What is inclusive education? Why is inclusive education beneficial for all students?
WHAT IS INCLUSIVE EDUCATION?
Inclusive education means that all students attend and are welcomed by their neighbourhood schools in age-appropriate, regular classes and are supported to learn, contribute and participate in all aspects of the life of the school. This allows for valuable learning opportunities for groups who have been traditionally excluded, such as students with disabilities.
WHY IS INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IMPORTANT?
Children have the right to a quality education that prepares them for a full and productive life in the community. By educating children with disabilities alongside their peers through individualized programming and supports, they will be better prepared for community life. This includes their involvement in all aspects of school life — regular education classes, extracurricular activities — with peers who do not have disabilities. Students with even the most severe disabilities are learning and growing up with classmates who do not have disabilities. Ultimately, the goal is to build inclusive school communities where each student belong.
What does inclusive teaching look like?
Good inclusive teaching involves many changes to the regular classroom to fully include all students in the neighbourhood classroom. The first requirement is “universal design for learning” ...
Won't inclusive education negatively impact other students in the regular class?
Is inclusive education really better for all students? A common concern or argument that is often brought up when discussing inclusive education is, “won’t this negatively impact the other students in the regular classroom?” The answer in short? No. ...
What is the biggest barrier to inclusive education?
The medical medical model of disability is the main reason that children with disabilities are segregated from their peers. It operates on the idea that people with disabilities ...
What does inclusive teaching look like?
Good inclusive teaching involves many changes to the regular classroom to fully include all students in the neighbourhood classroom. The first requirement is “universal design for learning” ...
Won't inclusive education negatively impact other students in the regular class?
Is inclusive education really better for all students? A common concern or argument that is often brought up when discussing inclusive education is, “won’t this negatively impact the other students in the regular classroom?” The answer in short? No. ...
What is the biggest barrier to inclusive education?
The medical medical model of disability is the main reason that children with disabilities are segregated from their peers. It operates on the idea that people with disabilities ...
This video was made in partnership with Norman Kunc and Emma Van der Kleft, and is dedicated to the memory of one of Ontario’s inclusion pioneers, Matthew Dolmage.
10 REASONS WHY INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IS THE WAY TO GO
By attending their local schools, students with disabilities receive instruction in the communities where they live, practice skills in the actual community settings where they’re needed, gain familiarity with the locale, and develop a sense of belonging.
Peers are often best models and teachers of many socially valued behaviours. In inclusive settings, students with disabilities have an opportunities to learn many things, including mobility, vocational, social, and communication skills, from other students.
Through having students with disabilities in their school and classes, peers without disabilities grow in their abilities to relate to students who are different from themselves, serve as models for one another, and often develop their self-esteem and interpersonal behaviours.
When students with disabilities are educated in regular classes, personnel can be more effectively utilized. Inclusive educationaffords all students the opportunity to learn from special educators, regular classroom teachers, and classmates. Together, special educators and regular educators support one another in meeting the educational needs of all children.
An inclusive education allows students with and without disabilities opportunities to form friendships with one another. These relationships are essential to a successful and fulfilling life in the community, as these people will become coworkers and fellow community members in the future.
There are often misconceptions about persons with disabilities, and the best way to overcome this is by bringing people together in inclusive settings as students with and without disabilities interact as classmates and friends. In parallel, their parents and teachers have the opportunity to witness successful inclusion, which enables them to embrace the vision of a society that values and accepts of community life.
Successful integration of students with disabilities requires greater collaboration between regular and special education personnel. This teamwork not only results in improved instruction for students, but it also brings about increases support among team members
A good individualized program for a student with disabilities seek to mesh with that of a student’s peers while still meeting his/her individual education needs. The specific goals and objectives for individual students may vary greatly, but students can accomplish their individual objectives in typical settings. Thus, a truly individualized approach to educational programming can be realized in regular classes and school activities.
When children with disabilities are included in local schools, parents can participate to a greater extent in that school and in the community where the school is located. Parents of integrated students can reach out for support from parents of local students with disabilities as well as from parents of same-age children without disabilities.
Like all students, those with disabilities have the right to attend regular schools and regular classes, and to receive an appropriate education within those regular classes. In a democratic society, every person is to be afforded equal opportunities; segregated settings symbolized society’s rejection of one segment of the population. Through participation in inclusive schools and communities, students with and without disabilities can experience the richness of a society that values and includes all its citizens.
This publication is based on one prepared by the Minnesota Integrated Education Technical Assistance Project, a cooperative project between the Institute on Community Integration at the University of Minnesota, and the Minnesota Department of Education.