According to a report from the European Commission, children with special educational needs and disabled adults are still getting a raw deal, despite commitments by Member States to promote inclusive education. The report also calls on Member States to provide adequately financed inclusive education policies.

The European Commission published a report in which is highlighted that many children with special educational needs and disabled adults are placed in segregated institutions and those in mainstream educational settings often receive inadequate support. This is one of the conclusions from the report that shows that despite commitments by Member States to promote inclusive education, children and disabled adults still getting a raw deal from education. A conference celebrated in 2011 showed that education is a key issue for the disabled people.

Androulla Vassiliou, European Commissioner for Education, Culture, Multilingualism and Youth, highlighted that Member States have to strengthen their efforts to provide adequately financed inclusive education policies. She also added that inclusive education is not an optional extra; it is a basic necessity.

The report also shows that in all Member States, deprived children (especially boys) from Roma, ethnic minority and socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds are overrepresented in special needs schools. Research suggests that such children could be enrolled in mainstream schools if there was more investment in the development of their language skills and more sensitivity to cultural differences.