The access to education and training is a basic human right. For people with disabilities, this right often entails some adjustments, either physical (buildings with wheelchair access, adapted school equipment, etc.) or educational (special curriculum, personalised support, etc.).
The right to education changes at different stages of life:
For children and young people with disabilities this right is mostly about adapted and inclusive education and the possibility to undertake vocational education and training leading to qualifications or to participate in higher education.
For adults the focus is on lifelong education (continuing education). This can be in the form of courses to improve present skills or to acquire new ones. In addition to its universal character, continuing education is especially important for people with disabilities who are no longer able to carry out their usual occupation: it is a way of acquiring new skills and to continue a professional career.
| Persons with severe disabilities | Persons with disabilities (total) | Persons without disabilities | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Educational attainment: upper secondary or higher (%) 1 | 79.6 | 88.0 | 91.3 |
| Continuing education in the past 4 weeks (%) 2 | 8.7 | 21.8 | 24.9 |
2 SLFS 2020. Percentage of 15–64 year-olds having participated in at least one informal continuing education activity in the past 4 weeks.
Sources: FSO – Survey on Income and Living Conditions (SILC), Swiss Labour Force Survey (SLFS)
Relevance to equality
Further information
Statistical sources and concepts
Surveys
Definitions
The results on this page refer to persons with disabilities as under the Disability Discrimination Act (unless otherwise stated). The precise definition and the difference between other definitions of disability are shown in the persons with disabilities factsheet below.
Contact
Federal Statistical Office Sections Health Services, Population HealthEspace de l'Europe 10
CH-2010 Neuchâtel
Switzerland