Maria Sylvia Orth Bloch

Brazilian educator and advocate for women's rights who pioneered inclusive education policies in the 1960s.

Maria Sylvia Orth Bloch (1920–2011) was a Brazilian educator and feminist who revolutionized special education in Latin America. Born in Rio de Janeiro, she studied philosophy and education in Germany before returning to Brazil in 1946. Appalled by the lack of support for children with disabilities, she founded the Society for the Integration of Disabled Children in 1955, one of the first organizations in Brazil advocating for inclusive education.

Bloch’s 1963 book Education for All: A New Approach to Inclusion argued that schools must accommodate diverse learning needs, influencing Brazil’s 1988 constitutional mandate for inclusive education. She also co-founded the Institute of Special Education and trained educators across Latin America. During Brazil’s military dictatorship (1964–1985), she secretly supported political dissidents through her educational networks.

Her work inspired global movements for disability rights. In 2000, the United Nations cited her as an early pioneer in human rights-based education. Her legacy is visible in Brazil’s current Law 12.797, which mandates inclusive classrooms nationwide.