An Approach to Inclusion

Introduction

This introduction to the project will define inclusion in society; give a brief overview of relevant legislation relating to inclusion; highlight that inclusion is different to integration; define inclusive education andintroduce the Index to Inclusion (Booth Ainscow, 2002) which will be used to structure the successful development of inclusive practise in all of our different educational settings.

Defining Inclusion

Inclusion as a concept can be difficult to define as it comes with lots of different social and cultural semantics. We recognise “that inclusion in education is one aspect of inclusion in society” (Booth Ainscow, 2002) therefore to begin to define inclusion in education we need to have an overview of inclusion in society.

Inclusion can be defined asthe act or state of being part of something larger. In a social context inclusion means every person has the possibility to participate fully and equally in all social processes - right from the beginning and regardless of individual skills, ethnic- or social origin, sex or age. “Inclusionis something which cannot be done to people, it is something in which people are actively involved” (Norwich, 1999).By valuing and respecting human diversity, the practice of inclusion fosters a sense of community and belonging, enabling all people to participate in every area of life.

Legislation (United Nations(1989))

Inclusion has been seen as a process that is relevant to all children in a school, but particularly focussing on those groups who have historically been marginalised or under achieved in schools.When considering inclusion specifically in relation to education it seems appropriate to refer to several articles from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Article 23 (children with disability)

A child with a disability has the right to live a full and decent life with dignity and independence, and to play an active part in the community. Governments must do all they can to provide support to disabled children.

Article 28 (right to education)

Every child has the right to an education. Primary education must be free. Secondary education must be available to every child. Discipline in schools must respect children’s dignity. Richer countries must help poorer countries achieve this.

Article 29 (goals of education)

Education must develop every child’s personality, talents and abilities to the full. It must encourage the child’s respect for human rights, as well as respect for their parents, their own and other cultures, and the environment.

Policies and legislation (adapted from

Most countries, including the six involved in this project, have developed policies and legislation to implement inclusive education.

In the UK the Equality Act 2010 places a duty on schools and Local Authoritiesnot to discriminate against pupils with disabilities: they must not treat disabled pupils less favourably and must take reasonable steps to avoid putting these pupils at a substantial disadvantage. It also requires public bodies like schools and local authorities to have regard to eliminating discrimination and promoting equality of opportunity between different groups of people.

In Finland the comprehensive reform of school legislation in 1998 and the new Basic Education Act (628/1998) aim to guarantee educational equality and equal educational services for all those subject to compulsory education. Changes to the Basic Education Act came into force on 1 January, 2011 when The Finnish National Board of Education revised the national core curriculum for pre-primary and basic education according to new provisions. The aim is to strengthen the pupil's right to early, preventive support in learning and growth and special support, if needed.

In Spain the Organic Law of Education 2/2006, 3rd May sets out its principles in the Preliminary Title Chapter I. Principles and Aims of Education. Article 1.

a) Quality education for all students, regardless of their condition and circumstances.
b) Equity that guarantees equal opportunities, educational inclusion and non-discrimination and that acts as a compensating factor for the personal cultural, economic and social inequalities, with special emphasis on those derived from disabilities.

c) The transmission and application of values that favour personal liberty, responsibility, democratic citizenship, solidarity, tolerance, equality, respect and justice and that also help to overcome any type of discrimination.”

In Latvia the Law on Education adopted in 1998 defines the main organizational principles and procedures of educational services and the Law on General Education adopted in 1999 defines the organizational principles and procedures of general education services. The Law on Education identifies special education as general and professional education adapted for persons with special needs and health problems, or with special needs or health problems.

In Greece the new Law 3699/2008“Special Education and education of people with disability or special educational needs” regulates all the issues concerning the degree of the learning difficulties that pupils may meet during the everyday education process either in the mainstream or in the special system of education. It is based on the internationally recognised characteristics of “a school for all” and on the European Union principles for inclusion and equal opportunities.

In Germany based on the following Article in the Basic Law, in April 2001 the new Social Welfare Code IX (SGBIX) has come into force. Introduction of article: Art. 3, Abs. 3, Satz 2 : ‘Nobody must have disadvantages due to his/her handicap.’ It summarises the legal bases of medical and vocational rehabilitation. The main focus is not only the welfare and care of disabled people, but autonomous participation at the social level as well as the elimination of obstacles and the establishment of equal opportunities.

Evolving from Integration to Inclusion

We often hear the words ‘integrated’ or ‘included’ to describe a classroom setting. In some cases the terms are used interchangeably however there are significant differences between the two.

