Disability and Equity in Education Commons^™

Disability Inclusive Education: Foundation Level, Australian Council For Educational Research (Acer)

Education Analytics Service

The purpose of this module is to provide introductory information about the rationale, purpose, benefits, key issues and outcomes of disability-inclusive education. The module focusses on disability-inclusive primary and secondary education, with some reference to post-school education and training (PSET) and early childhood education (ECE). Whilst great gains have been made in access to quality primary education for general populations, fundamental reform is still required to enable access for children with disabilities. This module provides foundational information to enable engagement in this topic, and the provision of general advice. A deeper presentation of issues and approaches can be found in …

Equitable Learning Assessments For Students With Disabilities (Neqmap Thematic Review), Anannya Chakraborty, Amit Kaushik, Unesco Office Bangkok And Regional Bureau For Education In Asia And The Pacific

Assessment and Reporting

Asia-Pacific is home to 690 million persons with a disability. Persons with disabilities experience lower educational opportunities as children and therefore also face fewer opportunities as adults. Children with disabilities experience barriers to participating in education that result in enrolment rate drops of up to 53 per cent between primary and secondary education, making it increasingly difficult for persons with disabilities to secure employment. Low participation rates and other barriers have a serious impact on the learning achievement and learning outcomes of learners with disabilities. This thematic review provides an overview of the existing inclusive education policies and practices in …

Perception Of Rural General Educators On The Inclusion And Participation Of Students With Significant Disabilities, Rachel L. Crouch

Theses and Dissertations--Early Childhood, Special Education, and Counselor Education

The purpose of the study was to question rural general education teachers’ perceptions and attitudes on the inclusion of students with significant disabilities. The investigator surveyed rural general education teachers on their perceptions of what should be occurring in terms of inclusion and on what they saw as occurring in terms of inclusion of students with significant disabilities. The results yielded mixed perceptions and were generally positive in terms of the inclusion occurring within that school district.

New Approaches To Literacy Problems: Multiliteracies And Inclusive Pedagogies, Rachel J. Drewry, Wendy M. Cumming-Potvin, Dorit Maor

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This paper is based on a qualitative study examining multiliteracies (New London Group, 1996, 2000) and inclusivity. Underpinned by a socio-cultural approach, the study examined ways to facilitate meaningful literacy learning for students experiencing challenges in print-based, classroom activities. Key to this research was an analysis of how scaffolding was used to bridge home and school communities. This paper focuses on one of the study’s students, Hannah, who exhibited extensive engagement with multiliteracies at home - driven through the Arts (e.g. graphic design, singing and music). In contrast, Hannah’s literacy experiences in the classroom were, at times, challenging and …

Going To School For The First Time: Inclusion Committee Members Increasing The Number Of Students With Disabilities In Primary Schools In Kenya, Brent Elder, Bernard Kuja

College of Education Departmental Research

This paper is an extension of a prior research project where Kenyan primary school teachers began using inclusive education strategies that proved beneficial for meeting the needs of diverse primary school students. Specifically, this paper highlights a project where these inclusive practices were expanded to a second region of western Kenya. This expansion of teacher training on inclusive education and critical disability studies promoted sustained school- and community-based discussions on inclusive education and sensitisation on issues related to disability. These practices also led to the development of inclusion committees, co-teaching practices, and stimulated the partial dissolution of the physical boundaries …

Multiple Methodologies: Using Community-Based Participatory Research And Decolonizing Methodologies In Kenya, Brent C. Elder, Kenneth O. Odoyo

College of Education Departmental Research

In this project, we examined the development of a sustainable inclusive education system in western Kenya by combining community-based participatory research (CBPR) and decolonizing methodologies. Through three cycles of qualitative interviews with stakeholders in inclusive education, participants explained what they saw as foundational components of how to create more inclusive primary school classrooms utilizing existing school and community resources. The combination of CBPR and decolonizing methodologies, along with other project factors ultimately led to more inclusive placements for primary students with disabilities. We highlight this increase enrollment of students with disabilities in primary schools with excerpts from qualitative interviews with …

Writing Strength-Based Ieps For Students With Disabilities In Inclusive Classrooms, Brent Elder, Carrie R. Rood, Michelle L. Damiani

College of Education Departmental Research

Throughout this practitioner-oriented paper, we provide a rationale, framework, and supporting materials to promote the development and implementation of personalized, contextualized, and holistic individualized education plans (IEPs) with a strength-based orientation. We believe that adopting strength-based IEP writing practices is vital to reconstructing students with disabilities as capable contributors to their inclusive classrooms. The use of strengths-based approaches is not necessarily new, however supporting individuals’ needs in a strength-based model has been largely overlooked in special education. Despite their growing application, inclusive pedagogical approaches are largely absent in the development of strength-based IEPs for students with disabilities. IEPs remain largely …

