Inclusive Education: Essay

Students with disabilities, under various international and national standards, have a

right to an education. Over the years, this ‘right’ to education has been understood and

applied in various ways. These include: segregation, integration and more recently, inclusion.

Inclusive education has gained more popularity, and its effectiveness for students with

disabilities and those without disabilities has been supported by various research studies. It

involves the “full participation of students of all students in all aspects of schooling”

(Loreman, Deppeler & Harvey, 2011, p. 2). International and national governments and

societies now argue for inclusive education and advocate for using this approach in all

schools. The following essay will discuss how inclusive approaches can be adopted for a

classroom with students of special needs, especially those with ASD. It will first overview the

legislation and standards that place a grounding for adopting inclusive education in schools. It

will then identify the skills and strategies that teachers will need to have to promote an

inclusive environment.

Perspectives on education and the inclusion of students with disabilities have varied

over the years. Prior to the understanding of inclusive education, there was a wide spread

notion of integration (Loreman, Deppeler & Harvey, 2011). Within integration programs,

students with disabilities were required to undergo changes in order to fit the image of a

‘normal’ student. On the other hand, inclusive education advocates for school and

environmental changes to meet the needs of the students (Loreman, Deppeler & Harvey,

2011). Educators and school staff must adopt an inclusive perspective for the successful

inclusion of all students. Instead of regarding the problem inherently present in the individual

student (as the medical model represents), the educators should shift their focus to asking

“what can I do and how can I meet the needs of all my students?” (Loreman, Deppeler &

Harvey, 2011, p. 5; People with Disability Australia, n.d.). The shift towards inclusive
education has pushed for the need for international and national societies and governments to

provide foundations to inclusive practices and how these can be implemented.

The United Nations’ (2006) Conventions on the Rights of People with a Disability

(CRPD) outlines the responsibility of states to ensure an ‘inclusive education’ (p. 16). This is

fulfilled by including students with a disability in the general education system on an ‘equal

basis’ as other students and creating access to support and relevant adjustments. The

Salamanca Statement further outlines action steps to be taken for ensuring inclusive

education is adopted in nation states. Various school factors are identified in the statement

including curriculum flexibility, which identifies the need for differentiation, providing

additional support, assistive technology and high expectations (UNESCO & Ministry of

Education and Science Spain, 1994). These documents set a foundation for nation states to

develop legislation and standards for the development of inclusive education systems.

In Australia, a variety of documents outline the importance of inclusive education and

the measures required for schools to adopt an inclusive approach. The Disability

Discrimination Act 1999 sets the foundation for the rights of people with a disability to

access education as all students do (Department of Education and Training, 2015). The

Disability Standards for Education 2005, was developed as a more detailed document that

outlines how the right of students with a disability to education will be met by education

providers (Commonwealth of Australia, 2006). Some of the main content areas of the

standards include: Making reasonable adjustments, participation, curriculum development

and delivery, and support services. For teachers specifically, the Australian Institute for

Teaching and School Leadership [AITSL] (2011) Professional Standards for Teachers outline

in standards 1.5 and 1.6 the requirement for teachers to include students with disabilities, and

to differentiate their teaching strategies to meet the needs of students. Hence, legislation is
present at various levels, to promote and support inclusive practices. Teachers and education

providers should use these documents to inform their school and classroom practices.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2017b), most children

with disabilities attended school in 2015. Most children attended mainstream schools, whilst

some attended special schools/classes. Types of disabilities range from sensory and speech,

intellectual, physical restrictions, psychological and injuries (Australian Bureau of Statistics,

2009). Autism is one of the most widespread disabilities facing Australian students.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare [AIHW] (2017a), “an estimated

83, 700 children and young people with autism and disability, [were]… attending school”

(para 4). Most students with autism (85%) face difficulty at schools which are not limited to

areas of social life, learning difficulties and communication difficulties (AIHW, 2017a).

Therefore, it is crucial for teachers and schools to adopt practices which can minimise these

difficulties that students with autism and other disabilities are facing in the school

environment. It is evident that teachers are faced with a high level of diversity in their

classrooms. Teachers are often challenged to adopt various strategies in their classrooms to

meet the needs of all their students (Loreman, Deppeler & Harvey, 2011).

One of the key teaching strategies encouraged for teacher use in classroom with

students of different needs and abilities, is differentiation. Differentiation is “related to

understanding individual differences and devising institutional strategies to cater for students’

needs” (p. 8). Differentiation involves adapting the curriculum, in areas of content, process

and product. The QLD Department of Education Training and Employment (2016) outlines

various differentiation strategies that can assist students with ASD in the classroom as well as

other students. In terms of content differentiation, the use of visuals, topics of interest and

explicit teaching is beneficial. For process differentiation, teacher can change the pace of

work, using learning supports such as materials and adjustments. Finally, for product
differentiation, the teacher can scaffold assessments, use alternative forms of representation

and ICT. Although these strategies have been outlined for students with ASD, there exists a

plethora of differentiation strategies that cater for the needs of many students, and many

overlap. For example, providing a choice for student representation is similarly beneficial for

students who are gifted and talented (NSW Department of Education, 2004), as well as

students who have disabilities that affect their sight/hearing e.g. instead of a visual

representation, students with visual disabilities can choose to have an oral presentation.

