Session Information
ERG SES B 01, Inclusive Education
Parallel Paper Session
Contribution
The publication of the »Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities« strengthened the claim for full, effective and equal participation in society for all. Building on the Capability Approach as proposed by Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum, a just distribution of high-quality education serves as a baseline for achieving well-being for all members of the community. This implies the creation of an inclusive community-based education system and the adaption of learning environments to meet the individual needs of each student.
In order to ensure appropriate and inclusive policy making in the area of education, processes and mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion need to be researched and understood. Learning difficulties arise from various origins such as poverty, disability and migration. Bolivian schools face students with diverse economic, cultural and ethnic backgrounds, including children with learning difficulties who are often denied access to (regular) education services. Within a pilot project of inclusive education, systems of assistance have been studied at instructional, school system as well as community/society level. This distinction of three levels is linked to a classification of discourses in inclusive education.
Dyson (1999) points out that inclusion is discussed from different perspectives and thus gives rise to different discourses. Building on his findings this paper suggests four different discourses in the area of inclusion: (i) the ethical perspective – discussing issues of equity, difference and diversity; (ii) the political discourse – concerning the distribution of resources and creation of policy frameworks; (iii) the pragmatic discourse – mainly focusing on implementation issues of inclusive schools and teaching of all children. The (iv) systems theory approach of inclusion, not mentioned by Dyson, gives insights into processes of inclusion and exclusion inherent in education systems. These four discourses are interrelated and complement each other. Stakeholders and actors in the field such as teachers, heads of schools, parents and children adopt different perspectives and promote different systems of assistance.
The main objective of the present study was to describe and analyze practices and mechanisms of inclusion and exclusion of children with learning difficulties. Systems of assistance offered by a pilot project of inclusive education in Sucre (Bolivia) have been studied to identify hindering and facilitating factors for the successful implementation of these systems and hence quality education for all.
Conclusions may describe a starting point for the development of inclusive community structures and society in so called developing as well as developed countries.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
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