Examining The Variability In General Education Placements For Students With Intellectual Disability, Meghan Cosier, Julia M. White, Qiu Wang

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Despite the overwhelming body of research suggesting that students with intellectual disability benefit from access to general education placements, students with intellectual disability continue to be educated primarily in segregated settings. Furthermore, the percentage of students with intellectual disability included in general education classrooms varies greatly among and within states across the United States. In an effort to explore such variability in New York State, we examined trends in general education placement rates of students with intellectual disability across districts and possible predictors of placement in regular classes. Results suggest that although descriptive patterns of placement exist, a more definitive …

"Brace Yourself": Motor Disabilities In Children's Literature, Jillian Bober

Graduate Student Independent Studies

This thesis presents the writing and sharing of an original work “Brace Yourself” with a group of second grade children including clinical and legal background as well as review of selected children’s literature with similar themes. The study incorporates samples of student responses to the story and discussion of curricular themes related to inclusion and school values.

Hitting The Switch: ¡Sí Se Puede!, Stephanie Alberto, Andrea Fonseca, Sandra J. Stein

Occasional Paper Series

Takes us into the lifeworld of first-grader Jason at Castle Bridge Elementary School, a public, dual-language school in New York City. Written by Jason’s teachers Stephanie and Andrea in conjunction with his mother Sandra, this essay puts forward the ethos ¡Sí se puede! (Yes, you can!), which relies on children’s empathy and calls for a collective response to inclusion. “Hitting the Switch” concludes with practical suggestions for creating an inclusive space for children who use assistive communicative devices so that they can become meaningful participants in the classroom community.

Talking Tolerance Inside The “Inclusive” Early Childhood Classroom, Karen Watson

Occasional Paper Series

Provides an inside look into what the Australian government calls “inclusive learning communities.” This term emerges from a national early-years learning framework that highlights ability and disability as diversity. Following the course of a six-month period in three “inclusive” early childhood classrooms, Karen offers an account of the transformative potential of inclusion in contrast to the harmful effects of teaching tolerance. Tolerance, as Karen’s study reveals, preserves the dualism of normal versus abnormal (or Other) and hinders critical reflection about ableist assumptions.

The Unfolding Of Lucas’S Story In An Inclusive Classroom: Living, Playing, And Becoming In The Social World Of Kindergarten, Haeny S. Yoon, Carmen Llerena, Emma Brooks

Occasional Paper Series

Tells stories about a vibrant kindergartner named Lucas through the viewpoints of his mother (Emma), teacher (Carmen), and teacher-educator (Haeny). In this multi-voiced story, the narrative centers on Lucas and shifts outward toward those orbiting Lucas’s wondrously playful universe. The magic of Lucas’s unfolding story is in the ways it disrupts conventional discourses about labels, interventions, and imposed meanings of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

Teaching Stories: Inclusion/Exclusion And Disability Studies, Linda Ware, Natalie Hatz

Occasional Paper Series

This research considers the journey of a public school teacher (Natalie) in partnership with her former undergraduate professor (Linda) to teach disability studies to her colleagues and to her fifth grade students. Our research involved multiple components and contexts that we characterize as “Teaching Stories” to consider disability, diversity, and exclusion across settings.

Eclipsing Expectations: How A Third Grader Set His Own Goals (And Taught Us All How To Listen), Diane L. Berman, David J. Connor

Occasional Paper Series

A description of an illuminating journey through the eyes of a parent, Diane, who wanted a more inclusive experience for her son Benny. For Diane and Benny, this meant becoming meaningful participants not only in Benny’s own classroom community but in the Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings that determined his educational goals. David uses a DSE framework to analyze and highlight the importance of context, as opposed to focusing on the disability condition, in enacting inclusionary practices. The authors argue for an “adhocratic” model of education that views children, educators, and parents as allies.

An Investigation Of The Attitudes Held By General Education Teachers Toward Students With Disabilities In A Pilot Inclusive Education Program In Cameroon, Agnes Y. Mngo

Dissertations

Problem Statement

The literature from Cameroon depicts that the implementation of inclusive education is not only in its embryonic stage but faces resistance from educators who are still not accepting of the presence of students with disabilities in general education classrooms. This resistance has been attributed to several factors ranging from attachment to customs and traditions that encourage the isolation of persons with disabilities, to the lack of resources and professionals needed for the successful implementation of inclusive education programs. These unfavorable attitudes have been a cause for concern among parents, educators, and especially government leaders who do not want …

Children With Speech Sound Disorders At School: Challenges For Children, Parents And Teachers, Graham R. Daniel, Sharynne Mcleod

