Inclusive Education

Inclusive Education

ECS 100February 16, 2011

Dr. Wanda Lyons

Salend, S. J., (2005). Creating Inclusive Classrooms. Pearson.

What is Inclusion?What is Inclusion?

• All students are learners

• All students benefit

• All students attend regular classrooms in neighbourhood schools (with support services as needed)

• Provides students with fairness rather than sameness - Differentiated Instruction

• Flexible curricula and instruction

Think about…… contentThink about…… content

Extended Learningfor

some students

Prerequisites –for some students

For most students

Think about…… contentThink about…… content

Students will identify

questions and concepts for further discussion

and reading.

Inclusion means everyone belongs.

Students learn in different ways.

Teachers are responsible for teaching all their students.Sometimes teachers need help.

Students will reflect on disability and disabling influences

Students will describe the pathological and social models of disability.

Students will review the history of disability

Students will review research on outcomes of inclusive education.

Students will be aware of legislation and policy on inclusive education in Saskatchewan

How will content be accessed/provided?How will content be accessed/provided?

• Visual & auditory

• Posted notes/PowerPoint

• Formats

– Introduction (5 minutes)– Individual reflection (writing/typing) (5 min)– Lecture (15 min)– Small group discussion (15 min)– Follow-up lecture with slides (15 min)– Reflective exercise (3 min)– Lecture (10 minutes)– Video (5 minutes)

How will students demonstrate How will students demonstrate knowledge?knowledge?

Options:

• Small & large group discussions in class

• Seminar discussions

• Assignment– identify questions for further discussion in seminar

– Notes & reflections

Understanding the Context

Your experiences . . .

Were there students with disabilities in your regular classroom?

Did they receive instruction with the nondisabled students?

If so, did the classroom teacher teach the student with disability? Was the student with a teacher assistant for the majority of the time?

Were some students educated in special classes?

How do you think placing students in special classes shapes opinions of other students?

Your definition . . .

What is a disability?

What does it mean to have a disability?

Defining Disability

The medical model

Disability is viewed as a deficit; a problem; a pathology

that originates and exists within the individual

and needs to be treated, remediated, or fixed so that the individual can become closer to ‘normal’.

The focus is on the individual’s limitations.

When this model is applied to education, if the student can’t “keep up”, they are excluded.

Barnes, C., & Sheldon, A. (2007). Emancipatory disability research and special educational needs. In L. Florian (Ed.). The Sage handbook of Special Education (pp. 233-245). Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Defining Disability

The Charity Model

The individual is seen as needy and even pitiful

Based on the assumption that people with disabilities want to be “fixed”

Can lead to the perception that people with disabilities are not contributing members of society

Center on Human Policy, Law, and Disability Studies (2008), Syracuse University.

Defining Disability

The Social Model

Emerged from disabled people’s critiques of the individual/medical model and charity model.

A two-fold definition:

• Impairment refers to the biological difference

• Disability is viewed as a social and cultural construction that restricts, marginalizes and oppresses individuals identified as “disabled”.

An abbreviated history of disability

400 B.C. Persons were valued or devalued based on their potential to contribute to the strength of the state; infanticide of those who were disabled was widely practiced (Winzer, 1993).

“Let there be a law that no deformed child shall live” (Aristotle).

4th Century Individuals with disabilities were placed in institutions or hidden in family homes. Institutionalization continued into the 20th Century.

Osgood, R. L. (2005). The history of inclusion in the United Sates. Washington: Gaullaudet University Press.

Winzer, M.A. (2007). Confronting difference: An excursion through the history of special education. In L. Florian (Ed.), The Sage handbook of special education (pp. 21-33). London: Sage Publications.


Mid 1700’s Individuals with disabilities began to be provided with an education, beginning with education for persons who were deaf, followed by services for those who were blind.

Early 1800s Segregated schooling for children labeled as idiots began in France.

