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Considering the potential of inclusive education at your school? Perhaps you are currently working in an inclusive classroom and looking for effective strategies. Lean into this deep-dive article on inclusive education to gather a solid understanding of what it means, what the research shows, and proven strategies that bring out the benefits for everyone.

What is inclusive education? What does it mean?

Inclusive education is when all students, regardless of any challenges they may have, are placed in age-appropriate general education classes that are in their own neighborhood schools to receive high-quality instruction, interventions, and supports that enable them to meet success in the core curriculum (Bui, Quirk, Almazan, & Valenti, 2010; Alquraini & Gut, 2012).

The school and classroom operate on the premise that students with disabilities are as fundamentally competent as students without disabilities. Therefore, all students can be full participants in their classrooms and in the local school community. Much of the movement is related to legislation that students receive their education in the least restrictive environment (LRE). This means they are with their peers without disabilities to the maximum degree possible, with general education the placement of first choice for all students (Alquraini & Gut, 2012).

Successful inclusive education happens primarily through accepting, understanding, and attending to student differences and diversity, which can include physical, cognitive, academic, social, and emotional. This is not to say that students never need to spend time out of regular education classes, because sometimes they do for a very particular purpose — for instance, for speech or occupational therapy. But the goal is this should be the exception.

The driving principle is to make all students feel welcomed, appropriately challenged, and supported in their efforts. It’s also critically important that the adults are supported, too. This includes the regular education teacher and the special education teacher , as well as all other staff and faculty who are key stakeholders — and that also includes parents.

The research basis for inclusive education

Inclusive education and inclusive classrooms are gaining steam because there is so much research-based evidence around the benefits. Take a look.

Benefits for students

Simply put, both students with and without disabilities learn more . Many studies over the past three decades have found that students with disabilities have higher achievement and improved skills through inclusive education, and their peers without challenges benefit, too (Bui, et al., 2010; Dupuis, Barclay, Holms, Platt, Shaha, & Lewis, 2006; Newman, 2006; Alquraini & Gut, 2012).

For students with disabilities ( SWD ), this includes academic gains in literacy (reading and writing), math, and social studies — both in grades and on standardized tests — better communication skills, and improved social skills and more friendships. More time in the general classroom for SWD is also associated with fewer absences and referrals for disruptive behavior. This could be related to findings about attitude — they have a higher self-concept, they like school and their teachers more, and are more motivated around working and learning.

Their peers without disabilities also show more positive attitudes in these same areas when in inclusive classrooms. They make greater academic gains in reading and math. Research shows the presence of SWD gives non-SWD new kinds of learning opportunities. One of these is when they serve as peer-coaches. By learning how to help another student, their own performance improves. Another is that as teachers take into greater consideration their diverse SWD learners, they provide instruction in a wider range of learning modalities (visual, auditory, and kinesthetic), which benefits their regular ed students as well.

Researchers often explore concerns and potential pitfalls that might make instruction less effective in inclusion classrooms (Bui et al., 2010; Dupois et al., 2006). But findings show this is not the case. Neither instructional time nor how much time students are engaged differs between inclusive and non-inclusive classrooms. In fact, in many instances, regular ed students report little to no awareness that there even are students with disabilities in their classes. When they are aware, they demonstrate more acceptance and tolerance for SWD when they all experience an inclusive education together.

Parent’s feelings and attitudes

Parents, of course, have a big part to play. A comprehensive review of the literature (de Boer, Pijl, & Minnaert, 2010) found that on average, parents are somewhat uncertain if inclusion is a good option for their SWD . On the upside, the more experience with inclusive education they had, the more positive parents of SWD were about it. Additionally, parents of regular ed students held a decidedly positive attitude toward inclusive education.

Now that we’ve seen the research highlights on outcomes, let’s take a look at strategies to put inclusive education in practice.

Inclusive classroom strategies

There is a definite need for teachers to be supported in implementing an inclusive classroom. A rigorous literature review of studies found most teachers had either neutral or negative attitudes about inclusive education (de Boer, Pijl, & Minnaert, 2011). It turns out that much of this is because they do not feel they are very knowledgeable, competent, or confident about how to educate SWD .

However, similar to parents, teachers with more experience — and, in the case of teachers, more training with inclusive education — were significantly more positive about it. Evidence supports that to be effective, teachers need an understanding of best practices in teaching and of adapted instruction for SWD ; but positive attitudes toward inclusion are also among the most important for creating an inclusive classroom that works (Savage & Erten, 2015).

Of course, a modest blog article like this is only going to give the highlights of what have been found to be effective inclusive strategies. For there to be true long-term success necessitates formal training. To give you an idea though, here are strategies recommended by several research studies and applied experience (Morningstar, Shogren, Lee, & Born, 2015; Alquraini, & Gut, 2012).

Use a variety of instructional formats

Start with whole-group instruction and transition to flexible groupings which could be small groups, stations/centers, and paired learning. With regard to the whole group, using technology such as interactive whiteboards is related to high student engagement. Regarding flexible groupings: for younger students, these are often teacher-led but for older students, they can be student-led with teacher monitoring. Peer-supported learning can be very effective and engaging and take the form of pair-work, cooperative grouping, peer tutoring, and student-led demonstrations.

Ensure access to academic curricular content

All students need the opportunity to have learning experiences in line with the same learning goals. This will necessitate thinking about what supports individual SWDs need, but overall strategies are making sure all students hear instructions, that they do indeed start activities, that all students participate in large group instruction, and that students transition in and out of the classroom at the same time. For this latter point, not only will it keep students on track with the lessons, their non-SWD peers do not see them leaving or entering in the middle of lessons, which can really highlight their differences.

Apply universal design for learning

These are methods that are varied and that support many learners’ needs. They include multiple ways of representing content to students and for students to represent learning back, such as modeling, images, objectives and manipulatives, graphic organizers, oral and written responses, and technology. These can also be adapted as modifications for SWDs where they have large print, use headphones, are allowed to have a peer write their dictated response, draw a picture instead, use calculators, or just have extra time. Think too about the power of project-based and inquiry learning where students individually or collectively investigate an experience.

Now let’s put it all together by looking at how a regular education teacher addresses the challenge and succeeds in using inclusive education in her classroom.

A case study of inclusive practices in schools and classes

Mrs. Brown has been teaching for several years now and is both excited and a little nervous about her school’s decision to implement inclusive education. Over the years she has had several special education students in her class but they either got pulled out for time with specialists or just joined for activities like art, music, P.E., lunch, and sometimes for selected academics.

She has always found this method a bit disjointed and has wanted to be much more involved in educating these students and finding ways they can take part more fully in her classroom. She knows she needs guidance in designing and implementing her inclusive classroom, but she’s ready for the challenge and looking forward to seeing the many benefits she’s been reading and hearing about for the children, their families, their peers, herself, and the school as a whole.

During the month before school starts, Mrs. Brown meets with the special education teacher, Mr. Lopez — and other teachers and staff who work with her students — to coordinate the instructional plan that is based on the IEPs (Individual Educational Plan) of the three students with disabilities who will be in her class the upcoming year.

About two weeks before school starts, she invites each of the three children and their families to come into the classroom for individual tours and get-to-know-you sessions with both herself and the special education teacher. She makes sure to provide information about back-to-school night and extends a personal invitation to them to attend so they can meet the other families and children. She feels very good about how this is coming together and how excited and happy the children and their families are feeling. One student really summed it up when he told her, “You and I are going to have a great year!”

The school district and the principal have sent out communications to all the parents about the move to inclusion education at Mrs. Brown’s school. Now she wants to make sure she really communicates effectively with the parents, especially as some of the parents of both SWD and regular ed students have expressed hesitation that having their child in an inclusive classroom would work.

