TOPICS

•
Characteristics of Inclusive Schools

• make sure each and every student feels welcome and is learning
• embrace the understanding that every student is unique and, therefore, learns
differently
• understand that all children — students with and without disabilities, English
language learners, those with special talents—learn better if teaching is tailored
to their abilities and interest
• collaborate with families
• hold high expectations for student success
• keep improving

Inclusion Week Ideas

Our school district has celebrated National Inclusion Week for the last four years. We
started out small and have been building ever since. The high school of over 2500
students has always been a challenge to organize inclusion week activities. This past
year we showed the movie "Darius Goes West" during the daily 25 minute study hall
over the course of the week. The students were completely engaged as were the staff
members. The students loved the movie and the entire idea of accepting others and
seeing friendships develop. It was a success and I am happy all 2500 students had the
opportunity.
 • Inclusive Education importance and barriers in
poor and marginalized communities
“This work report is dedicated to all disabled and disadvantaged children of SDW
Inclusive Education System striving for inclusion”.

Inclusive Education is something very important aspect of community development

initiatives, we see around various activities going on for development purposes, but
focus on inclusive education is not paid attention by the government and development
NGOs. We are the only institution in district Faisalabad striving for promotion of
disadvantaged and disabled children inclusion in mainstream schools, and also running
school for promotion of Inclusive Education.
I can remember the time, when I and my team of CBR workers go for field visits and
telling people about Inclusive Education, and people never had any idea, and they did
not listen to us. Mostly people refused saying, we cannot send our children to study
with disabled children. Then we started thinking that how to motivate people, we
organized seminars, community meetings, door meetings, met disabled and normal
children parents individually on rights of children and how children can grow equally in
inclusive environment? Now after two years, we have made progress and SDW
Inclusive Education System is one of the prominent school in the area. The disabled and
normal children parents arrange joint meetings to see which areas we can make better
progress for promotion of Inclusive Education.
We have developed Operation policy manual for teachers and staff members to follow
the activities and make sure all children must be given equal rights for inclusion.
Concept of Inclusive Education
The concept of Inclusive Education has been presented by Society for Disabled Women
Pakistan (SDW) in the beginning years of 2000, it took five years to introduce the
concept in the community, also SDW team under gone many experiences, trainings,
meetings, discussions to understand the concept and to make the community
understand the real implementation at grass root level.
Disabled children Inclusion was the new idea for the general public, because most of
the community members belongs to marginalized group of people, and do not have
awareness on inclusive approach, disabled rights and their rehabilitation programs.
The concept was introduced at different community forums through seminars and
discussions, that disabled children must be considered for rehabilitation based
programs, as they must have right to go to school, go to health centers for regular
check up, must not be used for bounded labor (beggars), they must have right to eat in
time, speak loud, sleep in time, play with friends, enjoy free time and must enjoy all
other rights which is necessary for their physical and social growth.
Finally SDW started Inclusive Education Idea by self help and local community support,
and now after two years (2008-2010), it is being promoted and run through local
donations self help support.
 • Together We Learn Better: Inclusive Schools
Benefit All Children

The journey to becoming an Inclusive School may be long and

challenging at times, but ultimately this journey can strengthen a
school community and benefit ALL children. "Inclusion" does not
simply mean the placement of students with disabilities in general
education classes. This process must incorporate fundamental
change in the way a school community supports and addresses the
individual needs of each child. As such, effective models of inclusive
education not only benefit students with disabilities, but also create
an environment in which every student, including those who do not
have disabilities, has the opportunity to flourish.

The 2008 Inclusive Schools Week is focused on this theme:

"Together We Learn Better: Inclusive Schools Benefit All
Children". Here are some ways in which inclusive educational
practices build a school's capacity to educate all learners effectively:

Differentiated instruction increases student engagement.

One of the most important principles of inclusive education is that
no two learners are alike, and so inclusive schools place great
importance on creating opportunities for students to learn and be
assessed in a variety of ways. Teachers in inclusive schools
therefore must consider a wide range of learning modalities (visual,
auditory, kinesthetic, etc.) in designing instruction. Certainly this
enhances the way in which educators provide supports and
accommodations for students with disabilities, but it also diversifies
the educational experience of all students.
Academic supports help each student access the full
curriculum. In this age of accountability and high-stakes testing,
it is important for educators to ensure that every student is
addressing the appropriate standards and objectives across the
curriculum. As such, inclusive schools provide academic supports
(flexible pacing and grouping, reading and literacy specialists,
tutoring, etc.) that create a supportive environment for all learners.
It is immediately clear how these supports help students with
disabilities and English Language Learners, but inclusive schools can
also better challenge and engage gifted and talented learners by
building a more responsive learning environment.

Behavioral supports help maintain a positive learning

environment for everyone. Another important factor in effective
inclusive education is the implementation of consistent behavioral
supports throughout the learning environment. This consistency is
essential for the success of students with emotional or behavioral
disabilities in the general education environment, but school-wide
behavioral supports also help to establish high expectations
throughout the school community as a whole.

Respect for diversity creates a welcoming environment for

all. Inclusive education for students with disabilities can only be
successful when those students feel that they are truly a part of the
school community. This requires open and honest discussion about
difference, and an institutional respect for people of all backgrounds
and abilities. In inclusive schools, the establishment of such a
climate benefits everyone by fostering an environment where
students and their families are valued for who they are.

Inclusive practices make effective use of a school's

resources. In the past, special education often involved the
segregation of students with disabilities for the purpose of
specialized instruction. Not only does that model of special
education in a separate setting deprive students with disabilities of
interaction with their peers and full access to the curriculum, it can
also involve duplicate systems and resources that are costly for
schools to maintain. Inclusive education can make more efficient
use of a school's resources by maximizing the availability of staff
and materials for all students.

To read more about benefits of inclusive education for all students,

check out Improving Education: The Promise of Inclusive
Education. This paper is an excellent resource for educators looking
to improve and expand inclusive educational practices in their
schools. It was developed by the National Institute for Urban
School Improvement, a project funded by the United States Office
of Special Education Programs (OSEP), and it includes examples of
inclusive educational environments, assessment and observation
tools, and guidelines for supporting inclusive practices.