All kids together in the regular classroom
What does it mean to be included?
Inclusion is a word that is often misrepresented and therefore can be confusing. Family Advocacy believe people with disability should have the same opportunities that other Australians enjoy and expect. Their involvement in community should be genuine, and their roles authentic and valued. When it comes to education we believe that your child has the right to an inclusive school community where they will experience the same opportunities as their peers, with their peers.
Read Family Advocacy’s inclusive education statement which details what features are needed in an inclusive school within an inclusive education system.
What is inclusive education?
Inclusive education is an approach that seeks to address the learning needs of all children, youth and adults with a specific focus on those who are vulnerable to marginalisation and exclusion.
The principle of inclusive education was adopted at the Salamanca World Conference (UNESCO 1994) where inclusive education was viewed as a human rights issue and as a means of bringing about personal development and building relationships among individuals, groups and nations.
This was stated clearly in Article 2:
“That’s where systemic advocacy comes in. Systemic advocacy “lobbies for reform and change of social systems and structures that discriminate against, abuse and neglect people with disabilities” (Seymour and Peter).
What inclusive education is and what it is not
- Inclusive education is not about students with disabilities ‘keeping up’ with the academic level of the class.
- Students should have opportunities to be successful and to have their achievements recognised and celebrated.
- It is not about students needing to be independent as a condition of entry or to have skills to ‘survive’.
- It is not about trying to make a disability invisible or pretending the students with disabilities are able to do exactly the same as everyone else.
- It is about being with everyone else though.
- It is about everyone being able to work on their own goals in a way which blends into a lesson.
- It is about working in naturally supportive, flexible structures and groupings with other students.
- It is about having many opportunities to be immersed in a socially rich and communication-rich environment.
- It is about everyone, regardless of level or type of disability, being part of a community and being known and valued.
What does the research tell us about Inclusive Education?
It will be helpful in your advocacy efforts to know what the research says around inclusive education and you can refer to it if people question your decision.
Associate Professor Dr Bob Jackson has done a great deal of research in inclusive education. His work has encompassed a very extensive review of the literature about inclusion and he has given presentations to parents and teachers across Australia. He has been closely involved with school inclusion, advising families, teachers, schools and education systems on the rationale and practicalities of inclusion.
Below are two of Dr Jackson’s articles.
- Inclusion or Segregation for Children with an Intellectual Impairment: What does the Research Say?
- Why should schools include children with a disability?
You can read more about Dr Jackson’s work at www.include.com.au
Professor Kathy Cologon from Macquarie University wrote an issue paper titled Inclusion in education – towards equality for students with disability for Children with Disability Australia in 2013. This paper states that Inclusive education is an “approach to education free from discriminatory beliefs, attitudes and practises, including free from ableism.’
This paper discusses the concept of ableism as the attitude that a person with disability is somehow inferior to a person who has no disability. It emphasises that every student has the right to an inclusive education and recognises that inclusion is not about disability or school but it is an issue of social justice.
Another article written by Professor Kathy Cologon Inclusive education means all children are included in every way, not just in theory.
Watch Professor Kate De Bruin debunk popular myths and through her extensive research of literature since the 1970’s indicate why Inclusive Education is a societal benefit for everyone. Professor de Bruin is a senior lecturer, Educational Psychology and Inclusive Education at Monash University , Melbourne.
It can be useful to see the experience of other countries who are also challenging a segregated schooling system. In ‘From integration to inclusion: the Canadian experience’, Bruce Uditsky moves through an historical overview of the education of students with significant disabilities in Canada, focusing on the parent movement because they were the main leaders and agents of change. Other themes covered include:
- the struggle for inclusion as a reflection of personal and cultural values not educational science
- educators as allies in the process of change
- inclusive schooling practices as different from integrated schooling practices.
Uditsky argues that although a definition of inclusion is still evolving, fundamental to the process is a set of principles ensuring the student is valued and needed. From these principles come several key components to the practice of inclusive schooling: membership, curriculum, teaching practices, friendships and supports.
In this interview with Bruce Uditsky and Anne Hughson they discuss the opportunities for full inclusive education in Australia. Some points of reflection from the experience in Alberta Canada are:
- increasing the opportunities for fully inclusive education from preschool years onward
- guaranteeing teachers are equipped and qualified to teach in an inclusive classroom
- ensuring school leaders are being mentored and are able to instruct staff in their school communities
- upholding the United Nations Convention (signed by Australia in 2007) – read more about this on the know your rights page
- working with Universal Design of Learning as a teaching pedagogy that raises the bar for all students to do well by creating a rich learning environment.
