Build Inclusion - Educate, Don’t Segregate Event Report
28 May 2026
On 30 April 2026 ALLFIE and GMCDP brought together Disabled people, young campaigners and allies at the Build Inclusion hybrid event to challenge SEND reform proposals, end segregation in education, and strengthen collective action for Inclusive Education.
The ALLFIE team, in partnership with the Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People (GMCDP), were excited to host our first hybrid gathering to celebrate the launch of our new Northern Network on the 30th of April 2026.
The gathering brought together Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs), young Disabled people, and allies to respond to the Government’s SEND reforms and Schools White Paper proposals. Attendees shared their views on the White Paper to help strengthen our collective response, but that was not all.
The meeting was a call to action from a movement that refuses to accept segregation and exclusion in education.
Michelle Daley, ALLFIE’s Director, reminded participants in her opening speech that the movement for Inclusive Education is rooted in collective action and resistance:
“We are not here to fit into broken spaces. We are here to remake them.”
The Government proposes creating more segregated spaces, in the form of “Inclusion Bases” and we say no.
ALLFIE’s Policy and Research Lead, Edmore Masendeke, highlighted fears that the proposals are driven more by budget management than by the needs and rights of Disabled children and Young people. He stated that these policies risk deepening inequality rather than dismantling it.
Young people from ALLFIE’s ‘Our Voice’ campaign group spoke about their lived experiences of discrimination within an inaccessible system. They described the barriers young people face throughout the day.
As a collective, both young and older participants made it clear that segregation is a political choice and nothing else.
Young Deaf campaigner Simmy Kaur, a member of ALLFIE’s ‘Our Voice’, also spoke powerfully about communication injustice and the social isolation caused by inaccessible educational environments. Simmy stressed that communication support is not “a luxury or an optional extra”, but essential for participation, belonging and equality.
Hilary Balogun, another member of ‘Our Voice’, rhetorically asked:
“Why do you think the Government keeps pushing a segregated agenda, as shown in the White Paper, for example, through the Inclusion Bases?”
Our Voice’s Umar Aziz Khan shared their experience of disability activism, feeling validated, and the importance of young Disabled people shaping education reform:
ALLFIE Chairperson Navin Kikabahi highlighted the reality faced by Disabled young people and the impact of segregation in education:
Throughout the event, Stephen Hodgkins captured the event in illustrations, and Dennis Queen led chants of “Educate, Don’t Segregate” during the breaks.
As a collective, we continue to strengthen and build a movement grounded in lived experience, solidarity and resistance.
We would love for you to get involved. If you are not already a member, please join us. Membership is free, and you will be kept up to date with our campaigns and ways to get involved with our work.
Educate, don’t segregate! Join us to build an education system that works for everyone, where education is a right not a struggle.
