Art 29 1 "The Aims of Education"

These are the proposed articles in the Pledge for Rights-Centric Education relating to Article 29 1 "The Aims of Education"

1. (taken together with Art. 12, “The Right to be Heard”) Recognizing that mainstream educational practices and social conventions, especially when they value certain personalities, talents and abilities over others, act to limit “the development of the child's personality, talents and mental and physical abilities to their fullest potential”, commit to
   • ensuring the Child, on the basis of what they, themselves, find meaningful and fulfilling, is free to choose their own unique interests and pursuits; to determine their talents and abilities to develop and the manner and timing of that development; and to also determine to not develop some talent or ability; and
   • support the Child in the pursuit of their choices.
2. Recognizing that neuronormative, mainstream educational practices and social conventions
   • do not appreciate neurodiversity as an inherent and necessary aspect of human diversity; and
   • pathologize, label as disordered, and marginalize neuro-atypical Children when they fail to meet neuronormative impositions,

   commit to recognize, respect, value, neuro-atypical Children and accommodate their unique individual needs.

3. Furthermore, recognizing that there may be legitimate reasons to offer, but not impose, diagnostic services and interventions in the form of, inter alia, medication and remedial therapy, commit to
   • support the Child to access such services and interventions if they choose to do so; but
   • not compel a Child to subject themselves to diagnosis or interventions in order to justify their choice of accommodations or meet neuro-normative expectations.