Advocacy for Inclusion, March 2007

“providing individual and systemic advocacy to improve life for

people who have a disability”
PO Box 3653 _ Weston Creek _ ACT 2611
Room 17 & 18, Building 3 _ Pearce Community Centre _ Collett Pl _ Pearce ACT 2607
Phone: 6286 9422 _ 6286 4489 _ Fax: 6286 9424
Email: info@advocacyforinclusion.org
Web: www.advocacyforinclusion.org

Position Paper

Inclusive Education
Introduction
Advocacy for Inclusion believes that children who have a disability should
have an inclusive education of their choosing in the same way that
choices are available to students in the broader community. We believe
that the ACT Department of Education, the ACT and Australian
Governments and the community should support children who have a
disability in making and realising their choices, and participating
meaningfully in their chosen school community.
School communities must be inclusive of all children, and openly
recognise the unique contributions that children who have a disability
make to community life. It is essential that an inclusive education be
supported to maintain and strengthen the personal relationships and
social networks of children who have a disability. Each child’s support
must be individualised and flexible, while remaining relevant to their
particular needs at the time.
What is Inclusive Education?
An inclusive education is achieved when the education environment of
children who have a disability cannot be distinguished from those of
others in the school community. The three key components of inclusion
are:
1. Physical inclusion…
• Simply being physically present – attending the local neighbourhood
school, playing in the same playgrounds, being in the same classrooms
and having access to specialist groupings such as art, computer, physical
education, at and for the same time as other children. It goes without
saying that if the child is not present, then clearly they cannot be
included.
2. Social inclusion…
• Nurturing positive social inclusion is far more complex than the physical
presence of a child in the classroom. One can be rejected and lonely even
in a crowded classroom.
The people who belong in a group are those who share the same
experiences as all the other members and any reduction in the amount of
shared time tends to place social inclusion at risk.
3. Curricular inclusion…
• Curricular inclusion requires the involvement of all children in the same
daily learning events and as such careful thought and preparation are
essential. It is increasingly being recognised that every child is special,
with individual skills and needs, and this has to be addressed by the
teacher. The child who has a disability highlights the relevance of this
issue for all children.1
For these three components to come together requires the cooperation of
students, parents and teachers, and the support of principals, school
communities and the Department of Education.

Education for Students who have a Disability in the ACT

“The department is committed to providing quality education for all
students regardless of individual differences to enable positive
educational outcomes for each student and will ensure the provision of a
range of services and settings to accommodate the wide range of
curriculum needs of students with disabilities”
ACT Department of Education School Policy -
Services To Students With Disabilities Policy and Mandatory Procedures
In the ACT at present there are three distinct forms of education provided
for students who have a disability. Students who have a disability can be
enrolled in one of the four special schools (two primary schools and two
secondary schools), they can enrol in a special education unit or centre
within a mainstream school or they can enrol full-time in a mainstream
school under the Inclusion Support Program. While enrolment is limited to
these options, in practice students may not spend all of their time in these
settings. Students from the special schools do interact with students in
mainstream schools, students in units may spend time working in
mainstream classes and students who have a disability in mainstream
classes may take certain lessons with students from a special education
unit. The following points outline some of the barriers to inclusion in the
ACT education system.
• Special Schools
Special schools fail to deliver any meaningful inclusion for students who
have a disability.
• Special Education Units and Centres
Special education units and centres create barriers to physical, social and
curricular inclusion.
• Students are physically excluded as they do not learn in the same place
as their peers
• Social exclusion is perpetuated not only by separate classrooms but also
by practices such as different times or locations for lunch breaks
• Most students in special education units or centres experience a vastly
different curriculum to those students in mainstream classrooms

• Inclusion Support Program

Out of all the options available to students in the ACT, the Inclusion
Support Program is the closest to inclusive education. When appropriate
supports are in place, students in the Inclusion Support Program can
experience full physical, social and curricular inclusion. Unfortunately,
there are a number of issues that can arise for students within the
Inclusion Support Program;
• Conditional Placement – particularly in schools where there is a Special
Education Unit – can lead to a reversion to physical exclusion if the
student is perceived not to be ‘ready’ for the mainstream classroom, for
example if they demonstrate challenging behaviours or difficulty learning
• Special Teacher’s Assistants can create barriers to social inclusion by
marking the student as different and by working so closely with the
student as to exclude all other regular classroom interaction
• Some teachers see curricular inclusion as too difficult to implement,
often leaving Special
Teacher’s Assistants to do a large amount of the teaching of students who
have a disability.
• Assessment of Students’ Needs
One of the biggest barriers to the successful inclusion of students in a
mainstream setting is the way in which students’ individual needs are
assessed and the attitude towards change at both a school and system
level. Under the present method of assessment in the ACT, the Student
Centred Appraisal of Need, students are judged on how well they fit into
the current school environment. In order to attend their chosen school,
students must be able to overcome ‘barriers’ such as the physical
environment of the school or preconceived notions that the student will be
‘unable to cope’ within an inclusive setting. Ideally, schools would be
assessed (rather than the students) to ascertain what changes to the
school’s physical setting and to its underlying values and principles would
be required to ensure the student received a safe and valuable education.
Any discussions would be based on the ACT Department of Education and
Training’s value of inclusivity and its commitment to an education system
that is inclusive and recognises the distinctive needs of every student.2 2
ACT Department of Education and Training, Strategic Plan 2006-2009, May 2006, 4

