Module 7

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION IN SPECIAL EDUCATION

LEARNING At the end of the lesson the students must have:

OUTCOMES 1. conceptualized what inclusive education in special education;
2. identified types and models of inclusion;
3. designed features of desired inclusive school contextualizing
Special education..

ACTIVATE

 Look at and observe the image thoroughly.

 Make your own interpretation of the image.
 Share to one of your classmates your observation and interpretation.
 Be ready for a random individual oral discussion.

ACQUIRE

Understanding Inclusion

Inclusion is a type of service delivery in which students with disabilities receive their
primary placement in chronologically age appropriate regular education classrooms. As a
model it is in which children with and without disabilities learn and play together.

Inclusion in education refers to a model wherein students with special needs spend most

or all of their time with non-special (general education) needs students. Schools most
frequently use the inclusion model for selected students with mild to moderate special
needs.

It arises in the context of special education with an individualized education

program and is built on the notion that it is more effective for students with special needs
to have said mixed experience for them to be more successful in social interactions leading
to further success in life.

It is an approach in which with children h disabilities (including those with severe

disabilities) are placed in rooms with, and receive services, side-by-side with children who
have no disabilities. As a value, supports the rights of all children, regardless of their
diverse abilities to participate actively in natural settings within their communities.

A natural setting is one in which the child work spend time had he had a disability. Such
settings include but are not limited to home and family, play groups, child care, nursery
schools, kindergartens and neighbourhood school, and classrooms.

It is about learning to live with one another including those with special needs
and limitations. Preschools, parent-and-child groups, and day care centers are the
earliest (and best) places to start the inclusionary process, a process that will
continue into higher grades and into the community at large.

  Inclusive education programs provide educational services for all students including

those with special needs. These programs serve all children in the regular classroom on a
full-time basis. The word inclusion or mainstreaming refers to students being educated
with non-disabled peers for most of their school day.

Moreover, inclusive education s towards full participation of learners with special needs
and or with disabilities and upon respect for their social, civil, and educational rights.
Being included is not limited to physical and cognitive disabilities, but also includes the
full range of human diversity with respect to ability, language, culture, gender, age and of
other forms of human differences.

Inclusion program calls a commitment to educate each child to the maximum

extent possible, as equal participants in a society in which all children are given the
same opportunities to reach their potential. Furthermore, it brings the special
education teacher and other professionals into the regular class to help.
.

Making Full Inclusion Work: School Administration Concern

In order to be successful, the family and the child with special needs will need
additional support personnel when in a regular education or recreational program.
Staffing, class size, number of children with disabilities, and the nature and quality
of a child's disability are important factors. Teachers’ competence, pool of experts,
specialists, skilful staff, quality programming, curriculum and collaborative
planning among others are key ingredients and influencing factors in the success of
inclusion.

Inclusion is a value, much like the commitment to racial or gender equality. It

may not always be easy. It may require change and accommodation, but the process
of inclusion and the encouragement of each individual child allows each person to
develop his talents and strengths. It also provides opportunities for all of us to
develop the much desired qualities of compassion, empathy, and helpfulness. It can
teach us and our children that the greater the diversity, the richer our capacity to
create a more humane and respectful society.
Types of Inclusion

As part of the Administrative concern of the school contextualizing inclusion

program, the school where the child who receives special education and related services
must have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). School officials, parents, special
and regular education teachers and the student will often work together to identify and
address the student's unique needs, set learning goals and allow for future re-evaluation
and modification. Because IEPs vary from student to student, the IEP committee may set
different goals regarding inclusion in standard classrooms.

Full Inclusion. This refers to schools that practice full inclusion will teach all
children, regardless of learning disorders, in a standard classroom from the time the
student enrolls. If the special needs child performs and functions according to
expectations, full inclusion may prove to be a viable long-term option. However, if full
inclusion does not meet the student's needs, special education teachers may visit the
classroom periodically to provide supplemental instructions. If the student continues to
experience difficulty, the school may switch to a partial inclusion model.

Full inclusion educates children with special needs within the general education
classroom, while providing any necessary supports and accommodation. Meanwhile,
partial inclusion (sometimes called "mainstreaming") refers to the practice of
educating students with special needs in the general education classrooms for some
portion of their day, while they spend the other portion of the day receiving
instruction in a special education classroom or resource room

Partial Inclusion. This type of inclusion model emphasizes allowing special needs
students to interact with their peers socially and academically, it does not require that the
student remain in a standard classroom for all lessons. In many cases, students will meet
with a special education teacher or speech therapist in a separate class to avoid disrupting
the learning dynamic of the standard classroom. Special education teachers will remain in
communication with regular teachers to ensure students are able to understand and
complete coursework.

Mainstreaming. In this type, students who perform well may begin attending
"mainstream" classes, whereas those who do not will continue their studies in a special
education setting.