She talks to the administration and other teachers and, with their okay, sends out a joint communication after about two months into the school year with some questions provided by the book Creating Inclusive Classrooms (Salend, 2001 referenced in Salend & Garrick-Duhaney, 2001) such as, “How has being in an inclusion classroom affected your child academically, socially, and behaviorally? Please describe any benefits or negative consequences you have observed in your child. What factors led to these changes?” and “How has your child’s placement in an inclusion classroom affected you? Please describe any benefits or any negative consequences for you.” and “What additional information would you like to have about inclusion and your child’s class?” She plans to look for trends and prepare a communication that she will share with parents. She also plans to send out a questionnaire with different questions every couple of months throughout the school year.

Since she found out about the move to an inclusive education approach at her school, Mrs. Brown has been working closely with the special education teacher, Mr. Lopez, and reading a great deal about the benefits and the challenges. Determined to be successful, she is especially focused on effective inclusive classroom strategies.

Her hard work is paying off. Her mid-year and end-of-year results are very positive. The SWDs are meeting their IEP goals. Her regular ed students are excelling. A spirit of collaboration and positive energy pervades her classroom and she feels this in the whole school as they practice inclusive education. The children are happy and proud of their accomplishments. The principal regularly compliments her. The parents are positive, relaxed, and supportive.

Mrs. Brown knows she has more to learn and do, but her confidence and satisfaction are high. She is especially delighted that she has been selected to be a part of her district’s team to train other regular education teachers about inclusive education and classrooms.

The future is very bright indeed for this approach. The evidence is mounting that inclusive education and classrooms are able to not only meet the requirements of LRE for students with disabilities, but to benefit regular education students as well. We see that with exposure both parents and teachers become more positive. Training and support allow regular education teachers to implement inclusive education with ease and success. All around it’s a win-win!

Lilla Dale McManis, MEd, PhD has a BS in child development, an MEd in special education, and a PhD in educational psychology. She was a K-12 public school special education teacher for many years and has worked at universities, state agencies, and in industry teaching prospective teachers, conducting research and evaluation with at-risk populations, and designing educational technology. Currently, she is President of Parent in the Know where she works with families in need and also does business consulting.

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Q&A: How inclusion in education has evolved

What is the Salamanca Statement on Inclusion in Education?

The  Salamanca Statement on Inclusion in Education was adopted at the joint UNESCO and Ministry of Education of Spain World Conference on Special Needs Education held in Salamanca, Spain, in 1994. The Statement and its accompanying framework for action represent a worldwide consensus on future directions for the education of children with special needs. It is considered as having provided the impetus for inclusive education worldwide. 

The Salamanca Statement emphasized the principle of inclusive education, which advocates for the education of all children, regardless of their physical, intellectual, social, emotional, linguistic, or other conditions, in schools. It called on governments to adopt inclusive policies and stressed the importance of adapting teaching methods, curricula and environments to accommodate the needs of all students. It highlighted the need for adequate training and support for teachers to enable them to address the diverse needs of students effectively and emphasized the importance of collaboration among governments, non-governmental organizations, communities and families to promote inclusive education.

What has happened since the adoption of this Statement?

Since the Salamanca Statement, efforts for inclusive education have continued. The Sustainable Development Goals adopted in 2015 and specifically Goal 4 recognizes the urgent need to provide equitable and inclusive quality education for all learners from the early years through compulsory schooling, technical and vocational education and training, higher education and lifelong learning. It calls on governments to step up efforts to achieve inclusion in education with special emphasis on the role of civil society and the involvement of marginalized groups. It was further highlighted at the United Nations  Transforming Education Summit (TES) in 2022, which recalled the baseline of the Sustainable Development Goal – leave no one behind.

Many countries have enacted laws and policies to promote inclusive education. Of the 133 national commitments to transform education made by countries at the TES, 87% recognized the importance of ensuring more inclusive education systems that cater for the needs of the most vulnerable learners and communities. 

Despite progress since the Salamanca Statement, deep disparities remain. Millions of children and youth are still denied their right to education . Over 7 million refugee children are not enrolled in school. Poverty, geographical location, gender, language, disability, ethnicity, migration or displacement status continue to dictate and limit education opportunities. 

There has been a gradual shift in attitudes towards inclusion in education. More stakeholders, including educators, policymakers, parents and communities are recognizing the value of inclusive education in promoting diversity, equity and social cohesion.  Data shows that when children have at least one sensory difficulty, they are less likely to complete primary school than children who have no sensory difficulties. 

What are the positive trends to ensure inclusion in education?

There is growing emphasis on providing teachers with training and professional development opportunities to effectively support inclusive practices in the classroom. Educators are learning strategies for differentiating instruction, fostering inclusive classroom environments and collaborating with special education professionals and support staff. However, around 40% of countries still do not provide teacher training on inclusion . 

The development and integration of assistive technologies have expanded opportunities for students with disabilities to access educational materials and participate in learning activities alongside their peers. Yet,  laws in 25% of countries make provisions for educating children with disabilities in separate settings, rising to over 40% in Asia and in Latin America and the Caribbean .

There is increasing recognition of the intersectionality of identities and experiences among students. Inclusive education efforts are evolving to address the unique needs and challenges faced by students who belong to multiple marginalized groups, such as students with disabilities who are also from minority ethnic or linguistic backgrounds.  In at least 20 countries, hardly any poor, rural young woman complete upper secondary school.

Overall, the evolution of inclusion in education since the Salamanca Statement and the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015 reflect a growing commitment to creating equitable, diverse and inclusive learning environments where every learner matters, and matters equally. Barriers to inclusion include poor attitudes, inaccessible and unsafe learning environments, rigid curriculum, ineffective teacher training, lack of knowledge of the language of instruction, socio-economic barriers to education, and lack of political will and funding. 

How is UNESCO supporting inclusion in education?

UNESCO plays a significant role in promoting inclusive education around the world through various initiatives, programmes and advocacy efforts. UNESCO supports governments to adopt inclusive education frameworks, provides technical assistance and builds capacity among governments, education stakeholders and institutions to develop inclusive education systems. The Global Education Monitoring Report’s  SCOPE and VIEW databases track indicators related to access, participation, quality and equity in education, including the inclusion of marginalized and vulnerable populations.  

More work remains to be done. UNESCO calls on governments and partners to support inclusive education by:

• Targeting financial support to disadvantaged groups and eliminate direct and indirect schools fees in basic education; 
• providing programmes and avenues for re-entry into the education system, equivalency programmes, programmes for continuous learning and lifelong learning, both in formal and non-formal education systems; 
• forging a holistic approach to education from early childhood onwards to incorporate the concerns of marginalized and excluded groups in all levels of education and in all areas of education;
• developing capacities for policy-making and system management to support strategies towards inclusive quality education; and 
• undertaking research on inclusive policies and quality learning enhancement to build good practice based on the evidence of what works.

More information

• UNESCO inclusion in education  
• Celebrating inclusion in education: 30th Anniversary of Salamanca Statement
• Celebrating inclusion in education: Global Inclusive Schools' Forum  
• SDG4 mid-term progress review: progress since 2015 has been far too slow  
• 2020 GEM Report on inclusion in education : All means All
• Regional Report on inclusion in education: 2020 Latin America and the Caribbean report
• Regional Report on inclusion in education: 2021 Central and Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia
• PEER country profiles on inclusion in education
• Right from the start: build inclusive societies through inclusive early childhood education
• How committed? Unlocking financing for equity in education
• Inclusive teaching: preparing all teachers to teach all students
• Access the  SCOPE website  
• Explore the  VIEW website  

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• Inclusive education

Every child has the right to quality education and learning.

There are an estimated 240 million children with disabilities worldwide. Like all children, children with disabilities have ambitions and dreams for their futures. Like all children, they need quality education to develop their skills and realize their full potential.

Yet, children with disabilities are often overlooked in policymaking, limiting their access to education and their ability to participate in social, economic and political life. Worldwide, these children are among the most likely to be out of school. They face persistent barriers to education stemming from discrimination, stigma and the routine failure of decision makers to incorporate disability in school services.

Disability is one of the most serious barriers to education across the globe.

Robbed of their right to learn, children with disabilities are often denied the chance to take part in their communities, the workforce and the decisions that most affect them.

Getting all children in school and learning

Inclusive education is the most effective way to give all children a fair chance to go to school, learn and develop the skills they need to thrive.

Inclusive education means all children in the same classrooms, in the same schools. It means real learning opportunities for groups who have traditionally been excluded – not only children with disabilities, but speakers of minority languages too.

Inclusive systems value the unique contributions students of all backgrounds bring to the classroom and allow diverse groups to grow side by side, to the benefit of all.

Inclusive education allows students of all backgrounds to learn and grow side by side, to the benefit of all.

But progress comes slowly. Inclusive systems require changes at all levels of society.

At the school level, teachers must be trained, buildings must be refurbished and students must receive accessible learning materials. At the community level, stigma and discrimination must be tackled and individuals need to be educated on the benefit of inclusive education. At the national level, Governments must align laws and policies with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities , and regularly collect and analyse data to ensure children are reached with effective services.

UNICEF’s work to promote inclusive education

To close the education gap for children with disabilities, UNICEF supports government efforts to foster and monitor inclusive education systems. Our work focuses on four key areas:

• Advocacy : UNICEF promotes inclusive education in discussions, high-level events and other forms of outreach geared towards policymakers and the general public.
• Awareness-raising : UNICEF shines a spotlight on the needs of children with disabilities by conducting research and hosting roundtables, workshops and other events for government partners.
• Capacity-building : UNICEF builds the capacity of education systems in partner countries by training teachers, administrators and communities, and providing technical assistance to Governments.
• Implementation support : UNICEF assists with monitoring and evaluation in partner countries to close the implementation gap between policy and practice.

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Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities adopts a broad categorization of persons with disabilities and reaffirms that all persons with all types of disabilities must enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Inclusive Education: Including Children with Disabilities in Quality Learning

This document provides guidance on what Governments can do to create inclusive education systems.

Towards Inclusive Education: The Impact of Disability on School Attendance in Developing Countries

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• Child Development

About Inclusive education

Updated 27 January 2023

Subject Child Development ,  Learning

Downloads 37

Category Education ,  Psychology

Topic Development ,  Importance of Education ,  Society

In order to create a cohesive community, inclusive education is needed. Education is a basic human right and a turning stone in the community's search for long-term prosperity. Education affects society, affects customs, and influences the degree of individual achievement. Education's instrumental position in societal transformation necessitates a comprehensive and multifaceted approach in order to create an all-inclusive, ethically constituted organization. Furthermore, schooling establishes a relational institution in which academics, teachers, and parents participate, shaping and reorganizing individual views, which form an alternative perception of how people confront life. Inclusive education creates equal opportunities for students with different backgrounds by providing solutions to the various challenges preventing students from attaining their objectives. Most importantly, the society is composed of multiracial and multi-ethnic communities, people with unique needs and economic abilities. The individual differences create a dissimilar environment for student development. As such, an inclusive education takes care of individual differences among students in order to facilitate learning. For better comprehension of the subject matter, there is need to define inclusive education. Inclusive education refers to a prototypical classroom where students with special needs (disabilities) and without learn together. The model incorporates both special education and general education teacher facilitating instruction in the same classroom. Collaborative and integrated teaching is primary requirements for the success of this type of educational model. The aim of this paper is to discuss the benefits and challenges of inclusive education to both students with and without special needs in creating Students with Special Needs Students have individual differences that determine their level and extent of participation in the educational process. Especially, inclusive education focuses on how to incorporate students with a various degree of disability into an ordinary learning situation. According to Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), disability refers to sustained mental, physical, sensory and intellectual impairments that in combination with other factors may inhibit full and equal participation in the society. The impairments range from insignificant to severe levels, which is responsible for categorization of students in inclusive schools. Students with unique needs learn either in self-contained classrooms or inclusion classrooms. Moreover, systemically sustainable programme must be provided as well (Maher 839). Sacks et al. suggested that students with moderate disabilities should learn in inclusive classroom while those with severe complications in self-contained rooms. Despite the fact that both the students with moderate and severe disabilities are categorized into one group, their individual needs tend to differ (Malakar and Polee 66). Inclusive schools design instructional processes that match their needs to reduce exclusivity in the learning process. Sacks et al., underscore that inclusive education emphasizes the right of all learners to access quality education despite their differences (560). All children have the right to quality education regardless of their differences, social classes, and background. Inclusive education increases the participation of children with special needs in education by meeting the diverse requirements of all students. Besides, in case of multicultural group, it boosts tolerance towards other communities and enhances cultural communication (Maher 842). Inclusive education assists in the early diagnosis of disability among children that are significant in designing the best instructional material to increase their participation in class. Best et al. states that students with disability need particular attention, assistive technology, and a friendly environment to elicit learning (1000). Assistive technology is significant in supporting students with hearing and visual impairments. Elements of Inclusive Education Inclusive education provides an elongated intervention aimed at providing academic, vocational, social and physical development to children with disabilities in a regular education system. Primary components of inclusive education include the indigenous teaching assistants, comprehensive curriculum and parental participation in education. These factors may be contemplated with non-indigenous teacher involvement for support (Maher 850). For effective inclusive education, special assistants work together with special and general education teachers to design programs that help in concretizing learning of abstract contents to enhance comprehension, participation, and retention (Malakar and Polee 67).Best et al. notes that teaching assistant is responsible for the integration of practical approaches in developing inclusive curriculum (1002). Inclusion in special education involves the participation of all stakeholders in the education system including the governments, teachers, parents, and students. Parental involvement is vital in monitoring and creating awareness on the achievements and limits of disabled students. Best et al. suggested that the participation of parents in the education of their children empowers them to understand developmental changes and early identification of disabilities, which enables them to provide adequate support and special treatment (1003). Moreover, collaborative support among key stakeholders in schools is significant in creating a healthy and learns. Children need stable emotional and physical health in order to succeed in school. A healthy learning environment should embrace diversity and meet the needs of both physically and mentally disabled children to nurture a high sense of responsibility, belonging and self-worth (Best et al. 1004). A good environment will enable the students to succeed therefore emphasizing careful observation of the principles of inclusive education. Principles of Inclusive Education The process of providing special education has guiding policies that lead to the success of the system in supporting learning among students with diverse backgrounds, marginalized groups, and special needs. Sacks et al. indicates that education systems are built on a conceptual framework and established guidelines that demonstrate intercontinental acknowledgment and sense of belonging for all apprentices (965). Similarly, its principles embrace diversity and individual differences thereby providing indiscriminate opportunities for all learners. The tenets create a value-based and learner-oriented approach in actions and practices at each stage of learning (Witzel and Ben 215). First, inclusive education appreciates and supports diversity and individual differences in learners. Salend suggest that high level of responsibility, respect for individual’s unique features and safe learning environment are the primary guidelines in inclusive education (6). Indeed, it creates a sense of togetherness and belonging for all students. Secondly, inclusive education recognises the ability of learners to actualise their potentials to achieve life ambitions. In spite of the individual differences, learners do have high expectations and value attached to their education. Therefore, the education system establishes significant and relevant learning experiences that exceed learner’s expectation. Instructors believe that the application of need tailored instructional material in classroom learning stimulates students’ efforts and results to great achievements. The success of students, both regular and special students are dependent on the appropriate instructional materials and not their personal limitations (Witzel and Ben 216). Thirdly, inclusive education assesses learners’ needs, strengths, and weaknesses through data collection and analysis. Available literature on individual students helps teachers, parents and educational agency to generate curriculum instructional materials that address individual needs while building on the strengths (Witzel and Ben 217). Instructional process is an elaborate and extensive facilitation of learning which must match the students’ needs to increase content comprehension and retention. Students’ background analysis is instrumental in inclusive education as it assists in proper placement and categorization of students based on the level of ability and needs thereby developing contents that are relevant to their level (Witzel and Ben 218). Besides, inclusive education eliminates social, psychological and physical barriers in an educational environment. Teachers and the government work collaboratively in deconstructing any form of barriers within the education system, which limits students’ ability to self-actualization. Together with the elimination of barriers, inclusive education embraces capacity building. Educators, parents, communities, and professionals have sustainable relationships and utilization of resources to regenerate understanding and ability to establish learning responsive environment. Therefore, capacity building is a continuous process that starts from the family and extends to and beyond schools. Salend argued that capacity building creates high sense of shared responsibility among educational stakeholder ranging from families, schools, teacher preparation to government obligation to ensure the success of all learners irrespective of their unique backgrounds and features (10). The above principles are instrumental in developing instructional programs, creation of learner-friendly environment by constructing disability friendly essential utilities, capacity building as well as embracing diversity among students. These principles determine the extent of effectiveness and relevance of an inclusive educational system. Contrastingly, effective application of these principles may create benefits to learners while inefficient use may generate challenges as discussed below. Benefits of Inclusive Education Inclusive education is the best approach used in teaching students with unique needs in a similar environment. Collaborative team teaching (CTT) and integrated co-teaching (ICT) facilitate better understanding among students. An inclusive class has two teachers; where one is a special education teacher while the other a general teacher. The combination of two teachers with diverse experiences has increased the level of students’ engagements thereby making learning more effective. As such, inclusive education is very instrumental in learning among students with disability. Firstly, parents can accomplish the need for routine life for their children. An inclusive environment increases social interactions among students irrespective of their differences. Therefore, children with disability can associate with other students, which lead to formation of friendship. Salend confirms that all parents desire to see their children prosper irrespective of their personal limitations (9). In fact, Sandhu argues that nature has internal compensation for any form of disability and that students with special have advanced innate intellectual abilities than ordinary students (422). He also suggests that children are born free of any limitation, but the society brands them identities (424). Retrogressive personalities create a sense of inferiority among children with disability and a belief that there exist lesser standards for people with disabilities. Inclusive education resolves this identity crisis by creating an inclusive educational environment where students can achieve their fullest potential and live like other ordinary students. Secondly, inclusive education enables students to understand their capabilities and limits. Students get to recognize their differences, strengths, and weaknesses. Moreover, inclusivity enables the regular students to comprehend the challenges faced by students with a disability, which increases their understanding. Sandhu identified that lack of understanding and acceptance students was responsible for low self-esteem (425). However, the interaction between children with diverse abilities in classes, co-curricular activities and outside school instill respect, love, and trust, which is a positive step towards empowering disabled children. Intrinsically, better understanding enables children to live harmoniously in school and develop positive social skills that are essential for an inclusive society. The long-term goal of inclusive education is to empower children academically and improve their social skills. Thirdly, inclusive education has academic gains. Sandhu accentuated that students with disability can learn just like other ordinary students if the instructional materials are designed to match their immediate needs (426). Special students are able to learn reading, writing and mathematical skills. Through collaborative teaching, special education teacher is able to integrate simulation programs into a typical classroom setup to improve learning of languages and mathematical skills. This method further ensures that any discriminative actions are eliminated and the students participate in the process on equal terms (Michailakis 38). The mixed classroom environment creates a spirit of competition in learning that leads to the development of higher expectations. Likewise, with the well-designed instructional program, students with disability are able to acquire academic skills. Besides, inclusive class creates a similar environment for all students that create teamwork among students that enable the gifted, weak and disabled students to learn together and support one another. Group work establishes unity among students that enables them to work together towards actualizing their potentials. This setting creates a conducive learning environment where the students are willing to participate in discussions and activities (Priya 192). Fourthly, inclusive education befits normal students more than those with disability. According to Şenay and Sarı, inclusive education exposes students to challenges that their peers with disability face (1550). The experience enables them to understand, support, appreciate and accept diversity among students. They learn to interact with disabled students who possess divergent skills and abilities thereby assisting them to achieve academic success. The inclusive classroom also prepares students to encounter future life challenges in the society and find amicable solutions to their problems. Şenay and Hakan argue that education does impart not only academic skills to learners but also other life skills that form reasoning and shape opinions (1560). Concisely, education is what remains in an individual’s several years after completing the schooling process (Witzel and Ben 219). Moreover, inclusive education enhances parental participation in learning. Şenay and Hakan stated that parental involvement in education enables them to monitor the progress of their children, identify behavioral changes, potentials, achievements and limits (1560). In addition, parents learn to appreciate diversity and provide infrastructural, financial and moral support to their children with special needs. The role of parents in the development of a child is instrumental in determining the kind of personality that their children develop. A supportive and a caring attitude inculcate good morals and habits in children (Malakar and Polee 64). Parents are the immediate role models for their children and need to monitor their progress carefully in order to encourage learning and reinforce positive behavior. Nonetheless, achieving full inclusion of children with disability in education is characterized by some challenges as discussed below. Challenges of Inclusive Education Despite the significant benefits that inclusive education presents to learners with special needs, some problems limit its application. According to Malakar and Polee, the construction of the educational infrastructure requires additional financial resources that may not be available (65). Inadequate funding by the government has restricted the construction of adequate learning facilities and support infrastructure. For instance, physically disabled students are not able to use stairways making mobility within educational institutions challenging. Besides, the classrooms are not adequate to support the increasing number of students. Malakar and Polee note that the global population is rapidly increasing while the capacity of educational institutes’ remains limited (68). The limited capacity of learning centers locks some needy students outside the system thereby breaching the fundamental rights of all children to quality education. Furthermore, collaborative team teaching (CTT) requires additional human resource to sustain the program. Inadequate resources limit hiring additional teachers to support the program. On the other hand, the increasing number of students creates pressure on the available human resource to serve all the diverse needs of the students. In the process of adjusting to the increasing demand for education and limited human resources to provide the services, quality of education and extent of learner participation in the classroom is compromised thereby reducing the effectiveness of the program. Inadequate teacher preparation due to many classes may lead to teacher ineffectiveness in class as well as exhaustion. In addition, inadequate resources and teacher assistants’ support lower a teacher’s confidence in facilitating learning among students in inclusive classrooms. Additionally, inadequate teacher training lowers self-esteem to facilitate learning inclusive classrooms. Regular education teachers find it difficult or challenging to teach students with disability. There exist a great concern on the practicability and effectiveness of teaching general classes. The presences of two teachers working simultaneously in an inclusive classroom may disrupt attention and lower their concentration. Şenay and Hakan noted that some teachers have negative belief and attitude towards inclusive education due to limited resources and professional competency (1566). Communication in general classes may be a challenge if required resources are not available. For instance, inadequacy of special education teachers may compromise learning of deaf, deaf-dumb, and blind students. However, it is important to note that the challenges facing inclusive education can be improved through the following measures. Ways to Improve Inclusive Education Inclusive education plays a pivotal role in transforming society by empowering disabled children. Education is a fundamental right of all students in spite of their differences. To make inclusive education successful, the following measures are necessary. The government should guarantee sufficient training of educators and provision of resources that support children with diverse needs. Ensure proper funding of early childhood education for full implementation of inclusive activities. Sensitise parents on the need for inclusive education for the development of their children. Educate the public on the importance of parental involvement in the education of their children. Encourage collaborative responsibility in ensuring the effectiveness of inclusive education that benefits both gifted and non-gifted students. The government should constitute indiscriminate legislations that support inclusion at all sectors of the economy not only in schools but also in government appointments. Conclusion Inclusive education is essential in supporting learning among students with special needs. This paper has investigated the principles of inclusive education, its benefits, challenges, and ways through which it can be improved. Inclusive education plays a significant role in shaping the lives of students with disability and the perception that other students have about disabled peers. The paper has established that inclusive education is significant towards creating an inclusive society. Collaborative and integrated teaching is primary requirements for the success of this type of educational model. However, there is a need for further research on the sustainability of inclusive education institutions with the increasing number of admissions. Therefore, inclusive education provides a basis for realizing their opportunities by students of different shades of needs and offers solutions to the different issues preventing them from achieving their goals.

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Works Cited

"Convention On The Rights Of Persons With Disabilities And Optional Protocol." UN.org. N.p., 2017. Web. 28 Nov. 2017.

Best, Rachel Kahn et al. "Multiple Disadvantages: An Empirical Test Of Intersectionality Theory In EEO Litigation." Law & Society Review 45.4 (2011): 991-1025. Web

Maher, Marguerite. "Making Inclusive Education Happen: The Impact Of Initial Teacher Education In Remote Aboriginal Communities." International Journal of Inclusive Education 17.8 (2013): 839-853. Web.

Malakar, Nirmali and Polee Saikia. "Influence of Parental Attitude Towards Inclusive Education for CWSN : A Study in Barpeta District, Assam, India." Clarion: International Multidisciplinary Journal, vol. 6, no. 1, Feb. 2017, pp. 64-68.

Michailakis, Dimitris. "Ability, Inability, Disability, and Antidiscrimination Law." Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research 2.2 (2000): 32-62. Web.

Sacks, Lia Hannah and Santoshi Haider. "Challenges in Implementation of Individualized Educational Plan (Ieps): Perspectives from India and the United States of America." Indian Journal of Health & Wellbeing, vol. 8, no. 9, Sept. 2017, pp. 958-965. 

Salend, Spencer J. "Explaining Your Inclusion Program To Families." Teaching Exceptional Children 38.4 (2006): 6-11. Web. Sandhu, Ramesh. "A Study of Attitude of Secondary Schools Teachers toward Inclusive Education." Indian Journal of Health & Wellbeing, vol. 8, no. 6, June 2017, pp. 422-426

Şenay İlik, Ş. and Hakan Sarı. "The Training Program for Individualized Education Programs (Ieps): Its Effect on How Inclusive Education Teachers Perceive Their Competencies in Devising Ieps." Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, vol. 17, no. 5, Oct. 2017, pp. 1547-1572.

Priya, Sree. "Challenges And Benefits Of Inclusive Education." Bonfring International Journal of Industrial Engineering and Management Science 6.4 (2016): 191-193. Web.

Witzel, Bradley and Ben Clarke. "Focus on Inclusive Education: Benefits of Using a Multi-Tiered System of Supports to Improve Inclusive Practices." Childhood Education, vol. 91, no. 3, May/Jun2015, pp. 215-219.

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Home — Essay Samples — Education — Special Education — Inclusion of Special Education Students in Classroom: an Overview

Inclusion of Special Education Students in Classroom: an Overview

• Categories: Special Education Students With Disabilities

About this sample

Words: 1643 |

Published: Aug 14, 2023

Words: 1643 | Pages: 4 | 9 min read

Table of contents

Introduction, inclusion of special education students .

• Free and appropriate public education
• Appropriate education
• Development of an individualized education program (IEP)
• Education provided in the least restrictive environment (L.R.E.)
• Parent participation in decision making
• Procedural safeguards to protect the rights of parents and their child with a disability.
• General education classroom placement with few or no supportive services.
• General education classroom placement with collaborative teacher assistance.
• General education classroom placement with specialist assistance.
• General education classroom placement with resource room placement.
• Special education classroom with part-time in a general education classroom.
• A full-time special education classroom.
• Homebound instruction.
• Hospital or institution.
• getting acquainted
• exploration
• ollaboration 
• Salend, S. J. (2005). Creating Inclusive Classrooms: Effective and Reflective Practices. Pearson.
• Turnbull, A., Turnbull, H. R., Shank, M., & Smith, S. J. (2004). Exceptional Lives: Special Education in Today's Schools. Prentice Hall.
• Martin, N. A., & Huber, M. (2016). Inclusion: Making Room for Grace. Wipf and Stock Publishers.
• Friend, M., & Bursuck, W. D. (2018). Including Students with Special Needs: A Practical Guide for Classroom Teachers. Pearson.
• Hanson, M. J., & Lynch, E. W. (2013). Understanding families: Applying family systems theory to early childhood practice. Young Exceptional Children, 16(1), 3-13.
• Giangreco, M. F., & Doyle, M. B. (2002). Quick fixes and powerful miracles: Labels, inclusion, and special education. Phi Delta Kappan, 84(3), 228-238.
• Hardiman, R., McDonnell, J., & Welch, M. (2016). Classroom integration of special education students: A pedagogical analysis. The Journal of Special Education, 9(3), 277-291.
• United States Department of Education. (n.d.). Individualized Education Program (IEP). [Online] Available at: https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/a/300.320
• Salend, S. J. (2001). Creating Inclusive Classrooms: Effective and Reflective Practices for All Students. ERIC.

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Teaching Connections

Advancing discussions about teaching, who’s afraid of academic writing a reflective essay on dispelling anxiety and fear in an academic writing course.

WONG Jock Onn Centre for English Language Communication (CELC)

Jock Onn considers how educators can apply an ethics of care in their teaching, as he takes us through survey findings on students’ perspectives towards academic writing, particularly the emotions they associate with this activity and the challenges they face.

Photo by Brooke Cagle on Unsplash

I had previously spent many semesters in my teaching practice developing methods that I thought would help students excel in academic writing. It did not matter to me at the time that student feedback told me that my coursework was demanding; I took it to mean that I was on the right track (Wong, 2023a). It was only in recent years that I realised the need to show more care in my teaching (Wong, 2023b). Last year, amazingly, for the first time, the word ‘care’ appeared in my student feedback. A student wrote, “Dr Wong displays care for his students…” Realising the importance of care, I decided to find out why students need care and conducted a simple Google survey (entitled “Attitudes Towards Academic Writing”) last semester with my three classes. I asked them to make known the emotions they associate with academic writing, write qualitative comments on their answers, and tell me what challenges they face. I received 41 responses, and the survey yielded some tentative but interesting findings.

The survey asked, “Which of the following emotions do you associate with academic writing?” As shown in Table 1, over 50% of the students associated academic writing with fear and anxiety. Slightly over a quarter associated it with a rather positive feeling (26.8%) and only a very small percentage (4.9%) associated it with something very positive. The fact that over half of the respondents associated academic writing with fear (53.7%) and anxiety (63.4%) was a surprise to me. Fortunately, less than 10% hated academic writing.

Students also gave qualitative comments on why they experienced fear and anxiety in academic writing. Some indicated that they had insufficient linguistic knowledge, including the vocabulary and skills to write academically. A few even claimed that they did not know what academic writing entails. Other respondents indicated a lack of confidence. For example, a student wrote that knowing that their work is being graded caused anxiety. Several students attributed their anxiety to uncertainty and a lack of confidence in academic writing. In some cases, fear or anxiety was a result of bad experiences in junior college (JC). A student recounted their JC experience, when they had to produce an essay in three hours, causing their brain and hand to hurt.

The survey further asked respondents to tick the problems they face in academic writing from a list. Table 2 shows that the top three problems students face in academic writing have to do with not knowing what constitutes academic writing, not having enough ideas, and sentence cohesion . More than half of the students said that they did not know how to write academically (58.5%) and did not have enough ideas for writing (51.2%). Also, over 30% of respondents had problems with the introduction (‘don’t know how to start’) (36.6%), and grammar (34.1%).

