Chapter 2 Concept of Inclusion

Instructional Objectives
After the accomplishing of this chapter you will be able to:
Define inclusion,
Discuss the concept of inclusion in education,
Identify reason regarding shift from special education and integrated
education inclusion,
Differentiate the major rationales for inclusion,
List factors that influenced development of inclusion,
Identify benefits of inclusion to students, teachers‘ parents and society,
Name major characteristics of inclusive school and inclusive classroom
environments,
Point out strategies to implement inclusion in teaching and learning
processes
Differentiate the major barriers to inclusion
Brainstorming Questions
What comes to your mind when you hear about the word inclusion?
Do you know to whom inclusion is required? Why?
Who do you think benefit from inclusion?
Why inclusion has got the world wide attention?
Where do you think inclusion originated from?
How do you think inclusion can be implemented?
 Definition of Inclusion in education/service
•Inclusive services at any level are quality provisions without
discrimination or partiality and meeting the diverse needs of people.
•Inclusion is a process of addressing and responding to the diversity of
needs of all persons through increasing participation in learning,
employment, services, cultures and communities, and reducing
exclusion at all social contexts.
•It seeks to enable communities, systems and structures in all cultures
and contexts to combat discrimination, celebrate diversity, promote
participation and overcome barriers to learning and participation for
all people.
This definition has the following components:
1. Concepts about learners
• Education is a fundamental human right for all people
• Learning begins at birth and continues throughout life
• All children have a right to education within their own community
• Everyone can learn, and any child can experience difficulties in learning
• All learners need their learning supported, child-focused teaching benefits all
children.
2. Concepts about the education system and schools
• It is broader than formal schooling
• It is flexible, responsive educational systems
• It creates enabling and welcoming educational environments
• It promotes school improvement – makes effective schools
• It involves whole school approach and collaboration between partners.
3. Concepts about diversity and discrimination
•It promotes combating discrimination and exclusionary pressures at any
social sectors
•It enables responding to/embracing diversity as a resource not as a problem
•It prepares learners for an inclusive society that respects and values difference

4. Concepts about processes to promote inclusion

•It helps to identifying and overcoming barriers to participation &
exclusionary pressures
•It increases real participation of all collaboration, partnership between all
stakeholders
• It promotes participatory methodology, action research, collaborative
enquiry and other related activities
5. Concepts about resources
• Promotes unlocking and fully using local resources redistributing
existing resources
• It helps to perceive people (children, parents, teachers, members of
marginalized groups, etc.) as key resources
• It helps to use appropriate resources and support within schools
and at local levels for the needs of different children, e.g. mother
tongue tuition, Braille, assistive devices.
 According to McLeskey and Waldron (2000) inclusion includes
•Students with disabilities and vulnerability attend their neighborhood schools
•Each student is in an age-appropriate general education classroom
•Every student is accepted and regarded as a full and valued member of the class
and the school community.
•Special education supports are provided to each student with a disability within
the context of the general education classroom.
•All students receive an education that addresses their individual needs
•No student is excluded based on type or degree of disability.
•All members of the school (e.g., administration, staff, students, and parents)
promote cooperative/collaborative teaching arrangements
•There is school-based planning, problem-solving, and ownership of all students
and programs
•Employed according to their capacities without discriminations
McLeskey and Waldron (2000) argue that inclusion does not mean:
•Placing students with disabilities into general education classrooms without
careful planning and adequate support.
•Reducing services or funding for special education services.
•Placing all students who have disabilities or who are at risk in one or a few
designated classrooms.
•Teachers spending a disproportionate amount of time teaching or adapting the
curriculum for students with disabilities.
•Isolating students with disabilities socially, physically, or academically within the
general education school or classroom.
•Endangering the achievement of general education students through slower
instruction or a less challenging curriculum.
•Relegating special education teachers to the role of assistants in the general
education classroom.