Seven Pillars of Inclusion

The 7 pillars of inclusion provides educators starting point to address inclusion and
diversity. Each pillar represents the common aspects of inclusion which are the following:

1. Access. Access explores the importance of a welcoming environment and the habits that
create it. This is about what the learners with special needs experience when getting to and
inside his ecology of learning. It is about the feel, the environment, the culture that is in the
place that the learner is in. It is where that the school could have a ramp up into the foyer
of sports facility that a person with special needs could use to get inside. However,
teachers and other the school personnel and students who greet student with special needs
make them feel unwelcome then the ramp is really irrelevant. Access would mean both the
physical and non-physical environment.
2. Attitude. This has to do how willing people are to embrace inclusion and diversity and to
take meaningful action. Everyone in the school where inclusive education is implemented
should have willingness to make things happened. It should not only wanting to be
inclusive but doing something about it. It has to be attitude of everyone in the organization
not about just being positive, but about having a willingness to take real action.

3. Choice. It is all about finding out what options people want and how they want to get
involved. This is about identifying what the school staff, teachers, specialist, experts
among others can do to promote inclusion program.

4. Partnerships. This is how individual and organisational relationships are formed and how
effective they are. This is connecting and collaborating with other people, community,
family etc. It could be more formal with agreements and MOU, MOA and other forms of
contracts but partnerships are what bind two or more organizations like the school the
hospital, communities among others to work together in favour to students with special
needs. .

5. Communication. In the school where inclusion program is implemented, communication

plays a very significant role. It is simply providing information to everyone regarding the
kind of program where the school is into. With their knowledge of the vision, mission,
goals and objectives special on inclusion program, this made the academic community
aware and become more sympathetic and committed to the program.

6. Policy. This considers how the school commits to and takes responsibility for inclusion.
Policy is about holding school staff, stakeholders and significant others to account for
inclusion. It is about written approved policies to address and having legal basis and
mechanisms to deliver the program of inclusion.

7. Opportunities. This explores what services which are available for learners with special
needs when opportunities come. One example for this is a learner with physical disability
in a swimming class. A student may have the choice to join a swimming activity where a
teacher is willing and welcoming but there is no ramp and the student does not get the
opportunity.

Models of Inclusion

Effective inclusion programs are characterized by team work and collaboration.  The
regular classroom teacher must consistently consult with special education teachers,
speech-language pathologists, other specialists and family members.  This collaboration
begins during the IEP meeting.  The team must first consider all placement options for the
student with disabilities.  If they determine that the student can benefit from an inclusive
program, a plan is developed to provide the supports and services needed for academic
success.  Some students may benefit from a program incorporating inclusion for some
special education instruction, and traditional "pull-out" services for other educational
needs.

The following are inclusion models of special education schools:

1. Teaming Model. This is a model where a special educator is assigned to a grade level
team.  The team meets on a weekly basis and works collaboratively to plan for student
success in the regular education environment.  The special education teacher is responsible
for providing instructional strategies and modification ideas for assignments in the
classroom.
 
2. Collaborative, Co-teaching Model. The regular education and special education
teacher’s work together to teach all students in the classroom.  Both are responsible for
lesson planning and delivery, student progress, assessment, and discipline.  Students with
disabilities in the classroom receive age-appropriate modified instruction and necessary
support services from both instructors.  The special education teacher may participate in
instruction for all or part of the school day.
 

3. Consultant Model. The special education teacher is made available to research difficult
skills, or help the student practice a recently acquired skill.  This model works most
effectively with students who only require occasional assistance.  As with other models,
regularly scheduled team meetings are essential to effective implementation.

Features of Inclusive Education

There are seven elements of inclusion. These are the following:
1. Intentional, sufficient, and supported interactions between peers with and without
disabilities
2. Specialized, individualized supports
3. Family involvement
4. Inclusive, interdisciplinary services and collaborative teaming
5. A focus on critical sociological outcomes
6. Effective, ongoing administrative supports
7. Ongoing program evaluation

APPLY

In fifteen (15) minutes surf the internet and study, describe and discuss the features of inclusive
education in other countries. Be ready for our class enrichment discussion.

ASSESS

1. If you are to implement inclusive education program in your school/college, what should
be the features/ course/program offerings etc.? Provide description and how it should be
implemented.

REFERENCES
Inciong, Teresita G. et.al (2207). Introduction to Special Education. Manila: Rex Printing
Company, Inc.
https://ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/
InclusiveEducationFramework_InteractiveVersion.pdf
https://inclusivesportdesign.com/planning-for-inclusion/7-pillars-of-inclusion-using-
commonalities-as-the-start-point-for-inclusive-sport/
https://inclusionstrategies.weebly.com/types-of-inclusion.html
https://www.parents.com/toddlers-preschoolers/starting-preschool/issues/inclusion-doing-
our-best-for-all-children/
https://blog.brookespublishing.com/7-key-features-of-quality-inclusion/