Table 2 Problems that students face (in decreasing order of importance)

Anxiety is said to be “one of the critical individual affective factors in the process of learning a second language or a foreign language” (He et al., 2021, p. 1). Presumably, the same could be said of the process of learning academic writing. Anxiety, as studies suggest, is linked to “avoidance of the feared situation and loss of motivation to perform”, which could adversely affect retention (England et al., 2017, p. 2/17). Student anxiety and fear can ultimately affect language performance (Soriano & Co, 2022, p. 450). Thus, dispelling anxiety and fear among students is a pedagogic imperative.   

To dispel anxiety and fear, one would benefit from understanding what they mean. I believe most of us do. However, two co-authors offer an interesting perspective. According to Kastrup and Mallow (2016), fear “deals with things of which there is good reason to be afraid”, whereas anxiety means “being scared of something that is not intrinsically fearful” (pp. 3-1). Although Kastrup and Mallow (2016) speak in the context of science, their definitions seem to make general sense. As educators, we recognise that while some student concerns are practical in nature (e.g., they do not know the rules), others seem to be psychological. The solution to practical concerns could be addressed in a more straightforward fashion by using sound teaching methods; however, psychological barriers may require a different approach.

My proposed way of addressing the psychological challenge is to replace the bad experiences with pleasant ones. As Cook (2021) puts it, teachers “must provide instructor presence by providing a positive education experience for students” and give them “a sense of belonging” (p. 136). The teacher can achieve this by creating a positive learning experience through an ethic of care (Noddings, 2012). The teacher can display “empathic concern” (Patel, 2023) by acknowledging student perspectives in class, using inclusive languages, encouraging open communication, and accommodating student needs (p. 64). The teacher can create “a safe learning environment” by establishing “rules of engagement” and encouraging students to “explain their answers” in class without labelling the answers as “wrong” or “incorrect” (Teo, 2023, p. 79). After all, “harsh criticisms” can impede learning (Soriano & Co, 2022, p. 452), whereas positive feedback can alleviate anxiety (He et al., 2021). A student recently gave feedback that I often asked them whether they understood what I had taught, and this suggests that checking for understanding regularly is reassuring. To this end, the teacher could use ungraded quizzes, which do not cause student anxiety (England et al., 2017). There are many other things a teacher could do in this vein to help address such psychological learning barriers (Harvard Medical School, 2017; Abigail, 2019).

To maximise student learning, the teacher plays a big role, a role much bigger than I had previously thought—the teacher has a responsibility to dispel fear and anxiety among students. I agree with Kastrup and Mallow (2016) that it is the teachers “who most affect the anxiety (or lack thereof) of the students” (pp. 3-12). I would now say that what makes an excellent teacher is not just the use of time-tested teaching methods but also a capacity to care (Wong, 2023b). Thus, for me, the obvious way forward is to ‘integrate care in higher education’ by ‘teaching with heart’ (Holles, 2023, p. 18).

Abigail, H. (2019, March 5). Tips to beat back writing anxiety . Retrieved from IUPUI University Writing Center Blog: https://liberalarts.iupui.edu/programs/uwc/tips-to-beat-back-writing-anxiety/

Cook, M. (2021). Students’ perceptions of interactions from instructor presence, cognitive presence, and social presence in online lessons. International Journal of TESOL Studies (Special Issue “ELT in the Time of the Coronavirus 2020”, Part 3), 3 (1), 134-161. https://doi.org/10.46451/ijts.2021.03.03

England, B. J., Brigati, J. R., & Schussler, E. E. (2017, August 3). Student anxiety in introductory biology classrooms: Perceptions about active learning and persistence in the major. PLoS One, 12 (8), e0182506. http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0182506

Harvard Medical School. (2017, October 13). Write your anxieties away . Retrieved from Harvard Health Blog: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/write-your-anxieties-away-2017101312551

He, X., Zhou, D., & Zhang, X. (2021, July-September). An empirical study on Chinese University students’ English Language classroom anxiety with the idiodynamic approach. Sage Open, 11 (3), 1-14. https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440211037676

Holles, C. (2023). Faculty-student interaction and well-being: The call for care. International Journal of TESOL Studies, 5 (3), 7-20. https://doi.org/10.58304/ijts.20230302

Kastrup, H., & Mallow, J. V. (2016). Student Attitudes, Student Anxieties, and How to Address Them: A Handbook for Science Teachers. Morgan & Claypool Publishers. https://dx.doi.org/10.1088/978-1-6817-4265-6

Noddings, N. (2012). The caring relation in teaching. Oxford Review of Education, 38 (6), 771-81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03054985.2012.745047

Patel, S. N. (2023). Empathetic and dialogic interactions: Modelling intellectual Empathy and communicating care. International Journal of TESOL Studies, 3 , 51-70. https://doi.org/10.58304/ijts.20230305

Soriano, R. M., & Co, A. G. (2022, March). Voices from within: Students’ lived experiences on English language anxiety. International Journal of Evaluation and Research in Education, 11 (1), 449-58. http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/ijere.v11i1.21898

Teo, C. (2023). Beyond academic grades: Reflections on my care for university students’ holistic development in Singapore. International Journal of TESOL Studies, 5 (3), 71-83. https://doi.org/10.58304/ijts.20230306

Wong, J. (2023a, March 29). When angels fall: The plight of an ambitious educator. Teaching Connections: Advancing Discussions about Teaching . Retrieved from https://blog.nus.edu.sg/teachingconnections/2023/03/29/when-angels-fall-the-plight-of-an-ambitious-educator/

Wong, J. (2023b). What completes an excellent teacher? Care in higher education English language teaching. International Journal of TESOL Studies2, 5 (3), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.58304/ijts.20230301

Barriers and Facilitators to Inclusive Education Essay

Statement of problem, front matter.

The research study selected for the review in this paper is “Barriers and Facilitators to Inclusive Education” written by Jayne Pivik, Joan McComas, and Marc Laflamme. The authors of this article represent a group of reputable professionals working in the areas of Psychology, Physiotherapy for people with disabilities, and education; they are highly educated and experienced in their professional spheres due to an ongoing practice.

The study was published in 2002 in Exceptional Children, the peer-reviewed journal that is also known to serve as the official periodical for the Council for Exceptional Children, as well as a renowned member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The journal is focused on publishing original research concerning the issues and development and education of children at various stages of life.

The purpose of the study under review was to explore the level of inclusion that is currently present in the schools. The researchers specified that over two decades have passed since the educational reform that brought the attention of educators to the problem of inclusion and the need to adjust educational facilities to the needs of learners with disabilities. As a result, it made sense to research and overview the kind of progress that has been made since the initiation of the reform in order to identify which aspects of the issue were addressed and which challenges still persist.

The focus of the study was the current state of inclusive education and the level of progress that has been made over the years in this field. In particular, the researcher outlined their research question as an exploration of the extent to which the present special education efforts match the needs of students with disabilities and meet the expected standards of inclusion at schools and the understanding of what this phenomenon is anticipated to represent in terms of the professional participation and the preparedness of the educational facilities (Pivik, Mccomas, & Laflamme, 2002).

The research hypothesis of this study was not separately explained by the authors. However, based on the topic of the article, as well as the major research question, it is possible to summarize the hypothesis as the researchers’ expectoration that certain barriers to inclusive education existed in the modern schools and were faced by students with disabilities of all age groups on a daily basis.

Audience and Importance

The target audience of this study includes educators (both theorists and practitioners) who work with diverse classrooms and work at inclusive schools. It also could be useful for the other researchers focusing on inclusive education, as well as the parents and students’ advocates willing to make change in this area.