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Teachers play a major role in supporting children’s educational, social, and emotional development although may be unprepared for supporting children with speech sound disorders. Interviews with 34 participants including six focus children, their parents, siblings, friends, teachers and other significant adults in their lives highlighted challenges for these children in school, and challenges for their parents and teachers in meeting these children’s developmental and educational needs. These challenges were centred on the need for specific expertise in the school setting, and access to additional classroom and professional services to support these students’ engagement in the learning and social environments of …

Engaging And Inclusive Education: A Case Study, Haley C. Mclean

Senior Honors Theses

The goal of education is to enrich the lives of the students entering the classroom in such a way that sees them leaving after the school year as better and more developed students eager to continue learning. However, there has been a disconnect between educators and the population of their classrooms that requires modifications and special attention. In part, this is because it is time consuming and difficult to make sure that every student, including the handicapped students, is having his or her needs met. In order for classrooms to be effective, there has to be an inclusive environment that …

Tangible First Steps: Inclusion Committees As A Strategy To Create Inclusive Schools In Western Kenya, Brent C. Elder, Michelle L. Damiani, Theophilus O. Okongo

College of Education Departmental Research

This paper provides one example of forming an inclusion committee in Kenya toward the vision of creating inclusive primary school campuses. We suggest the development of inclusion committees as a potential innovative strategy and a critical element of community reform toward disability awareness, and to increase access to primary school education for students with disabilities. The formation of the inclusion committee followed a member-driven process for identifying barriers to educational access for students with disabilities, prioritizing the needs within their local context, determining a plan of action to address these needs within existing community resources, and gaining access to new …

Using Fine Arts To Implement Inclusive Education: Inspiring The School Through A Schoolwide Art Project, Desiree Valentino

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This paper chronicles the development and completion of a schoolwide living mural project created through the cooperation of every student in an elementary school in Northwest Montana as a way to facilitate inclusive education. The project was fashioned to allow students who are educated in a self-contained classroom the chance to interact with their peers through a schoolwide art project. This involved creating two murals to experience the benefits of the arts; to educate the student body on how to interact with students with disabilities; to demonstrate to general educators how to facilitate the inclusion of all students; and to …

Teaching Assistants In Inclusive Classrooms: A Systematic Analysis Of The International Research, Umesh Sharma, Spencer J. Salend

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

This article reviewed international data from English-language peer-reviewed studies on the use of TAs in inclusive classrooms from the past 10 years concerning: (a) the roles of TAs; (b) the impact of TAs on students, educators, and inclusive education; and (c) the factors that influence the performance of TAs. These studies suggest that unclear professional roles, limited communication and opportunities for collaboration and training for TAs and teachers contribute to TAs assuming significant instructional, classroom management, and socialization roles, and providing ineffective and separate instruction that inadvertently undermine the inclusion, learning, socialization and independence of students with disabilities and the …

Literacy Co-Teaching With Multi-Level Texts In An Inclusive Middle Grade Humanities Class: A Teacher-Researcher Collaboration, Kelly Chandler-Olcott, Kathleen A. Hinchman

Journal of Inquiry and Action in Education

This article reports on a middle school literacy intervention implemented during a yearlong teacher-researcher collaboration. The purpose of this collaboration was to combine and adjust commonly recommended pedagogical approaches to address the literacy needs of a heterogeneous group of seventh graders attending an urban school. University researchers designed and implemented the intervention with an interdisciplinary team of three teachers. The intervention drew on sociocultural theories of language and learning. It had three main features: integration of English and social studies, multi-level texts, and co-teaching of heterogeneous groups. Qualitative data included field notes from classroom observations and planning meetings, transcripts from …

Social Justice And Technocracy: Tracing The Narratives Of Inclusive Education In The United States, Scot Danforth

Education Faculty Articles and Research

Over the past two decades, the percentage of American students with disabilities educated in general classrooms with their nondisabled peers has risen by approximately fifty percent. This gradual but steady policy shift has been driven by two distinct narratives of organisational change. The social justice narrative espouses principles of equality and caring across human differences. The narrative of technocracy creates top-down, administrative pressure through hierarchical systems based on quantitative performance data. This article examines these two primary policy narratives of inclusive education in the United States, exploring the conceptual features of each and initiating an analysis of their application in …

Exploring Cognitively Accessible Academic Lessons For Students With Intellectual Disabilities Using The Ipad, Jamie Linn Gunderson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Students with intellectual disabilities often lack access to general education curricula. This is because many teachers struggle with adapting these curricula to meet the unique learning needs of these students. Technology, having the potential to facilitate access to general education curricula, has been successfully used as a tool to adapt curriculum for this population. The use of the iPad (Apple, 2010), which is easily programmed to support the unique needs of students with disabilities, is beginning to be explored as a tool for the learning and instruction of students with intellectual disabilities and results have been favorable. Further research is …