•Requiring general and special education teachers to team together without careful
planning and well-defined responsibilities.
Principles of Inclusion (UNESCO, 2005)
1. Inclusion is a process:- it is about learning how to live with difference and learning
how to learn from difference.
2. Inclusion is concerned with the identification and removal of barriers that hinders
the development of persons with disabilities. 
It involves collecting, organizing and evaluating information from a wide variety of
sources in order to plan for improvements in policy and practice or using evidence of
various kinds to stimulate creativity and problem - solving.
3. Inclusion is about the presence, participation and achievement of all persons.
• Presence‘ is concerned with where persons are provided and how reliably and
punctually they attend.
• Participation‘ relates to the quality of their experiences and must incorporate the
views of learners/and or workers and
• Achievement is the outcomes of learning across the curriculum, not just test and
exam results.
4. Inclusion invokes a particular emphasis on those who may be at risk of
marginalization, exclusion or underachievement.
• This indicates the moral responsibility to ensure that those at risk‘ are carefully
monitored, and that steps are taken to ensure their presence, participation and
achievement.
2. Rationale for Inclusion (and their respective descriptions)
i.Educational Foundations
•Children do better academically, psychologically and socially in inclusive settings.
•A more efficient use of education resources.
•Decreases dropouts and repetitions
•Teachers competency (knowledge, skills, collaboration, satisfaction)
ii.Social Foundation
•Segregation teaches individuals to be fearful, ignorant and breeds prejudice.
•All individuals need an education that will help them develop relationships and
prepare them for life in the wider community
•Only inclusion has the potential to reduce fear and to build friendship, respect
and understanding.
iii. Legal Foundations
• All individuals have the right to learn and live together.
• Human being shouldn‘t be devalued/discriminated against by being excluded or sent away
because of their disability.
• There are no legitimate reasons to separate children for their education
iv. Economic Foundation
• Inclusive education has economic benefit, both for individual and for society.
• Inclusive education is more cost-effective than the creation of special schools across the
country.
• Children with disabilities go to local schools
• Reduce wastage of repetition and dropout
• Children with disabilities live with their family use community infrastructure
• Better employment and job creation opportunities for people with disabilities
v. Foundations for Building Inclusive Society
• Formation of mutual understanding and appreciation of diversity
• Building up empathy, tolerance and cooperation
• Promotion of sustainable development
2.3. Factors that Influenced Development of Inclusion (Some of the major drivers include)
1. Communities:- pre-colonial and indigenous approaches to education and community-
based programs movement that favor inclusion of their community members.
2. Activists and advocates:- the combined voices of primary stakeholders – representatives of
groups of learners often excluded and marginalized from education
3. The quality education and school improvement movement:- the issues of quality, access
and inclusion are strongly linked, and contribute to the understanding and practice of inclusive
education as being the responsibility of education systems and schools.
4. Special educational needs movement:- the new thinking‘ of the special needs education
movement as demonstrated in the Salamanca Statement has been a positive influence on
inclusive education, enabling schools and systems to really respond to a wide range of diversity.
5. Involvement of International agencies:- the UN is a major influence on the development
of inclusive education policy and practice to speed progress towards the EFA goals.
6. Involvement of NGOs movements, networks and campaigns:- seek to bring policy and
practice together and involve all stakeholders based on different situations
7. Other factors:- the current world situation and practical experiences in education. The
current world situation presents challenges
Benefits of Inclusion (communities, families, teachers, and students)
1. Benefits for Students with Special Needs Education
In inclusive settings people will develop:
•Appropriate models of behavior.
•Improved friendships with the social environment
•Increased social initiations, interactions, relationships and networks
•Gain peer role models for academic, social and behavior skills
•Increased achievement of individualized educational program (IEP) goals
•Greater access to general curriculum
•Enhanced skill acquisition and generalization in their learning
•Improved academic achievement which leads to quality education services
•Attending inclusive schools increases the probability that students with SEN will continue to
participate in a variety of integrated settings throughout their lives (increased inclusion in
future environments that contribute building of inclusive society).
•Improved school staff collaboration to meet these students‘ needs and ability differences
•Increased parental participation to meet these students‘ needs and ability differences
•Enhanced families integration into the community
2. Benefits for persons without Special Needs Education
•Have a variety of opportunities for interacting with their age peers who experience SEN in
inclusive school settings.
•Serve as peer tutors during instructional activities
•Play the role of a special buddy/friend during lunch, in the bus or playground.
•Gain knowledge of a good deal about tolerance, individual difference, and human
exceptionality.
•Learn that students with seen have many positive characteristics and abilities.
•Have chance to learn about many of the human service profession such as special education,
speech therapy, physical therapy, recreation therapy, and vocational rehabilitation.
•Have increased appreciation, acceptance and respect of individual differences among human
beings that leads to increased understanding and acceptance of diversity
•Get greater opportunities to master activities by practicing and teaching others
•Have increased academic outcomes
•Have opportunity to learn to communicate, and deal effectively with a wide range of
individuals; this prepares them to fully participate in society when they are adults that make them
build an inclusive society
3. Benefits for Teachers
•They have more opportunities to learn new ways to teach different kinds of students.
•They gain new knowledge, such as the different ways children learn and can be taught.
•They develop more positive attitudes and approaches towards different people with diverse
needs.
•They have greater opportunities to explore new ideas by communicating more often with
others from within and outside their school
•They can encourage their students to be more interested, more creative and more attentive
•They can experience greater job satisfaction and a higher sense of accomplishment when
ALL children are succeeding in school to the best of their abilities.
•They get opportunities to exchange information about instructional activities and teaching
strategies, thus expanding the skills of both general and special educators
•They benefit from developing teamwork and collaborative problem-solving skills to
creatively address challenges regarding student learning
•Develop positive attitude that help them promoting the recognition and appreciation that
all students have strengths and are contributing members of the school community as well as
the society
4. Benefits for Family/parents
•Learn more about how their children are being educated in schools with their
peers in an inclusive environment
•Become personally involved and feel a greater sense of accomplishment in
helping their children to learn.
•Feel valued and consider themselves as equal partners in providing quality
learning opportunities for children.
•Learn how to deal better with their children at home by using techniques that the
teachers use in school.
•Find out ways to interact with others in the community, as well as to understand
and help solve each other‘s problems.
•Know that their children—and ALL children—are receiving a quality education.
•Experience positive attitude about themselves and their children by seeing their
children accepted by others, successful in the inclusive setting, and belonging to the
community where they live
5 Benefits for Society
Inclusion goes beyond education and should involve consideration of
employment, recreation, health and living conditions.
Involve transformations across all government and other agencies at all levels
of society.
•Introduction of students with disabilities and vulnerabilities into mainstream
schools bring in the students into local communities and neighborhoods and helps
break down barriers and prejudice that prevail in the society towards persons
with disability.
•Communities become more accepting of difference, and everyone benefits from a
friendlier, open environment that values and appreciates differences in human
beings.
•Meaningful participation in the economic, social, political and cultural life of
communities own cost effective non-segregated schooling system that services
both students with and without special needs education.
Ultimate Goal of Inclusion
•The goal of inclusive education is to create schools where everyone belongs
•By creating inclusive schools, in turn create welcoming place in the
community for everyone after their school year‘s end.
•Students educated together have a greater understanding of difference and
diversity.
•Students educated together have fewer fears about difference and disability.
•An inclusive school culture creates better long-term outcomes for all students.
•These students hold the promise of creating inclusive communities in the
future for all our children.
•These students will be the teachers, principals, doctors, lawyers, and parents
who build communities where everyone belongs.
In general, the ultimate goals of inclusiveness is to crate inclusive
society where;
 Inclusive society is a necessary precondition for inclusive growth.
