Inclusive education report released

The Inclusion in Education: towards equality for students with disability paper is a literature review of over 170 pieces of research. The report identifies that the greatest barrier to children with disability being included at school is discriminatory attitudes.

The report states:

“People who experience disability form the largest minority group in our world today. However, the rights of people who experience disability are repeatedly denied.Exclusion or discriminationon the basis of disability remains a common occurrence and children who experience disability are amongst the most excluded in Australia and throughout the world.” (Page 7)

Report author Dr Kathy Cologon said, “Discriminatory attitudes and practices pose serious barriers to inclusive education, and yet, despite these challenges, research evidence overwhelmingly supports inclusive education.

The report  raises key issues around  attitudes to and understanding what inclusion means in Australian schools, to better  meet the needs of students with disability, and the positive flow on benefits to all students.

“In addition to the outcomes for social justice and sense of community and belonging, research provides evidence of positive outcomes of inclusive education for social, academic, cognitive and physical development in children who do and do not experience disability,” said Cologon.

Media Access Australia’s Education Manager, Anne McGrath said “By raising awareness and examining inclusion in schools, the paper will have far reaching benefits for children with disability”.

Copies of Inclusion in Education: towards equality for students with disability are available from Children with Disabilities Australia.

Media Access Australia promotes the use of accessible media and technology in classrooms in order to make them more inclusive. In addition to our work in  education for students with hearing impairment and deafness, we are about to publish research into how Australian schools meet the technology needs of children who are blind or have low vision.