The topic of this study is highly important as in the contemporary society the issues of inclusion and diversity are some of the most frequently discussed subjects. The modern Western education prides itself in the high level of diversity in its institutions and in making learning available to every child; as a result, it is critical to explore and address the problems preventing inclusion that may still persist.

Overall, the study is well-written and rather comprehensive, the procedure and findings were explained clearly; the discussion at the end of the study set several interesting points and emphasized the required course for the future actions that would help to find solutions to the identified problems.

Literature Review

Introduction.

In the introduction to this study, the authors presented a strong and detailed background to the researched problem supported by multiple references to the findings and visions of the world-renowned organizations such as WHO and the United Nations, the official documents and legislations such as CELDIC report of 1970 and the IDEA Act dedicated to the education of the individuals with disabilities.

Moreover, the authors referenced a variety of research studies published within 5 years of the time when the article under review was published. The themes covered in the introduction to this study included the definition of people with disabilities, the concept of barriers to inclusive education, the common attitudes toward the provision of education to such individuals and the problems they typically face, the solutions implemented in the past in order to address the existing problems, and the challenges educators and institutions have to handle when working with people with disabilities integrated into the average learning environments.

Qualitative Study

Method and participants.

The researchers purposely sampled two focus groups of participants comprised of students with disabilities attending the inclusive schools. The participants were grouped according to their age and gender; there were three groups in total – the first group included children aged 9 to 13 of both sexes, the second group had only male students of 14 to 16 years, and the third group was comprised of 4 female students of 9 to 14 years and one male of 14 years (Pivik et al., 2002). All of the children were affected either by cerebral palsy or spina bifida.

The three focus groups were gathered for 1.5-hour sessions during which they were asked questions about the challenges faced in the school environments and invited to brainstorm the potential solutions to those problems. It is possible to describe this data collection method as the interview.

During the meetings, each of the focus groups identified a set of challenges experienced in their school life. The sets of problems named by each group were similar. The major problem recognized by all of the students was based on the challenge of getting to school and moving around in the building due to the hallways and passageways inappropriate for the people in wheelchairs and with limited mobility (Pivik et al., 2002).

Another set of barriers named by the children involved intentional and unintentional attitudinal barriers that resulted in isolation and alienation of the children expressed in mocking and bullying, as well as the general lack of knowledge of communication with people with disabilities among their teachers and peers. Finally, physical barriers were identified as one more serious problem. They represented the students’ need for assistance or specialized learning materials and tools (Pivik et al., 2002).

Limitations

The primary limitation of this study is its rather small sample that was comprised of only 15 students. The small size of the sample presents a significant limitation to the transferability and generalizability of the study results. In addition to the limited size of the sample, the student included in the study also had a very narrow range of disabilities – spina bifida and cerebral palsy. Practically, the participants only discussed the challenges faced dues to their mobility restrictions. In that way, the students with learning or cognitive disabilities and hearing or eyesight problems were not represented at all. As a result, it is possible to conclude that not all the potential barriers to inclusive education were identified over the course of this study.

Implications and Interpretations

Instead of a separate concluding section, the authors presented the discussion of their findings and an analysis of their potential implications. A thoughtful review of the results was provided with the emphasis to the needs of the students with disabilities, the limitations they face, and the disadvantages they experience due to the existing challenges.

The authors added that the disability awareness programs are required for the communities and educators to understand the problems of inclusion at schools and learn how to interact with the students with disabilities. Alongside with the awareness-raising efforts, physical modifications to the school environments need to be undertaken in order to alleviate the burden of the learners with disabilities attempting to navigate the inappropriate environments.

Back Matter

As for the supplemental materials and aids, the study under review did not include any charts, graphs, or tables. Its findings were summarized in the respective section. However, the inclusion of tables presenting the organized demographics of the participants, and their structured responses could improve the visual comprehensiveness of the results.

Overall Evaluation

Overall, the research study by Pivik et al. (2002) presented a focused research with clearly communicated findings and potential solutions. The article is written in an understandable manner and provides a solid basis explaining the rationale for the research and the previous findings and vision of the explored subject. The study could benefit from some visual aids such as tables and schemes representing the participants’’ demographic information and the responses given during the discussion sessions as to the barriers to the inclusive education and the potential solutions.

Case Study Paper

Introduction and problem statement.

In the middle of the 1990s, at an assembly attended by the representatives of 92 governments and 25 international organizations held in Salamanca, Spain, the authorities issued a statement acknowledging the need for inclusive education worldwide and recognizing it as a pressing issue in need for solutions (Miles, 2000). The Salamanca Statement maintained that the right to education was fundamental for every child on the planet, and thus the educators should work in agreement with the statement and achieve favorable inclusive conditions at schools matching all the special needs some groups of learners may have (Miles, 2000).

Over two decades had passed since the time when the Statement was released, and a lot of work was done in the field of inclusive education. However, regardless of all the efforts and attempts to boots inclusion, the average rate of it in the United States is still rather low; namely, it is about 37% collectively, meaning that some states have a much higher rate and the others – much lower (Heasley, 2014).

The aforementioned statistics indicates that there exist certain barriers to inclusive education in the USA that require fast and creative solutions.

Research Questions

Since there are barriers to inclusion at school in the USA, it would make sense to explore this problem deeper and establish the kinds of barriers to inclusive education that can occur. The quality, causes, and outcomes of such barriers also require exploration. In addition, due to the diversity and complexity of the problem of inclusion driven by the versatile nature of factors that could potentially trigger it, it could be useful to focus on barriers typical for a certain community. This approach would allow a more detailed and specific investigation of the kinds of problems with the inclusion that exist in a selected environment. For this purpose, the additional research questions of the proposed study will cover the barriers to inclusive education, as well as their impact on learners, in relation to a community of choice. The latter area preferred for the proposed research is the City of Chicago.

In that way, the following set of research questions will be used for the research:

What are the general barriers to inclusive education, their causes, and outcomes?

What are the specific barriers typical to the selected community.

• How do the existing barriers impact the current learners with disabilities in this community?

Review of the Literature

As pointed out by Pivik et al. (2002), there are two main types of barriers that can be faced by children with learning disabilities attending inclusive schools; they are attitudinal and physical barriers. The former type can be of international and unintentional nature and is often linked to underidentification that is the lack of literacy concerning disabilities among students, parents, and teachers (Pivik et al., 2002; Black, 2010). When it comes to physical barriers, they can also be characterized as structural obstacles – the organization of school environments, curricula, programs, and demands in a manner that isolates and limits learners with special needs (Powell, 2015).

In the community selected for the proposed research, that is Chicago, Illinois, there are many schools that made public their stories and experiences with tackling the issues of inclusion. For example, Chicago’s Audubon Elementary School reported having spent over seven years attempting to better their inclusive education practices; however, the institution still faces such challenges as the lack of specially trained educators to help solve behavioral issues and address the unique needs of learners with disabilities, as well as of strategies and tools for working with the included learners and supporting their development and communication with the community (Connolly, 2017).

Also, St. Matthias Catholic School reported focusing on inclusion but facing budgetary constraints, especially when it comes to the training programs for the educators to master working with special needs students; moreover, the school authorities mentioned that research is required for them to be able to learn more about the needs of the students who face severe limitations due to their disabilities (Klich, 2017).

How do the existing barriers impact learners?

According to the findings of Pivik et al. (2002) and Murphy (2015), the administrative, attitudinal, and physical barriers can limit children’s ability to attend classes, navigate the school buildings, communicate with their peers, become accepted as members of the school community, comprehend the delivered knowledge, and keep up with the rest of their classrooms.