Late 1800s In North America, students who had not been institutionalized were appearing within public schools. Teachers began to complain about students who were “academically weak” and “ill-behaved” and urged to have them sent to separate schools (Osgood, 2005).


Early 1900s Segregated classrooms for children with disabilities became the predominant approach.

End of 19th C Darwin had major influence on thinking; this led to the eugenics movement that proposed selective breeding to eliminate certain elements of the population.

By mid 1930s, more than 20,000 people with intellectual disability and epilepsy had been sterilized.

Eugenics subsequently came under scrutiny and the Eugenics Record Office in New York was closed in 1940.


1930s – 1950s Segregated programs increased dramatically, particularly through the post- war years.

1954 Brown vs. Board of Education – a turning point.

1968 Lloyd Dunn’s historical article Special Education for the Mildly Retarded – Is Much of it Justifiable?

-Segregated classes were described as “morally and educationally wrong”

-Exposed the ethnic overrepresentation

-Began the mainstreaming movement

Institutionalization continues

Christmas In Purgatory: A Photographic Essay On Mental Retardation.

Creator: Burton Blatt

Photographer: Fred Kaplan

There is a hell on earth, and in America there is a special inferno. We were visitors

there during Christmas, 1965....

http://www.disabilitymuseum.org/dhm/lib/catcard.html?id=1782


1970s Deinstitutionalization and the normalization movement (Wolfensberger, 1972).

Saskatchewan was the first Canadian provide to make mandatory the education of all students.

1979 Saskatchewan Human Rights Code stipulates the right to an education without discrimination.

1982 Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms stipulates equal rights and benefits without discrimination.


1980s Regular Education Initiative in the US.

1990s Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action (UNESCO, 1994)

– Urged all governments to adopt the principle of inclusive education and called upon international organizations to endorse the approach of inclusive schooling.

Salamanca Statement

Many children experience learning difficulties and thus have special educational needs at some time during their schooling. Schools have to find ways of successfully educating all children , including those who have serious disadvantages and disabilities. There is an emerging consensus that children and youth with special educational needs should be included in the educational arrangements made for the majority of children. This has led to the concept of the inclusive school. The challenge confronting the inclusive school is that of developing a child-centered pedagogy capable of successfully educating all children, including those who have serious disadvantages and disabilities. The merit of such schools is not only that they are capable of providing quality education to all children; their establishment is a crucial step in helping to change discriminatory attitudes, in creating welcoming communities and in developing an inclusive society. A change in social perspective is imperative. For far too long, the problems of people with disabilities have been compounded by a disabling society that has focused upon their impairments rather than their potential.

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). (1994). The Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on special needs education. Salamanca, Spain: UNESCO. Retrieved from http://www.unesco.org/education/pdf/SALAMA_E.PDF

http://www.unesco.org/education/pdf/SALAMA_E.PDF


21st Century Inclusive model gains favor in scholarly literature as well as legislation.

Implementation of inclusive education varies across countries and across Saskatchewan.

Children’s Services Policy Framework

An inclusive school is a supportive, caring and responsive learning community in which diversity is honoured and

students are provided with a continuum of services within the regular classroom, school and home community.

Inclusive schools reflect the belief that all children belong and are valued members of the community. The focus is

on each child as an engaged learner, recognizing that the benefits he or she receives from the educational program

are dependent on the provision of appropriate programs and supports that are responsive to

individual differences and needs (p. 4)

Saskatchewan Learning (2002a). Children’s services policy framework. Retrieved from: http://www.education.gov.sk.ca/adx/aspx/adxGetMedia.aspx?DocID=190,211,107,81,1,Documents&MediaID=1371&Filename=CS-PolicyFramework.pdf

http://www.education.gov.sk.ca/adx/aspx/adxGetMedia.aspx?DocID=190,211,107,81,1,Documents&MediaID=1371&Filename=CS-PolicyFramework.pdf

http://www.education.gov.sk.ca/adx/aspx/adxGetMedia.aspx?DocID=190,211,107,81,1,Documents&MediaID=1371&Filename=CS-PolicyFramework.pdf

Current State - Legislation

Saskatchewan(9) A board of education or the conseil scolaire, as the case may be, shall take steps to

reasonably accommodate a pupil with intensive needs in the regular program of instruction.

