Inclusive education means all students — regardless of their disabilities, race, gender, sexual orientation, and religion — must be included in education. Inclusive educational practices are rooted in research indicating that when all students are included in the same classroom, then outcomes will improve for all students.
It is essential to know what inclusion is not to be able to understand what it is. For example, if we place children in special classes, we need to realize that this is not inclusion. Inclusion and mainstreaming both place students in the least restrictive environment, but inclusion attempts to “include a variety of students with disabilities, including students with severe disabilities, in a general education setting with an opportunity to participate in curricular and non-curricular activities”.
“Inclusive education is complex and depends on a country’s history, available resources, prevailing attitudes.”
Following a visit to five schools in Ukraine in November 2018, I was concerned that there were no children with physical or mental difficulties in classrooms. On inquiring, I discovered that children with severe challenges were institutionalized. Inclusive education is complex and depends on a country’s history, available resources, prevailing attitudes, expectations and fear of burnout, and teacher training.
Stigmatization that existed during Soviet times labelled all children with disabilities and encouraged segregation. Furthermore, existing literature suggests that more than 100,000 children with disabilities live in Ukrainian institutions without access to formal education, often placed there without parental consent.
Beginning in March 2020 via Zoom, 34 teachers from ORT Educational Complex 141 received training from Inclusion Experts, UK. This school in Kyiv is a K–12 state school comprising 1290 students and 97 teachers, with a new building added in 2021. This school has support from a Swiss foundation and opened as an inclusive school on September 1, 2021.
“It is not enough for students to be seated in the back of the room, socially isolated from their classmates, taught primarily by paraprofessionals.”
While all stakeholders contribute to this school’s success, teachers must undergo extensive training to bring about change within their classrooms. Teachers become change agents while working with students and parents in improving the school cultures’ mindset towards children with disabilities.
It is not enough for students to be “seated in the back of the room, socially isolated from their classmates, taught primarily by paraprofessionals, and without access to the general education curriculum”.
Furthermore, there are many aspects to consider in this triangular relationship of student-teacher-parents, such as the appropriate balance of rights, responsibilities, and obligations. The best outcomes for inclusive education will only be possible when parents, teachers and specialists work together to overcome barriers that prevent successful inclusion.
Barriers include negative perceptions of children with difficulties, lack of resources, unclear school policies, or a lack of respect towards the teaching profession. Teachers must feel valued for their role in bringing about change in a positive atmosphere.
“Teachers must feel valued for their role in bringing about change in a positive atmosphere.”
Gallimore and Goldenberg (2001) describe teachers as “urged to think of their domains of responsibility as extending beyond what they do in their classrooms and into the domains of the whole school and of the families and communities where they work”. Partnerships among students, parents, and teachers must be based on trust. Parents will gain confidence in the school when there is open and effective communication. Parents need to share vital information about their children with the school so that the school can successfully meet its inclusion goal.
Bandura said self-efficacy is the foundation of human motivation, performance accomplishments, and emotional well-being ). Building teachers’ confidence and helping them feel efficacious is key to inclusive education. A high sense of self-efficacy, coupled with a “growth mindset” as outlined by Carol Dweck, will enable teachers to persist in tackling challenging tasks and make it easier for them to adjust to these new challenges.
Effective role models improve teachers’ confidence and develop a positive attitude towards inclusion. Introducing “critical friends” as mentors will help teachers feel supported and build their new skills and knowledge. A new education management system can provide teachers and specialists with the necessary information about each student. The school will need to develop a “thick culture”, where everyone feels accepted regardless of their disability.
“Effective role models improve teachers’ confidence and develop a positive attitude towards inclusion.”
Teachers who enjoy their colleagues’, administrators’, and parents’ respect and trust can focus on their students’ success without feeling isolated. Creating a fully inclusive school takes a commitment from everyone attending that school, where all students feel comfortable participating in activities and public events. Communication must be based on mutual respect between teachers, parents, and students.
Communication about specific students must be appropriate and conducted with a tremendous amount of sensitivity. Providing parents with a more significant influence on governance in the school could also build trust, encouraging parents to work with teachers. Despite the continuing needs, our teachers retain a sense of excitement and look forward to new challenges, describing themselves as pioneers ready to accept whatever lies ahead.