Transforming Thai Preschool Teachers' Knowledge On Inclusive Practice: A Collaborative Inquiry, Joseph Seyram Agbenyega, Sunanta Klibthong

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

Educating children with disabilities alongside their peers in mainstream preschools has increased intensely over the past few years, affecting all aspects of early childhood education. Many children who previously would have been educated in segregated special centres are now being included in inclusive preschools. This research paper discusses how Thai preschool teachers’ professional knowledge in inclusive education influence the ways they practice within preschool classrooms. Qualitative data obtained through observations and collaborative inquiry with teachers drawn from four preschool in Bangkok, Thailand showed that the lack of adequate teacher preparation for inclusive practice rendered the teachers helpless and unable to …

Becoming An Inclusive Educator: Applying Deleuze & Guattari To Teacher Education, Loraine M. Mckay, Suzanne Carrington, Radha Iyer

Australian Journal of Teacher Education

New ways of thinking are required in teacher education to promote beginning teachers as change agents in education. Twenty years after the Salamanca Statement (UNESCO, 1994) that called for schools to provide equitable opportunities for all children, teaching practices in many classrooms are informed by the deficit view of learning. Beginning teachers need to be prepared to challenge the ideological influences that operate in schools. Deleuze and Guattari’s (1987) model of the rhizome is used to report one beginning teacher’s journey as she learnt to negotiate structural and personal obstacles to create an inclusive learning environment. Data from reflective diaries, …

Contrasting Visions Of Inclusive Education: Comparisons From Rural And Urban Settings In Botswana And Zimbabwe, Sourav Mukhopadhyay, Martin Musengi

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

This article explores similarities and differences in Botswana and Zimbabwe elementary school principals’ understanding of what inclusive education involves. Using a cross-site case study research design, fifteen principals in the two countries’ urban, semi-urban and rural areas were interviewed while naturalistic observations were also carried out at each school. Findings indicate no differences between the two countries as the principals were familiar with the concept of inclusive education and were favourable towards including learners with disabilities. However the increased visibility of students with disabilities in primary schools seems to overshadow other learners with various vulnerabilities. Inclusion seemed to present more …

Quality Inclusion Of Students With Disabilities In General Physical Education, Natalie Jean Phillips

Theses Digitization Project

A study conducted in one Southern California school district found that students with disabilities are often marginalized when it comes to participating in physically demanding sports and activities. This study was conducted to examine the participation levels of students with disabilities in physical education classes. Secondary physical education teachers throughout the southern California school district were surveyed about the inclusion of students with disabilities in their classes. This study also meant to measure teachers' knowledge and behaviors surrounding inclusive practices of students with disabilities. The survey consisted of 10 questions and was distributed via e-mail to 10 chosen school sites. …

Quality Of Sports Participation By Pupils With Disabilities In Inclusive Education Settings In Masvingo Urban, Martin Musengi Ph.D., Tapiwa Mudyahoto Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

The study sought to analyze the extent to which pupils with disabilities participated in sports and Physical Education in inclusive education settings. To this end, it examined how sports are adapted to suit these pupils and explored other factors which contributed to the pupils’ benefit or lack of benefit from sports. A qualitative descriptive survey design which employed questionnaires and structured interviews collected data from 30 primary school pupils with disabilities, 20 primary schoolteachers and five school heads. The study found that teachers and non-disabled peers have low expectations of pupils with disabilities as potentially competent athletes. The teachers view …

Towards Inclusive Standards, Michelle Pearce

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The context of this study is the inclusion of students with dillabilities in secondary schools. The introduction of legislation in the United States and Australia has resulted in large numbers of students with disabilities being included in regular classes by subject teachers. Inclusion in secondary schools has proved especially challenging to teachers. Reviews and research highlight the need for teacher training. but do not specify the knowledge and skills that teachers need to become inclusive. It has been proposed that professional teaching standards have the potential to guide preservice and inservice training. Before standards could be assessed for their inclusivity, …

Educating Deaf Children In An Inclusive Setting In Kenya: Challenges And Considerations, Peter Oracha Adoyo Ph.D.

Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education

Educators of the deaf have been of the view that placement of deaf students in classrooms with their hearing peers often may not be conducive to their social and academic development. This is because the two groups often experience difficulties in communication with each other and that such difficulties often include loneliness, rejection and social isolation. These experiences as observed by the educators do not promote social and academic development. This paper discusses perspectives on inclusive education in general and the deaf in particular. Challenges encountered in placing the deaf child in an inclusive classroom are highlighted and possible solutions …