Helen Asokan

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Inclusive Education: Assignment 1

To understand the success of inclusive education, one must be absolute on what it stands for. According to
Loreman (2011), inclusive education involves the participation of all students, despite their various needs
and abilities, in all aspects of learning. Lloyd (2008), argues that it is not enough to just remove barriers in
the classroom, but, one must recognize the complicated nature of inclusion. She further states that the failure
to recognize the exclusiveness of the curriculum and examination procedures are established on concepts of
“normalization”, and so the standards and legislations should be placed in order support and meet the
requirements of all students with special needs. Jackson, Ryndak and Wehmeyer (2008-2009) emphasize
that teachers strive to effectively educate the students so that they later become successful adults. The
concept of inclusion is fairly new and it must be remembered that time should be allowed for development
of teaching and Learning strategies (Loreman 2011). This paper looks into the changing views of inclusive
education in a classroom setting and how the introduction of legislations such as, the Disability
Discrimination Act, 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education, 2005, have made an impact on the
educational services for students with disabilities (Dickson, 2007). It also examines the limitations of
inclusive education and how teachers in the classroom and school, as a whole, take actions to incorporate
students with disabilities, including students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) by using explicit
services adapted for the involvement and engagement of all students.

The standards for the inclusion of disabled students should offer to clarify the meaning of the law so that
people are given confidence to comply with the legislation (Innes, 2005). The changing views on education
for students with disabilities are evident after the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act, 1992 and
the Disability Standards for Education, 2005. These are legal requirements that educational establishments
are required to have incorporated in their instructive services (ARACY, 2013)

After a century of educating students with disabilities in a segregated learning areas, based on the fact that
disabled students were different, Australian schools moved towards an inclusive approach in the mid-1970s
(Konza 2008). The transformation was in response to research based evidence that showed effective ways
on how special education should be taught proficiently. Konza (2008) highlights that the right of all
individuals to learn equally has the opportunity to significantly contribute to their communities.
Encompassing the idea of inclusive education, provided the opportunity to reorganize the educational
systems in Australia, so that all schools would have the appropriate resources and facilities to assist students
with special needs. According to Konza (2008), the idea of inclusion obtains to remove the barrier between
“regular” and “special” education and provide a suitable way to educate all students, despite their learning
needs and abilities (Konza, 2008, p. 39). This is compliant with the argument presented by Lloyd (2008),
where she states that standards should be placed in order to accommodate the learning needs of students
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with disabilities. Dickson (2007) also clearly emphasises that equal rights for students with or without
impairments should be met with proper policies so that all students will receive a fair and quality education.

Australia had relied on the anti-discrimination legislation prior to the change, however; it did not have any
obligations towards inclusive education (Keeffe-Martin, 2001). Changes in Australia’s inclusive approach
towards the educational practice regarding students with disabilities began to emerge before the Salamanca
Statement in 1994 (Forlin, 2006). The Salamanca Statement called for inclusion of all disabled children to
be “the norm” while implementing a ‘Framework for Action’ that provides principles that guides schools to
include students regardless of their conditions (UNESCO, 1994). Although the Disability Discrimination
Act, 1992 was introduced prior to the Salamanca Statement, it did not serve as a tool to facilitate towards
inclusion in classrooms, rather inclusion in community (Forlin, 2006). According to Forlin, (2006) the
Disability Discrimination Act, 1992, helped to promote better access and resources, however, the changes
for students’ learning were only seen to take action in the ten years after the Salamanca Statement. Forlin
(2006) also noted the changes in the statistics from 1994 to 2002, where the number of students with
disabilities, enrolled in ‘regular’ schools increased significantly. Although the Disability Discrimination Act,
1992 provided the legal obligation to not discriminate people with disabilities, it was not explicit for
educational setting.

The introduction of the Disability Standards for Education, 2005, framed under the Disability
Discrimination Act, 1992, provides the criterions so that all education providers, across the nation, to allow
students with or without a disability, to equal and equitable access to education (DET, 2018). The standards
provide a guide to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ that should aid to better the students learning needs. This
should further provide a polished framework that allows for schools to offer access to participation in all
activities, guided by a support network to eliminate victimization of students with disabilities (Forlin, 2006).
A review of the standards conducted by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace
Relations (2012), found that the introduction of the standards, had acted as catalysts for further development
of accessibility in the teaching and learning area, while the harassment experienced by students with
disability had reduced significantly. The review also found that since the implementation of the standards,
there should still be greater awareness not only across all education sectors, but also be accessible for
general community (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations, 2012).

As these legislations become strong operators within an inclusive classroom, teachers should also be
prepared with necessary skills and research based pedagogical approaches to fulfil the requirements for the
Australian Professional Teaching Standards (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership
(AITSL), 2011). According to standard 1, teachers are required to provide ‘strategies to support the full
participation of students with disabilities’ (AITSL, 2011). This particular teaching standard reflects back on
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the Disability Standards for Education, 2005, in trying to make ‘reasonable adjustment’ to accommodate the
learning needs of students with disabilities. Differentiated instruction has been a significant part of inclusive
education. Teachers use differentiating teaching strategies to meet the learning needs of all students in
classroom (Levy, 2008). The teaching standards heavily focus on moving the students in the academic path
that they feel comfortable in to succeed in the future. For gifted and talented students, teachers may focus on
activities that require less instruction and for students with special needs, such as Autism Spectrum Disorder
(ASD), teachers may focus on explicit instruction so that all students within the classroom achieve the
standards to the best of their abilities (Levy, 2008). Through differentiated instruction, teachers try to
complement the learning styles of the students with their pedagogical approach within the classroom to
further their development.

Differentiated Instruction can also be seen as a pedagogical approach that falls under the Universal Design
for Learning (UDL). The Universal Design for Learning promotes to accommodate the adjustments that are
made for those students who are “in the margins”; however, this approach can contribute to the learning of
all students (CAST, 2011. p. 4). UDL is an instructional technique used to provide goals, resources and
assessment criteria that provides all students within the classroom with equal opportunity to succeed; for
example, a student with a hearing impairment may require the teacher to wear a special mic. Students with
visual impairments may need larger font sizes and so, teachers should be able to make those adjustments to
those students. To accommodate for this the teachers should be flexible enough to do so.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a continuing developmental condition that affects the way an individual
relates and interacts with people and their surrounding environment (Autism Spectrum Australia, 2018).
People with ASD may have intellectual impairments, learning difficulties and sensory sensitivities that
could prove difficult in their everyday life (Autism Spectrum Australia, 2018). With a nation wide emphasis
on inclusive education for students with special needs, classroom consisting of students with ASD could
invoke many challenges for teachers (Leach & Duffy, 2009). With strong legislation and research
supporting the inclusion of students with special needs, such as ASD, it is vital that educators and
educational institutions receive the proper support and guidance with the information they need to meet the
needs of these students (Leach & Duffy, 2009). Koegal, Matos-Freden, Lang & Koegal (2012), emphasize
that communication is intertwined in the education and development of students with ASD. Communication
can be used in many ways, for example, visual communication; providing images and allowing for choice;
“would you like to use the red pencil or the blue pencil?”. This offers a natural way to reinforce the
communication attempts by the student (Koegal et. al, 2012). Communication can also help with social
interaction but, regardless of their social skills, communication remains a targeted approach for explicit
instruction. This also reflects back on the Universal Design for Learning, with flexible goals and teaching
methods to meet the needs of students (CAST, 2011).
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Subsequently, inclusive education comes with many challenges, ranging from but not limited to; funding for
facilities, professional development for teachers, adequate resources and experience. Such issues can
threaten an effective implementation of inclusive education (Konza, 2008). Providing educators and
institutions with sufficient funding and training will provide a growing positive attitudes towards the move;
however, the lack of support and development can be the cause of concern to the skills and attitudes that
teachers may exhibit towards students with disabilities (Konza, 2008). Forlin, Jobling and Carrol (2001),
found that 86% of their surveyed pre-service teachers felt that they do not feel relaxed when dealing with
special needs students. To subside this, professional development and training can help teachers feeling
competent and comfortable enough to deal with students with disabilities (Konza, 2008). In response to such
challenges, Konza (2008), proposes that there should be a ‘nurturing’ community for teachers, so that they
are able to turn to a safe environment to reflect back on their various pedagogical approaches. Konza (2008)
also suggests that sufficient number of personnel, such as school learning support officers (SLSO’s) can
further benefit not only the students with additional needs, but also the teachers. Furthermore, it is evident
that research into promoting a safe and inclusive classroom setting for students with disabilities is ongoing.
The links between research and practice has proven to aid in the introduction of inclusive education so far,
therefore, continuous research should only be seen as beneficial (Konza, 2008).

In conclusion, the changing views on inclusive education has seen a significant increase in the number of
students with disabilities in ‘regular’ classroom situations, with the successful application of the Disability
Discrimination Act, 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education, 2005. In response to such changes,
educators have made significant adjustments within the classroom to accommodate students with special
needs by complying with the Disability Standards for Education, 2005, Universal Design for Learning
(UDL) and the Australian Professional Teaching standards. Although there are many challenges that arise to
make inclusion ‘the norm’, successful professional development and sufficient research has been and will be
used to make inclusion in the classroom a standard in the future.
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References

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