{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,17]],"date-time":"2026-09-17T13:08:07Z","timestamp":1789650487709,"version":"4.0.0"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,16]],"date-time":"2023-08-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1692144000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office","award":["PO8073"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PO8073"]}]},{"DOI":"10.13039\/100000865","name":"Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","award":["OPP1129535"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["OPP1129535"]}],"id":[{"id":"10.13039\/100000865","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS ONE"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study explores factors affecting children with disabilities\u2019 enrolment and experience in school in Tamil Nadu, India. In-depth interviews were conducted with 40 caregivers and 20 children with disabilities. Children were purposively selected to maximise heterogeneity by gender, impairment type and enrolment status, using data from a previous survey. Overall, caregivers recognised the importance of school for their children\u2019s future livelihoods or at least as a means of socialisation. However, some questioned the value of school, particularly for children with intellectual or sensory impairments. Other barriers to school enrolment and regular attendance included poor availability and affordability of transport, safety concerns or school staffs\u2019 concerns about children\u2019s behaviour being disruptive. While in school, many children\u2019s learning was limited by the lack of teacher training and resources for inclusive education. Poor physical accessibility of schools, as well as negative or overly protective attitudes from teachers and peers, often limited children\u2019s social inclusion while in school. These findings carry implications for the implementation of inclusive education in India and elsewhere, as they indicate that despite legislative progress, significant gaps in attendance, learning and social inclusion remain for children with disabilities, which may not be captured in traditional metrics on education access.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0290016","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,8,16]],"date-time":"2023-08-16T13:32:47Z","timestamp":1692192767000},"page":"e0290016","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":16,"title":["\u201cIf he has education, there will not be any problem\u201d: Factors affecting access to education for children with disabilities in Tamil Nadu, India"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0298-3624","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Kumudha","family":"Aruldas","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Lena Morgon","family":"Banks","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Guru","family":"Nagarajan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Reeba","family":"Roshan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jabaselvi","family":"Johnson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"David","family":"Musendo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-8987-6402","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Isaac","family":"Arpudharangam","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4836-720X","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Judd L.","family":"Walson","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Tom","family":"Shakespeare","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sitara S. 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