(10) If, after taking the factors listed in subsection (11) into consideration, a board of education or the conseil scolaire determines that the learning needs of a pupil with intensive needs cannot be reasonably accommodated in the regular program of instruction, the board of education or conseil scolaire shall ensure the provision of educational services by means of a special program to meet the learning needs of the pupil.

(11) The following factors are to be considered for the purposes of subsection (10):(a) whether or not the pupil is medically fragile;(b) whether or not the pupil poses a risk of harm to himself or herself or to others;(c) the educational needs of all pupils;(d) the cost of providing special educational services to accommodate the pupil in the

regular program of instruction.

The Education Act 1995 (amended 2008), sections 178 (9), (10), (11).

Special Education Classes in Canada

From: Statistics Canada quoted within “Preservice Training/Teacher Professional Development Dr. Vianne Timmons National Summit on Inclusive Education, Ottawa, November 24-26th, 2004”

How (and why) did we go from one of the first provinces to mandate education for all to the current

practice?

What is holding us back?

What do you think?What do you think?

In groups of 3:

Consider the advantages/disadvantages of:

• Special class or alternative settings• Resource room/pull-out models• Inclusive classrooms and schools

Special Education ClassesSpecial Education Classes

Advantages:

– Teachers are trained in effective instructional practices

– Teachers can draw on a variety of instructional methods, curricula & motivational strategies

– Individual progress can be monitored.

From: Jordan, A. (2007). Introduction to inclusive education. Mississauga, ON: John Wiley & Sons.

Advantages:

– Teachers are trained in effective instructional practices

– Teachers can draw on a variety of instructional methods, curricula & motivational strategies

– Individual progress can be monitored.


Myth:Myth: Students with disabilities will “do Students with disabilities will “do better” in special classesbetter” in special classes

Findings from research on inclusive education:

Higher reading and mathematics performance (Blackorby et al., 2007; Rea, McLaughlin, & Walther-Thomas, 2002; Waldron & McLeskey, 1998).

No significant differences in reading and math achievement (Cole, Waldron, & Majd, 2004; Fore et al., 2008*).

Increased social interaction (Kreimeyer, Crooke, Drye, Egbert, & Klein, 2000).

Improved attendance (Rea, McLaughlin, & Walther-Thomas, 2002).

* Study conducted with high school students with learning disabilities

Special Education ClassesSpecial Education Classes

Disadvantages:

– Students are isolated from their non-disabled peers

– Students may not have access to spoken language and social models other than those provided by the teacher.

– Students lack appropriate role models

– Students often do not have a sense of belonging in the community.

– Teachers need to be able to deliver curriculum across all subjects and grade levels

– Little opportunity for regular class teachers to work with special ed. teachers to re-integrate students with disabilities

– Placements end up being long term.

.

Resource Room or Withdrawal ModelsResource Room or Withdrawal Models

Advantages:

– Students with disabilities have a greater chance of interacting with their non-disabled peers (than when placed in a special class)

– The instructional program for each student can be more individualized

– Teachers (Resource & Regular Ed.) have more opportunity to interact and collaborate in designing programs and monitoring progress (than when students are placed in a special class)


Resource Room or Withdrawal ModelsResource Room or Withdrawal Models

Disadvantages:

– RR programs can be disruptive to the routine of the regular classroom

– Co-planning & monitoring students between reg. & spec. ed. is often minimal or non-existent.

– RR program may not be aligned with or complement regular classroom program; student(s) with disabilities may be penalized for missing important classroom content.

– Withdrawal can be stigmatizing for the student.


Inclusive ClassroomsInclusive Classrooms

Advantages:• Students with disabilities are part of the variation that

comprise a class• Students are members of the classroom and school

community• Social Interaction; increased acceptance (Idol, 2006; Burstein

et al., 2004)

• Academic improvement for all students (Cushing, Clark, Carter, & Kennedy, 2005; Idol, 2006)

• Supported by most teachers (Elhowers & Alshiekh, 2006; Idol, 2006; Parmar, 2006).

Inclusive EducationInclusive Education

Disadvantages/Challenges”

– Lack of consensus on the meaning of “inclusion”

– Teacher need adequate training & support

Myth: Other students will not do as well; the curriculum will be “watered down”

Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS) (Blackorby, et al., 2007)– positive outcomes for students with and without disabilities– The presence of students with disabilities does not adversely

affect other students; rather, involvement in general education is related to positive academic outcomes for students overall.

Cole et al. (2004)– academic progress in math and reading was greater for students

without disabilities who were educated in inclusive settings; while there were no significant differences for students with disabilities.

Cole, C. M., Wladron, N., & Majd, M (2004). Academic progress of students across inclusive and traditional settings. Mental Retardations, 42, 136-144.

What is holding us back?

Racism

Sexism

Heterosexism

Classism

Ableism

Ableism is similar to other types of discrimination (e.g. racial, ethnic, gender, age) but is often unrecognized as an

important issue or one that even exists (Johnson, 2003).

Ableism

a pervasive system of discrimination and exclusion that oppresses people who have mental, emotional, and physical disabilities. . . Deeply rooted beliefs about health, productivity, beauty, and the value of human life, perpetuated by the public and private media, combine to create an environment that is often hostile to those whose physical, mental, cognitive, and sensory abilities . . . fall out of the scope of what is currently defined as socially acceptable” (Rauscher & McClintock, 1996, p. 198).

“the belief that it is better or superior not to have a disability than to have one and that it is better to do things in the way that nondisabled people do (Storey, 2007, p. 56).

Ableism in Schools

Although schools often advocate multiculturalism and acceptance of differences, disability and ableism are overlooked in this advocacy” (Storey, 2007, p. 56).

I believe in inclusion, but . . . . I believe in inclusion, but . . . . • Students with disabilities learn best when they are educated with other disabled students.

• I believe that students with disabilities should be educated in regular classrooms as long as it doesn’t take attention away from other students?

• Students with disabilities should attend regular classrooms in regular schools as long as the cost is reasonable, and it doesn’t take resources away from the regular students.

• The student with a disability is welcome within my classroom as long as the student comes with a teacher assistant.

• Educating students with disabilities in the regular classroom is a good idea, provided that the student is not too disabled?

• If students with disabilities are disruptive or distracting, they should be placed in alternate classes or schools.

• Students with disabilities need to be with other students with disabilities, so that they can form friendships with other students just like them.

• The best way to educate students with disabilities is to provide special classes for academic areas, and include them in regular classes like physical education and art.

• Students with disabilities are happiest in special classes where they won’t get picked on or bullied.

Consider this . . . Consider this . . .

• students learn best when they are educated with other students.

• I believe that students should be educated in regular classrooms as long as it doesn’t take attention away from other students?

• students should attend regular classrooms in regular schools as long as the cost is reasonable, and it doesn’t take resources away from the regular students.

• The student is welcome within my classroom as long as the student comes with a teacher assistant.

• Educating students in the regular classroom is a good idea, provided that the student is not too ?

• If students are disruptive or distracting, they should be placed in alternate classes or schools.

• students need to be with other students, so that they can form friendships with other students just like them.

• The best way to educate students is to provide special classes for academic areas, and include them in regular classes like physical education and art.

• students are happiest in special classes where they won’t get picked on or bullied.

Combating Ableism in SchoolsCombating Ableism in Schools(Baglieri & Knopf, 2004; Hehir, 2002; Storey, 2007)(Baglieri & Knopf, 2004; Hehir, 2002; Storey, 2007)

Acknowledge that ableism exists!

Teacher inservice (focusing on ableism in the content of discrimination)

Develop inclusive practices using a Disability Studies perspective; that is, differences are seen as natural, acceptable, and ordinary.

Combating Ableism in SchoolsCombating Ableism in Schools (Baglieri & Knopf, 2004; Hehir, 2002; Storey, 2007)(Baglieri & Knopf, 2004; Hehir, 2002; Storey, 2007)

Exercise caution with inclusive practices that continue to marginalize people with disabilities

• Overreliance on paraprofessionals

• “An aide is not (or at least should not be) a chaperone, an administrative spy, a surrogate parent, or a personal servant. Any such role turns the aide into a shield or a barrier between the disabled student and his or her nondisabled peers” (Ferguson & Ashe, 1989, p. 129).

Combating Ableism in SchoolsCombating Ableism in Schools (Baglieri & Knopf, 2004; Hehir, 2002; Storey, 2007)(Baglieri & Knopf, 2004; Hehir, 2002; Storey, 2007)

Ability awareness education

Disability content in curriculum & school activities

Disability literature within the curriculum, book clubs, reading groups, etc.

Role models

Hiring teachers with disabilities

But how do we actually do it?

Key componentsKey components

• Anticipating, respecting, and planning for difference

• Universally designed curricula

• Diverse and differentiated instructional strategies

• Classroom teacher responsibility for the learning of all students

• Continuum of supports

• Collaboration

• Professional development

Getting started . . .Getting started . . .

• Good teaching practices are the same for students with/without disabilities – learn to differentiate

• Teacher attitudes make a difference – explore yours!• Read student records• Talk to previous teachers• Ask questions• Get to know your students• YOU’RE NOT ALONE! – know who your supports are

and access them.

Helping all student to achieve their goals

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_-P4t2jR1g

What will you do?

References

Andrews, J., & Lupart, J. (2000). The inclusive classroom (2nd ed.). Scarborough, ON: Nelson.

Baglieri, S., & Knopf, J. H. (2004). Normalizing difference in inclusive teaching. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 37(6), 525-529.

Hehir, T. (2002). Eliminating ableism in education. Harvard Educational Review, 72(1), 1-31.

Hunt, P., Soto, G., Maier, J., & Doering, K. (2003). Collaborative teaming to support students at risk and students with severe disabilities in general education classrooms. Exceptional Children, 69, 315-332.

Idol, L. (2006). Toward inclusion of special education students in general education: A program evaluation of eight schools. Remedial and Special Education, 27, 77-94.

References (continued)

McLeskey, J., & Waldron, N. L. (2002). Professional development and inclusive schools: Reflections on effective practices. The Teacher Educator, 37, 159-172.

Mitchell, D. (2008). What really works in special and inclusive education. Using evidence-based teaching strategies. London: Routledge.

Rauscher, L., & McClintock, J. (1996). Albeism curriculum design. In M. Adams, L.A. Bell, & P. Griffen (Eds.), Teaching for diversity and social justice (pp. 198-231). New York: Routledge.

Rose, D. H., Meyer, A., & Hitchcock, C. (Eds.). (2005). The universally designed classroom. Accessible curriculum and digital technologies. Cambridge, MA; Harvard Education Press.

Storey, K. (2007). Combating ableism in schools. Preventing School Failure, 52(1), 56-58.

References (continued)

Sailor, W. (Ed.). (2002). Whole-school success and inclusive education. Building partnerships for learning, achievement, and accountability. New York: Teachers College Press.

Shukla, S., Kennedy, C. H., & Cushing, L. S. (1999). Intermediate school students with severe disabilities: Supporting their social participation in general education classrooms. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 1, 130-140.

Walther-Thomas, C. S. (1997). Co-teaching experiences: The benefits and problems that teachers and principals report over time. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 30, 395-407.