The findings of several different authors recognize a set of main barriers to inclusive education – administrative, attitudinal, and physical. These barriers prevent learners with special needs from functioning successfully as members of their communities and as learners. The barriers tend to result in isolation of students with disabilities in an intentional or unintentional manner. In the area of Chicago, there are many inclusive schools that report facing such challenges as the lack of training for the teachers, and absence of professional consult when needed, funding limitations, and attitudinal problems driven by uneridentification.

Black, R. S. (2010). Underidentification and overidentification in special education. In F. E. Obiakor, J. P. Bakken, & A. F. Rotatori (Eds.), Current issues and trends in special education: Identification, assessment and instruction (pp. 35-50). Bingley, UK: Emerald Group Publishing.

Connolly, C. (2017). Inclusion – Is it working? Web.

Heasley, S. (2014). Report: Inclusion on rise in nation’s schools . Web.

Klich, S. (2017). An Inclusion revolution: A Chicago school’s journey . Web.

Miles, S. (2000). Enabling inclusive education: Challenges and dilemmas . Web.

Murphy, P. (2015). The biggest barriers to inclusive education . Web.

Pivik, J., Maccomas, J., & LaFlamme, M. (2002). Barriers and facilitators to inclusive education. Exceptional Children, 69 (1), 97-107.

Powell, J. J. (2015). Barriers to inclusion: Special education in the United States and Germany . London, UK: Routledge.

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IvyPanda. (2023, August 17). Barriers and Facilitators to Inclusive Education. https://ivypanda.com/essays/barriers-and-facilitators-to-inclusive-education/

"Barriers and Facilitators to Inclusive Education." IvyPanda , 17 Aug. 2023, ivypanda.com/essays/barriers-and-facilitators-to-inclusive-education/.

IvyPanda . (2023) 'Barriers and Facilitators to Inclusive Education'. 17 August.

IvyPanda . 2023. "Barriers and Facilitators to Inclusive Education." August 17, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/barriers-and-facilitators-to-inclusive-education/.

1. IvyPanda . "Barriers and Facilitators to Inclusive Education." August 17, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/barriers-and-facilitators-to-inclusive-education/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "Barriers and Facilitators to Inclusive Education." August 17, 2023. https://ivypanda.com/essays/barriers-and-facilitators-to-inclusive-education/.

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Texas Universities Shut Out Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Anilya krishnan.

The recent implementation of SB 17 mandates the closure of DEI offices in public Texas universities.

Many students at public Texas universities found that their “home away from home” on campus no longer existed upon returning to school this January.

Senate Bill (SB) 17, passed by the Texas state legislature in June 2023, compelled public universities in the state to shutter any offices related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) beginning this year. In addition, SB 17 mandates that DEI considerations cannot factor into hiring decisions made by these institutions.

Consequently, the beginning of the spring semester marked a newfound dearth of DEI resources that university students in Texas once relied upon for support within their institutions.

At the University of Texas at Austin, the resultant closure of the Multicultural Engagement Center (MEC) on January 1 prompted widespread student outcry from all corners of campus. Longstanding university traditions previously sponsored by the Center, such as Black Graduation and Latinx Graduation, will no longer occur .

The MEC formerly provided a community space and financial support for student affinity groups across campus—student organizations, which remain exempt from the law, must now account for a lack of institutional support and generate funding on their own.

In the wake of SB 17’s implementation, Texas state universities have terminated programs that provided academic, professional, and financial resources for undocumented students. Out of Texas’s 1.7 million undocumented population, roughly 255,000 are college-aged.

Most universities released guidance for SB 17 before its implementation, and some, such as Texas A&M University, disbanded DEI offices even before January 1. Some universities, however, have begun to pursue workarounds to protect DEI initiatives.

The University of Texas at Dallas, for example, replaced the school’s DEI office with an Office of Campus Resources and Support and reassigned DEI employees to this office, rather than terminating them. The university’s president, Richard Benson, stated that the principles behind DEI initiatives, such as mentoring and support, would “go under a different name.”

The state of Texas has maintained a majority non-white population for nearly 20 years. Despite these demographics, or, as some critics suggest , because of them, many lawmakers in the Texas legislature have voiced concerns about favoring race over merit.

Critics of SB 17 argue that the bill “creates a jarring disconnect, depriving students of invaluable resources and support systems that were essential in ensuring a conducive learning environment for all.” Furthermore, these critics express concerns that SB 17 promotes censorship of academic freedom by regulating interactions at public universities.

Conversely, proponents of the legislation maintain that SB 17 promotes free speech and redirects universities to focus on their primary goal of educating students instead of over-prioritizing diversity initiatives.

As debates about diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in schools rage on, some view SB 17 as a definitive step toward codifying Texas’s commitment to “ race-neutral ” policies at state-funded institutions.

SB 17 is just one of many state legislative efforts targeting DEI and the treatment of race within schools. Across the United States, legislators in 30 states have proposed similar bills, and eight of these proposals have passed so far. Most recently, the governor of Alabama recently signed a bill echoing SB 17 that eliminates DEI programs from publicly funded universities and government offices.

Due to its recent implementation, SB 17’s long-term consequences cannot yet be assessed. In the short term, many students with diverse identities feel forgotten or erased at school, as well as unfairly targeted by their state government.

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A Proclamation on Transgender Day of Visibility,   2024

On Transgender Day of Visibility, we honor the extraordinary courage and contributions of transgender Americans and reaffirm our Nation’s commitment to forming a more perfect Union — where all people are created equal and treated equally throughout their lives.  

I am proud that my Administration has stood for justice from the start, working to ensure that the LGBTQI+ community can live openly, in safety, with dignity and respect.  I am proud to have appointed transgender leaders to my Administration and to have ended the ban on transgender Americans serving openly in our military.  I am proud to have signed historic Executive Orders that strengthen civil rights protections in housing, employment, health care, education, the justice system, and more.  I am proud to have signed the Respect for Marriage Act into law, ensuring that every American can marry the person they love. 

Transgender Americans are part of the fabric of our Nation.  Whether serving their communities or in the military, raising families or running businesses, they help America thrive.  They deserve, and are entitled to, the same rights and freedoms as every other American, including the most fundamental freedom to be their true selves.  But extremists are proposing hundreds of hateful laws that target and terrify transgender kids and their families — silencing teachers; banning books; and even threatening parents, doctors, and nurses with prison for helping parents get care for their children.  These bills attack our most basic American values:  the freedom to be yourself, the freedom to make your own health care decisions, and even the right to raise your own child.  It is no surprise that the bullying and discrimination that transgender Americans face is worsening our Nation’s mental health crisis, leading half of transgender youth to consider suicide in the past year.  At the same time, an epidemic of violence against transgender women and girls, especially women and girls of color, continues to take too many lives.  Let me be clear:  All of these attacks are un-American and must end.  No one should have to be brave just to be themselves.  

At the same time, my Administration is working to stop the bullying and harassment of transgender children and their families.  The Department of Justice has taken action to push back against extreme and un-American State laws targeting transgender youth and their families and the Department of Justice is partnering with law enforcement and community groups to combat hate and violence.  My Administration is also providing dedicated emergency mental health support through our nationwide suicide and crisis lifeline — any LGBTQI+ young person in need can call “988” and press “3” to speak with a counselor trained to support them.  We are making public services more accessible for transgender Americans, including with more inclusive passports and easier access to Social Security benefits.  There is much more to do.  I continue to call on the Congress to pass the Equality Act, to codify civil rights protections for all LGBTQI+ Americans.

Today, we send a message to all transgender Americans:  You are loved.  You are heard.  You are understood.  You belong.  You are America, and my entire Administration and I have your back.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim March 31, 2024, as Transgender Day of Visibility.  I call upon all Americans to join us in lifting up the lives and voices of transgender people throughout our Nation and to work toward eliminating violence and discrimination based on gender identity.

     IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this twenty-ninth day of March, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-eighth.

                             JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR.

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