Working quietly in a classroom at a primary school in Dakar, 9-year-old blind boy Abdoulaye sits next to the star pupils, who watch and help him, and alert the teacher if he struggles.

Even when the lesson ends and children spill into the dusty yard, gossiping and guzzling down water, a few stay behind with Abdoulaye as he slides the final Braille blocks into place.

"At first there were worries and fears, it was an innovation to have all the children together in one class," said teacher Mbaye Sow. "But when you see disabled children coming out of their shell, working and playing with others, it is joyful."