Background
Studies have shown that on a number of levels inclusion is preferable to
segregation or integration (part-time segregation within mainstream
schools). Students with and without disabilities have been shown to
benefit academically and socially in fully inclusive education
environments.
A 2004 Canadian study found that educational arrangements have a
tremendous effect on the formation of friendships, the prevalence of
abusive behaviour and the frequency of advocacy by children for their
peers who have a disability. They found that students in inclusive schools
have friends who have a disability, whereas students from schools with
special education structures do not. The study found that inclusive
education compared with special education results in more positive social
relationships, and that these differences do not lie in the students
themselves, but in the educational arrangements characterising their
education and that of their peers who have a disability.
The positive effects of the experience of inclusiveness and inclusion on
students who do not have a disability, include:
1. A reduced fear of human differences accompanied by increased comfort
and awareness
2. A growth in social cognition (tolerance, for example)
3. An improvement in self-concept
4. Enhanced development of personal principles (for example an
increased responsiveness towards the needs of others)
5. The experience of warm and caring friendships
The perceived negatives of inclusion have also been discredited. For
example, the inclusion of a child who has severe disabilities in a
mainstream class has no effect on the level of allocated or engaged time a
teacher has with other students, and there is no significant increase in
time lost to interruptions.

Finally, studies have shown that students who have a disability do better
academically, and as well or better socially when they are educated in
inclusive settings rather than in special schools.

These studies are not isolated examples but are part of a vast body of
evidence that demonstrates the benefits of inclusive education for
students with and without a disability.

Inclusive Education
Inclusion means:
• Educating all children who have a disability in mainstream classrooms
regardless of the nature of their disability
• Providing all students enhanced opportunities to learn from each other's
contributions.
• Providing necessary services within mainstream schools and preferably
within regular classrooms
• Supporting mainstream teachers and administrators (e.g., by providing
time, training, teamwork, resources, and strategies)
• Having students who have a disability follow the same schedules as
students who do not have a disability
• Involving students who have a disability in age-appropriate academic
classes and extracurricular activities, including art, music, physical
education, excursions, assemblies, and graduation exercises
• Students who have a disability using the school’s canteen, library,
playground, and other facilities along with students who do not have a
disability
• Encouraging friendships between students who do and do not have a
disability
• Students who have a disability receiving their education and job training
in mainstream community environments when appropriate
• Teaching all children to understand and accept human differences
• Placing children who have a disability in the same schools they would
attend if they did not have a disability
• Taking parents' concerns seriously
• Providing an appropriate individualised educational program
Inclusion does not mean:
• ‘Dumping’ students who have a disability into mainstream programs
without preparation or support
• Providing special education services in separate or isolated places
• Ignoring children's individual needs
• Jeopardizing students' safety or well being
• Placing unreasonable demands on teachers and administrators
• Ignoring parents' concerns
• Isolating students who have a disability in mainstream schools.
• Placing students who have a disability in schools or classes that are not
ageappropriate.
• Requiring that students be "ready" and "earn" their way into
mainstream classrooms based on cognitive or social skills
Inclusion should cover all aspects of a student’s school life and as much as
possible encompass related areas outside of school. One of the greatest
barriers to the expansion of inclusion in the community as a whole is a
lack of knowledge and understanding. The development and support of
inclusive education will inevitably promote inclusive communities as
students, their families and their teachers bring new attitudes into all
aspects of their lives.
It is also important to note what inclusion is not. Many people have
acquired ideas of inclusive education based on poor practice and have
developed negative attitudes towards inclusion because of this. Significant
problems can occur when schools or education systems use the word
inclusion without understanding it or providing appropriate levels of
funding and support.
Conclusion
Advocacy for Inclusion firmly believes that inclusive education is possible
for all students and that there should be appropriate support provided to
ensure that all students are provided with the education of their choice.
Advocacy for Inclusion will
• Assist individuals to access inclusive educational settings
• Actively promote inclusive education for all students in the ACT,
particularly through public forums and information sessions on education
options for students who have a disability
• Work with the ACT Department of Education and the ACT Government to
ensure departmental policies and actions also promote inclusive
education, including active participation in the ACT Special Education
Reference Group
• Work with schools and communities to encourage inclusive practices.