Chapter 3- Report of the Research and Policy Development Group I. RESEARCH AND POLICY DEVELOPMENT DIVISION Human rights that do not apply to everyone are not human rights at all. Volker Beck To improve the efficacy of research, the Commission has combined its research and policy development functions under a single unit, now known as the Research and Policy Development Division. During the year, it undertook research to back the Commission’s thematic areas of work. These involve the right to education of children with learning disabilities; and the rights of older persons in relation to care services and support for caregivers. 1. THEMATIC AREAS (a) Right to Education of Children with Learning Disabilities The Commission undertook to study issues concerning the right to education of Children With Learning Disabilities (CWLD).1 While much effort has been put into increasing the enrolment of children with disabilities, it is observed that more attention is being directed to the needs of children with visual or hearing impairment.2 It is a matter of concern that many CWLD appear to be excluded from primary education. Being a State Party to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), Malaysia is obliged to ensure that children with disabilities have an equal right to education. The Commission takes cognizance of the Government’s initiatives outlined in the Malaysia Education Blueprint 2013-2025 (Preschool to Post-Secondary Education), with the aim of enrolling 75% of students with special needs in inclusive programmes by 2025. The target is consonant with the aim of the Commission’s study on increasing the number of CWLD who receive quality, inclusive primary education. 1 2 74 Learning disabilities in Malaysia cover eight areas of disability such as Down Syndrome, mild autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder, mild mental retardation, global development delay and specific learning disabilities like dyslexia. Yeo Swee Lan in her thesis, ‘Self-Advocacy Movement of Persons With Learning Disabilities: A Case Study In The Malaysian Context’, observed that ‘...people with LD are the most neglected ones with regard to statutory or government-provided educational and training opportunities. While schools for the Blind and Deaf were set up in the 1950s, formal education for students with LD in the government schools began only in 1988’. Available at http://www. unitedvoice.com.my/pdf/ysl_dissertation.pdf