Inclusion From Educational, Social and Cultural Perspectives

The term inclusion refers to the way in which people are included in society regardless of factors such as race, gender, ability or culture.  In relation to education, my understanding of inclusion is that it usually refers to the inclusion of those with special educational needs within a mainstream school having full access to the curriculum and any available extra-curricular activities that may interest them wherever possible. 

Looking at the history of attitudes towards inclusive education can provide a greater insight as to the meanings and expectations of inclusive education.  The 1981 Education reaffirmed the principle of integration, recommending that all children should have access to mainstream education, provided that their needs could be met

there and that it was compatible with the education of other students.  In the 1990’s, inclusion came to be seen as a human right.  Unesco, 1994, devised a framework for which the guiding principle was for schools to accommodate all children regardless of any additional needs or disabilities.  It identifies the challenge for schools as being to devise a child-centred pedagogy that is inclusive in educating all children regardless of their abilities.  (Unesco, 1994).  The three main principles of inclusion can be derived from the General Statement of Inclusion (GSI) in the National Curriculum, which became compulsory in schools in September 2000.  The aim was to provide effective learning opportunities for all pupils.  The first principle of inclusion identified is to set suitable learning challenges for all pupils.  The second is to respond to pupils’ diverse learning needs.  The final principle is to overcome potential barriers to learning and assessment for individuals and groups of pupils.  (DfEE, QCA, 1999, p.32).

One aspect of an inclusive education is the provision of appropriate literacy education and the opportunity for a young person to achieve literacy development.  There are many different socio-economic and cultural factors that can influence children’s access to literacy, although some would argue that socio-economic factors have no influence on literacy attainment.  Gerber, 1996, highlights the difference between disadvantage through socio-economic reasons and those experiencing severe learning difficulties.  He also highlights the dangers of inclusion, stating that the inclusion of students with a disability will often lead to a sense of failure to achieve and may never attain what is considered to be a normal level of literacy.  The issue of appropriate funding and resources to address individual needs in literacy is also an element of his

work.  However, this raises the question of how inclusive is the child’s education if they are having an individual program?  In relation to social equity, Gerber is of the opinion that the acquisition of literacy would not be hindered by socio-economic disadvantage or other restrictions and also implies that there is no link between the school environment and students’ ability, and wider social and cultural processes.   However, there are others who would argue that there are particular groups of students who face barriers to their learning that may relate to their gender, their socio-economic background or their culture.