Sharing Good Practice
WHAT IS INCLUSION- REALLY?
BY CATHERINE O’FARRELL
D
uring my first DSIB inspection
as a SENDCo I remember the
lead inspector approaching
me on day one with a list
of three children who she wanted to
shadow.
On reading the names my heart
immediately sank and my face fell
(visibly).
“Is there a problem?” She enquired.
“Um, no, it’s just, well… they are not
really great children to shadow” I
stumbled, “I mean…they don’t really
stand out!”
It was those words that made me
make a complete design turn on
inclusion, as the inspector smiled and
went off about her business I realised
that the children on that list each had
significant individual needs but if you
walked into any one of their classes
-YOU MIGHT NOT PICK THEM OUT.
This, for me, has become my ideology
for inclusive education.
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Jan - Feb 2019
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“Every day, in every classroom, all
students, including those identified
as experiencing special educational
needs and disabilities, will learn and
achieve” Dr. Abdulla Al Karam
The history of inclusive education
dates back to The Universal
Declaration of Human Rights (1948)
which emphasises that everyone has
the right to education. Moreover, the
Standard Rules on the Equalization
of Opportunities for Persons with
Disabilities (20 December, 1993)
emphasised rights of education
children with special needs. Another
globally significant agreement is the
United Nations (UN) Convention on
the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Article 7 of that convention decisively
declared that parties shall take all
necessary measures to ensure the
full enjoyment by children with
disabilities of all human rights (UN
Convention, 2006). These three
main declarations inspired special
needs education which was the first
step towards inclusive education.
(Suleymanov, 2015)
Class Time
As the new year begins and block
2 of inspections loom large on the
horizon, are Dubai schools promoting
the Inclusive Education Framework
and working toward the goals of the
National Agenda?
It’s a perfect time to review inclusion in
schools and - where best to start other
than in the classroom?
The ten standards of the Dubai
Inclusive Education Framework set
out clear, easy to follow guidelines
for teachers, LSAs, practitioners and
parents to support and promote
diverse needs INSIDE the classroom
through the social model.
The social model looks at barriers to
learning as impairments generated
and compounded by how society is
organised as opposed to a child’s
individual need. It looks at ways of
removing these barriers that restrict
options and choices for pupils of
determination.