning remotely. Sharing meals and celebrations in person is so much sweeter now. We savor the joy when we include others — and when others include us.

We understand better now that social inclusion is a basic human need that can only be met by lowering the barriers that isolate and divide us.

So let's start. Jan. 24 is the International Day of Education, when the world highlights the greatest known instrument for social inclusion — a good education, which can put any child on a path to a fulfilling life. What better way to mark the day than to begin widening the circle of inclusion to benefit one of the most marginalized populations in the world — people with intellectual disabilities.

Children with intellectual disabilities routinely encounter ostracism and bullying. They grow up apart and unequal, their gifts and abilities rejected, their vast potential thwarted. Social isolation, stigma and shame are the norm. Those who endure the prejudice understand it all too well, but an alarming number of people without disabilities fail to see it — a problem researchers call the disability perception gap. This helps to explain how, while many countries have made significant strides to meet the needs of children with intellectual disabilities, many others have not taken even the first steps. And no nation has come close to true and full inclusion.

More than 85 percent of those who are primary-age and out of school have never gone to school at all. Only about 40 percent of low- and middle-income countries have education budgets for children with