Inclusion in Education - Essay Example

According to the report findings dimension to inclusion which goes beyond these narrowly school based considerations’ and thus ‘it is the wider notion of inclusion in society’. It is a wider notion mainly because special needs in Inclusive education should also be taken care of. Different groups of disabled people have different experiences. A child who is deaf and blind might be better off in a special school situation, rather than the mainstream school. This is because due to this disability, the child would be either uneducated or unable to keep pace with mainstream curriculum. The Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action has discussed some pioneering and fundamental principles of inclusion that has not been discussed previously. This discussion declares that in terms of needs children have a wide diversity of characteristics, difference is normal, ALL children are to accommodated by schools, children with disabilities should attend neighbourhood schools, it is essential for disabled to be a part of community, proper resources and support should be provided, efficiency and cost effectiveness is a result of inclusion, and inclusion can benefit all children. Salamanca argues that these are some core inclusion concepts. Inclusive education serves as an exemplar for an inclusive society. In addition, it also benefits students and school personnel. Research shows that in inclusion settings the academic performance of students was found equal or better for the general education students and even for high achievers at times. It promotes the sense of cooperation and the feeling of togetherness in the learner. Furthermore, research show that there has been an improvement in the social skills of low achieving regular students and students with disabilities. It was also observed that inclusion lead to an increase in self-esteem of students related to their abilities and accomplishments. Self-esteem was increased because children with disabilities were taking classes in a regular classroom setting. Studies using quasi-experimental designs showed that the regular students were ... Read More