Free Articles from Interaction 28 Issue 2 Perceptions can not control reality ... | Page 6

interaction : v28/2/’14
Parents of Student
with Disability

Parents of NonDisabled Student

What an Inclusive Cultural Response should be for
Parents

Teacher fears
disappointing
"unrealistic"
expectations of
parent.

Teacher anticipates
meeting
expectations of
parent.

Teachers are sensitive to the life experience of
families and the critical importance of building
partnerships. Parents are seen as the expert on the
individual student and a key partner in ensuring the
maximum benefit from the school experience.

Teacher
communications
complicated by
"managing"
expectations of
parent and lesser
capacity to identify
with position of
parent.

Teacher
communicates with
parent with
confidence and as
person that they can
relate to.

Teachers approach parents as partners in the
educational process, and the senior partner in
determining life decisions for the child. While the
teacher is the senior partner in the classroom,
classroom decisions are based on input from the
parents as well as colleagues.

Parents who want
full inclusion have
not accepted the
reality of their child’s
disability.
Counselling may be
required.

Parents have a range
of expectations and
beliefs about their
children, all of
which are valid.

Schools accept that in order to include all students,
the school culture, processes and interactions with
families need to be inclusive and collaborative parents are a key component of successful systemic
change.

Inclusion of a child
with a diagnosis/
disability requires
team decisions
involving a full range
of therapy and
educational staff
with a parent present
to understand the
decisions made.

Teachers
communicate with
parents informally or
in structured parentteacher meetings.
Any external
involvement is by
agreed invitation.

Decisions are made by parents and teachers in
partnership, informally or where necessary using
structured parent-teacher meetings.
External
involvement by agreed invitation.

Parents are
concerned that
siblings of their child
with a disability are
at risk of secondary
exclusion by student
peers, with
associated social and
health risks.

Parents have no real
concern of social
exclusion of their
children by their
student peers.

Schools and teachers should take a “whole of family”
approach and be sensitive to secondary exclusion
issues that may affect siblings of students with
disability.

* Note: For further reading, see generally Dr K Cologan, Inclusion in Education - Issues
Paper (2013), Jackson & Wills, The 2013 inclusion report card (2014) and Siblings Australia
website (www.siblingsaustralia.org.au)
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Australian Institute on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities