Sri Lanka, though poor, is a country that values education very much and has a very high literacy rate in compared to many other countries in the region. However the educational facilities for the disabled and more specifically for the differently abled are very limited.

Children with disabilities are educated either through inclusion in mainstreamed schools or through specialized schools. The Sri Lankan Ministry of Education initiated special units, which were integrated special education programs within regular government schools, in the late 1960s. However, the Ministry of Social Welfare reports that despite the free educational policy and established special units, there are still students with disabilities who continue to not have access to services. Barriers to accessing special education include a limited number of schools having special education units, administrators denying children with disabilities admission to schools, an insufficient number of qualified teachers, and parents lacking awareness regarding educational facilities there is a general lack of awareness in society that people with disabilities can benefit from schooling and become contributing members of society.

Stigma and negative attitudes associated with the differently abled often make parents even admit they have a differently abled child. In addition two of the major religions in Sri Lanka are Buddhism and Hinduism. Both these religions believe in the concept of karma and the followers tend to think that having a disabled child is a consequence of a past sin and they have to live with it.

In this context the An-Noor Centre has a great responsibility and a significant role to play in the training and rehabilitation of not only the differently abled individuals but also the parents, relations, caregivers, the policy makers and the society as a whole .

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