According to Loreman (2007), from the key principles of inclusive practices include the

providence of “multiple representations of content” (p. 29). Differentiating may however,

have limitations, as, if the teacher singles out the student with a disability in the classroom

and this becomes obvious to other students, it may cause frustration for the student and others

(Loreman, 2007). However, it can serve to provide different avenues for the student to access

and engage with the content without altering the curriculum or outcomes for the student. The

teacher must be aware of the needs of their students and the complexities of the classroom

environment to apply the required differentiation strategies.

Another growing strategy for the development of an inclusive environment is the

Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework. The UDL is based on three principles

which are to provide multiple means of: representation, action and expression and

engagement (National Centre on Universal Design for Learning, 2011). These principles for

curriculum development provide flexibility for teachers to address all student needs. In

traditional classrooms, there are no opportunities for multiple means of representation, action

or engagement and these hinder and place barriers to students with ASD and other learning

needs. With the UDL framework, teachers address all possible barriers to student learning

before the task is set, and what areas must be adjusted to cater for student’s needs. This

involves three steps: Understanding the instructional goal, evaluating the demands in the
current curriculum and addressing learner variability (Domings, Crevecoeur and Ralabate,

2014). For students with Autism, UDL can assist teachers to develop various strategies that

can help students develop essential skills. For example, Domings, Crevecoeur and Ralabate

(2014) make a comparison of learning to use appropriate voice volume in the traditional

manner and the UDL approach. Appropriate voice volume is generally taught implicitly,

however, using the UDL approach teachers can identify the demands required for learning the

concept, the barriers that students may face to achieve it and what aspects they should

consider from the UDL framework that can assist students learning. In this article by

Domings, Crevecoeur and Ralabate (2014), one method which used the UDL approach

provided a visual scale as a means of representation which can assist students with Autism

and other learning needs with understanding the appropriate voice volumes. The UDL

approach hence addresses the needs of a diverse classroom and assists teachers by providing

a framework for guidance.

In addition to strategies that teachers can adopt in their classroom, it is crucial for

teachers to interact and seek support from parents and School Learning Support Officers

(SLSO). An SLSO can be a significant form of assistance for the teacher and the students in

the classroom, as they have skills and competencies that enable them to perform their role.

The teacher should collaborate with the SLSO by: communicating with them the needs of the

students, establish routines, organisation and goals and review progress (Agzarian, 2012).

Interacting with the SLSO and Learning Support Team in the school can also allow the

greater understanding of the teacher of the students’ needs and the possible need for assistive

technology and other resources (Agzarian, 2012). The SLSO can be a great resource to all

students in the classroom not only the student identified with special needs (Agzarian, 2012).

This can assist in creating a more positive classroom environment where the student with

special needs does not feel singled out. Furthermore, parents are quite knowledge about their
children and their needs, so it is important for teachers to remain in contact with parents and

consult them about any changes or requirements for their child. One of the key aspects of the

success of inclusive schools is collaboration with parents (Loreman, Deppeler & Harvey,

2011).

In addition to the above practices and strategies discussed above, it is important to

note that inclusive education must be supported by positive perceptions and attitudes by the

teachers and staff involved. Research studies indicate that teacher and school attitudes and

knowledge towards inclusivity affect the success of inclusive practices highlighting the

importance of developing an understanding of inclusivity and its importance in pre-service

teachers (Kuyini & Desai, 2007). Furthermore, Loreman, Deppeler & Harvey (2015), indicate

the importance of having a ‘rationale’ for the successful implementation of inclusive

practices. This ‘rationale’ involves all staff understanding the benefits of inclusive education,

hence having a positive attitude towards inclusion (Loreman, Deppeler & Harvey, 2015). It is

also indicated in research practices how teacher attitudes affect students in general, and the

need for high expectations to foster a positive learning environment, this has also been

indicated in the UDL framework (Centre for Education Statistics and Evaluation, n.d.;

National Centre on Universal Design for Learning, 2011).

In conclusion, inclusive education has gained greater prominence and attention in

recent years and there has been a great push towards inclusive practices. Teachers and

schools should be knowledgeable of the research on inclusive strategies and approaches

which can help support their students with diverse abilities including students with ASD.

Implementing inclusive strategies is challenging, however with appropriate support and a

positive culture of inclusivity adopting such practices will be fruitful for all members of

society.
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