 Inclusive society is a society which does not exclude or discriminate
against its citizens on the basis of disability, caste/status, race,
gender, family or community, a society which levels the playing field
for investment‘ and leaves no one behind.
 Inclusive growth which is equitable that offers equality of
opportunity to all as well as protection in market and employment
transitions results from inclusive society.
5. Features of Inclusive Environment
•Environment that embrace feel respected by and connected to one another.
•It welcomes all people, regardless of their disability and other vulnerabilities.
•It recognizes and uses their skills and strengthens their abilities.
•An inclusive service environment is respectful, supportive, and equalizing.
•It reaches out to and includes individuals with disabilities and vulnerabilities at all
levels — from first time participants to board members.

Major characteristics inclusive environment

it ensures the respect and dignity of individuals with disabilities
it meets current accessibility standards to the greatest extent possible to all
people with special needs
provides accommodations willingly and proactively
Persons with disabilities are welcomed and are valued for their contributions as
individuals.
6. Inclusive Environments
•A place that is adjusted to individuals‘ needs and not vice versa – that
individuals are adjusted to the environmental needs.
•It acknowledges that individual differences among individuals are a
source of richness and diversity, and not a problem, and that various
needs and the individual pace of learning and development can be met
successfully with a wide range of flexible approaches.
•It involves continuous process of changes directed towards
strengthening and encouraging different ways of participation of all
members of the community.
•It directed towards developing culture, policy and practice which meet
pupils‘ diversities, towards identifying and removing obstacles in
learning and participating, towards developing a suitable provisions and
supporting individuals.
Characteristics of successful environment
It develops whole-school/environment processes that promote inclusiveness
and quality provisions and practice that are responsive to the individual needs
and diversities
It recognizes and responds to the diverse needs of their individuals and
ensuring quality provisions for all through appropriate accommodations,
organizational arrangements, resource use and partnerships with their
community.
It is committed to serve all individuals together regardless of differences.
It involves restructuring environment, culture, policy, and practice.
It promoting pro-social activities
 It makes provides services and facilities equally accessible to all people
 It involves mobilizing resources within the community
 It is alert to and uses a range of multi-skilled personnel to assist people in
their learning and working environment.
 It strives to create strong links with, clinicians, caregivers, and staff in
local schools, work place, disability services providers and relevant
support agencies within the wider community.
 It develops social relationships as an equal member of the class.
 It is also the classroom responsive to the diversity of individuals‘ academic,
social and personal learning needs.
Barriers to Inclusion
1.Problems related with societal values and beliefs- particularly the
community and policy makers negative attitude towards students with
disability and vulnerabilities.
2.Economic factors- this is mainly related with poverty of family, community
and society at large
3.Lack of taking measures to ensure conformity of implementation of
inclusion practice with policies
4.Lack of stakeholders taking responsibility in their cooperation as well as
collaboration for inclusion
5.Conservative traditions among the community members about inclusion
6.Lack of knowledge and skills among teachers regarding inclusive
education
7. Rigid curricula, teaching method and examination systems that do
not consider students with divers needs and ability differences.
8. Fragile democratic institutions that could not promote inclusion
9. Inadequate resources and inaccessibility of social and physical
environments
10. Large class sizes that make teachers and stakeholders meet students‘
diverse needs
11. Globalization and free market policy that make students engage in
fierce/violence completion, individualism and individuals‘ excellence
rather than teaching through cooperation, collaboration and group
excellence.
12. Using inclusive models that may be imported from other countries
 Assignment 2
maximum point 15%
Take some examples regarding inclusiveness practices in Ethiopia
/school you have been learnt then evaluate the challenges and
opportunities in the following categories with convincing example from
the perspective of.
1.Culture of the society
2.Believes of the society
3.Economic condition of the country
4.Political conditions
5.Rules and regulation of the country and reflect on the following issues.