The Salamanca Statement (UNESCO, 1994) says:
Regular schools with this inclusive orientation are the most effective means of combating discriminatory attitudes, creating welcoming communities, building inclusive society and achieving education for all; moreover, they provide an effective education to the majority of children and improve the efficiency and ultimately the cost effectiveness of the entire education system.
(Quote from the Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education at: http://inclusion.uwe.ac.uk/csie/slmca/htm)
Discuss the Salamanca Statement; what are the implications for society, schools and individual pupils?
The Salamanca Statement (1994) could be seen as one of the most influential policy documents on inclusion. As a
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The idea of inclusion should be one of balance every time with the needs of the individuals as a central point because:
“Individuals need to develop characteristics that will enable them to respond to the opportunities inherent in inclusion”. (O’Brien 2001 p.30)
Additionally it should not be taken for granted that all children will automatically be able to survive in inclusive environments once they are created.
“Changes in individual human behaviour cannot be assured by the prescription and engineering inherent in imposed policy changes”. (O’Brien 2001 p.30)
The impact of inclusion on individuals cannot be planned out in advance and would continue to need careful consideration at all times. Inclusion is not an overnight process, to achieve “education for all” mainstream schools have to provide equal opportunities for all children regardless of what their need may be. This is achievable by providing them access to the curriculum and encouraging full participation in school life. This would then lead to developing a community that would include clear policies, provisions and values for all.
In creating a welcoming community and building an inclusive society education should be able to provide access for all. Providing clear policies, to all members of the community should enable them to ascertain what provisions are available to them.
Regular schools that adopt the inclusive policy should
Inclusion is making sure everyone has an equal opportunity to participate. It is a process that involves identifying, understanding
Gov.uk (2001) states inclusion is about recognising that every child, irrespective of their background or situation are individuals, and they have the right to access a curriculum that is planned to meet their different requirements. It can be their personal, social, emotional and academic development that may be affected if the work they are given is not differentiated for their individual needs. The Equality Act
As a teacher when delivering any lessons planned we have to make sure that each students individual needs are met, so they will feel included in the lesson. “Inclusion is about creating interesting, varied and inspiring learning opportunities for all learners, ensuring all learners contribute and are never disadvantaged by methods, language or resources” Wilson (2008).
With inclusion and empowerment comes the responsibility and consequences of taking part in society in a socially acceptable way. This is laid out in
An inclusive school culture is essential for the wellbeing of all students including those with a disability.
Describe what is meant by the term ‘inclusion’ and how this is implemented in schools. (3.1, 3.3)
In conclusion, schools who promote equality and inclusion through participation and a value of cultural diversity are encouraging children to have respect for others and not to discriminate and promotes independence for the children. Children's rights to equal access has to be supported by quality teaching, school policies and procedures. Children's rights are protected by the law but if the schools follow the laws and provide the vital information through learning, children are more likely to respect others and appreciate their responsibilities to
The notion of inclusion is progressively being accepted as a vital method of learning in our growing school systems. I believe that every student, those with and without exceptionalities, have the right to be included in a general education classroom. Students with learning, social and behavioral exceptionalities or varied abilities deserve the right to be provided with the same opportunities as any other students in the regular general education classroom. The information that I have acquired through my own experiences (in my observations and my classes) have molded my goals as a future teacher. I believe that teaching and education are fundamental in getting students to grow, learn, and flourish;
We also need to ensure that every child has opportunities to develop and thrive, which are as good as those experienced by others. We can provide activities
Children’s right to have access to equality of opportunity ,promoting the positive aspects of diversity. And they have no place in setting for children . Setting should always aim for inclusion is the opposite of discrimination. `inclusion requires us to appreciate the barriers real or perceived to all children and families participating in and benefiting from what a setting has to offer on an equal footing. Working towards inclusion involves striving to ensure that such barriers are broken down. When we start to remove these barriers and make sure that all children and families can be ( and feel themselves to be) part of our settings, we are taking steps to open up equality of opportunity and promote positive attitudes to diversity. We offer each child opportunities to achieve and flourish which are as good as the opportunities experienced by other children and families has an opportunity to participate in a setting.
Creating an inclusive learning environment is an extremely important aspect of modern education, which, according to Gravells (2008: p18), ensures that “[…] all learners are entitled to be treated with respect and dignity. Everyone is an individual, with different experiences, abilities and needs.” She also offers a brief explanation of inclusivity (2008: p18), which is “[…] involving all learners in relevant activities rather than excluding them for any reason directly or indirectly.” Inclusion has also been defined by John Tomlinson (1996: p26) as “the greatest degree of match or fit between individual learning requirements and provision”. In the other words, inclusive learning environment nurtures individual potential of all learners,
Aside from providing children with academic benefits, it provides them with a better understanding and respect for diversity. Being in a setting with many different types of students with different needs and abilities provides students with a way to learn about differences and how they can help others. In the Success For All study, results showed that the children involved in the study had “a reduced fear of human differences accompanied by increased comfort and awareness.” (Stout, 2001) If children are separated in the school because of their developmental differences then they will never truly learn that it is okay to be a unique individual. The idea that it is acceptable to be different should become a common knowledge to our students. With that knowledge, our students can make the future a better place for everyone. It has been said that the goal of inclusion is to “create a world in which all people are knowledgeable about and supportive of all other people.” (Whitworth, 1999)
It is important here to clearly distinguish between the terms of integration and inclusion as they are often interchanged (Thompson, 2002). Ainscow (1995) suggests that integration is about making a limited number of additional arrangements for individual pupils with SEN in schools which themselves change little overall, reflecting Warnock’s report. On the other hand, inclusion implies the introduction of a set of changes through which schools restructure themselves so as to be able to embrace all children. Integration involves the school in a process of assimilation where the onus is on the assimilating individual (whether a pupil with SEN or a pupil with a different cultural and linguistic background) to make changes so that they can 'fit in'. By contrast inclusion involves the school in a process of accommodation where the onus is on the school to change, adapting curricula, methods, materials and procedures so that it becomes more responsive. The creation of an inclusive school system certainly appears to harbour numerous challenges including: changing of staff attitudes; restructuring of the physical
Towards this end, it crucial that the philosophical tenants of inclusion should be differentiated from persistent orthodoxies of the past, which so far have disguised and masked assumptions inimical to inclusion (Liasidou, 2012).
Inclusive education also recognises that learning occurs both at home and in the community and therefore the support of parents, family and the community is vital (Department of Education, 2001). Truly inclusive schools understand the uniqueness of every child, that all children can learn and that all children have different gifts, strengths learning styles and needs. These schools then provide the appropriate means and support through which these needs can be met (UNESO, 2003)