“The concept of inclusion replaced the earlier term ‘integration’, which was used in the 1980s to refer to the placement of pupils with special educational needs in mainstream schools … the problem with defining integration solely in terms of placement is that it tells us little about the quality of the education received in that context. The integration movement was based on an assimilation model. Its emphasis was on providing supports to individual students to enable them to ‘fit in’ to the mainstream programme without any changes being made to that programme. In contrast to integration, inclusion is about the pupil’s right to participate fully in school life and the school’s duty to welcome and accept them.” (WinterO’Raw, 2010)

Inclusive education appears in the field of Special Education with a clear purpose: to fight against the exclusion situations that have been occurring under the shelter of school integration. Consequently, inclusive education has been postulated as “the most effective mean to combat discriminatory attitudes, creating welcoming communities, constructing an inclusive society and building an education system useful for every child while becoming more cost-effective” (UNESCO, 1994).

Defining Inclusive Education

There is no single interpretation of the concept of inclusive education – it has various meanings for people in differing times and context. However the following definition of educational inclusion relating to learners summed up in Bristol LEA’s Inclusive Education Policy seems to encompass much of current thinking:

“The process by which all those who provide education – whether in schools, early years or lifelong learning settings – develop their cultures, policies and practices so as to include all learners. It is a crucial part of strategic planning for improvement. Educationally inclusive institutions are ones in which the learning, achievements, attitudes and well being of all learners matter. They are able to engender a sense of community and belonging, and also offer new opportunities to learners who may have experienced previous difficulties. This does not mean that they treat all learners the same way. Rather, it involves taking account of learners’ varied life experiences and needs. Educational inclusion is about equal opportunities for all learners, whatever their age, gender, ethnic origin, religious belief, care status, impairment, sexuality, attainment or social or economic background. It pays particular attention to the provision made for, and the achievement of, different groups of learners. However, it also goes much further, and is about tackling the underachievement and exclusion of groups who have been marginalized or disadvantaged in the past, through taking positive action and through the targeting of resources to ensure that they have their rights upheld”. OFSTED (2000)

In addition to this figure 1 from the Index for Inclusion states that inclusion in education involves:

  • Valuing all student and staff equally.
  • Increasing the participation of students in, and reducing their exclusion from, the cultures, curricula, and communities of local schools.
  • Restructuring the cultures, policies and practices in schools so that they respond to the diversity of students in the locality.
  • Reducing barriers to learning and participation for all students, not only those with impairments or those who are categorised as ‘having special educational needs.’
  • Learning from attempts to overcome barriers to the access and participation of particular students to make changes for the benefit of students more widely.
  • Viewing the difference between students as resources to support learning, rather than problems to overcome.
  • Acknowledging the right of students to an education in their locality.
  • Improving schools for staff as well as for students.
  • Emphasising the role of schools in building community and developing values, as well as increasing achievement.
  • Fostering mutually sustaining relationships between schools and communities.
  • Recognising that inclusion in education is one aspect of inclusion in society.

(Booth and Ainscow 2002)

Conclusion

There is a wealth of literature regarding inclusion and inclusive education. We have agreed to use the Index of Inclusion as a reference document to develop our work on inclusive practices. Priorities for development are laid out in the Index for Inclusion as: creating inclusive cultures; producing inclusive policies and evolving inclusive practices. The Index is a resource to support the inclusive development of schools. It is a comprehensive document that can help schools to find their own next steps in developing their inclusive practices. The Index sets out an ongoing process which includes five phases: phase 1 getting started with the index; phase 2 finding out about the school; phase 3 producing an inclusive school development plan; phase 4 implementing priorities and phase 5 reviewing the index process.

Each school involved in the project is starting in a different place. In order to improve each school will have to analyse its own reality including identifying barriers to learning, develop a plan of improvement, define the strategies to achieve goals set and evaluate the work done.

References

Booth, T and Ainscow, I(2002) Index to Inclusion: Developing Learning and Participation in Schools. CSIE: London

[accessed March 2013]

Norwich, b. (1999) The Connotation of Special Education Labels for Professionals in the Field.British Journal of Special Education.Volume 26, Issue 4, pp: 179–183

OFSTED (2000) Evaluating Educational Inclusion London: OFSTED.

UNESCO (1994) The Salamanca Statement. United Nations: Spain

United Nations (1989) Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Winter, E and O’Raw, P. (2010) Literature review on the principles and practices relating to inclusive education for children with special educational needs. Meath: NCSE