WHAT IS INCLUSIVE EDUCATION?

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Our understanding of inclusive education has evolved over the years of our existence. What started, essentially, as an initiative to support parents of children with disabilities, to campaign for the inclusion of their children in ordinary schools, has developed into a far wider vision, a vision of an education system which has potential benefits for all learners.

We believe that an inclusive education system is one that acknowledges the diversity of its learner population - differences in learning styles, needs and objectives - and which is sufficiently flexible, supportive and co-operative to accomodate the diversity. It is a system that truly recognises and responds to the fact that we all have strengths and weaknesses, and might experience barriers to effective learning at times.

These barriers may be caused by intrinsic difficulties such as disabilities, learning disorders, chronic health problems or psychological problems; by external circumstances such as poverty, hunger, abuse, cultural and language differences; or by systemic factors such as an inappropriate curriculum or assessment tools.

The key to successful inclusion lies in addressing the needs of the education system/setting, to ensure that the needs of the learner are met, rather than focussing on the learner needing to fit into the system. An inclusive school, therefore, is seen as a place where every learner belongs, is accepted, and has his or her educational needs met. Its educators do not think in terms of two kinds of learners, the 'normal' and the 'special', but about one diverse and changeable population of learners who learn in a variety of ways and have the right to appropriate education. (Promoting Learner Development - Engelbrecht; Green, 2001).

It is our belief that a child with a disability has the right to attend a school close to his or her home, in the company of his or her siblings and friends, and that those siblings and friends have the right to learn about people whose abilities are 'different' to theirs, and to accept them as part of their everyday lives.

To contact us:
Phone: +27 21 674 1422
Fax: +27 21 683 6379
eMail: included@mweb.co.za
P O Box 36330
7702 Glosderry
SOUTH AFRICA