1. CHAPTER ONE: BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY AND RATIONALE
2.10 Inclusive model of education
2.10.1 Definitions of inclusive education
According to UNESCO (2001), inclusive education is seen as a reform that supports and welcomes diversity amongst all learners. It starts from the belief that education is a basic human right and the foundation for a more just society. It uncovers and minimizes barriers to learning and participation in education for all learners. As a result, the exclusion from mainstream learning will be reduced as all the needs of learners will be incorporated. This may assist in achieving quality appropriate education.
Similarly, the 2015 White Paper on disability defines inclusion as “a universal human right”
that:
aims at embracing the diversity of all people irrespective of race, gender, disability or any other differences. It is about equal access and opportunities and eliminating discrimination and intolerance for all. It is about a sense of belonging: feeling respected, valued for who you are; feeling a level of supportive energy and commitment from others so that you can best fully participate in society with no restrictions or limitations (DSD, 2015, p. 8).
The democratic government addressed issues of equal access for all in education including for disabled persons. The environment was also to be altered to make it more functional for people who cannot see or walk (DSD, 2015). Given so many barriers to overcome, it has been difficult to put this government initiative into practice successfully. The aim of inclusive education is to eliminate social exclusion, thereby having a foundation for a more just society (DSD, 2015).
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2.10.2 South African context: society and legislation
The inclusive model of education will be used as a complementary model for this study to be more relevant to education. The story of disability in South Africa is one of social oppression and exclusion. There are many people with disabilities in this country who have never seen the inside of a classroom due to discrimination (Howell, 2006).
In 1994, democracy was established in South Africa. The government then introduced inclusive policies to address disability. The framework for an inclusive education system is laid out in Education White Paper 6: Special Needs Education: Building an Inclusive Education and Training. “The policy attempts to address the diverse needs of all, including special needs learners, by reducing barriers to and within education. Despite South Africa’s’ progress in promoting inclusive education, access to education for students with disabilities is still problematic”. There are inconsistencies between policies (DSD, 2015, p. 22).
South Africa has adopted an inclusive education policy in order to address barriers to learning in the education system. However, the implementation of inclusive education is hampered by a curriculum that fails to address a wide range of learning needs. According to the Education White Paper 6, the needs that should be catered for are: Protecting the rights of all people and making sure that all learners are treated fairly; making sure that all learners can participate fully and equally in education and society, and ensuring that all learners have equal access to a single, inclusive education system (DHET, 2013).
2.10.3 Benefits of the inclusive model of education
The inclusive model promotes increased social initiations, relationships and networks between the disabled and the normal students (Barnes, 2003). UNESCO adopted the Salamanca Statement as a foundational policy shift promoting an inclusive approach to children with special needs in education (UNESCO, 1994). “The Salamanca statement argues that regular schools with an inclusive orientation are the most effective means of combating discriminatory attitudes, building an inclusive society and achieving education for all” (Ainscow, 2005, p.110).
That leads to greater access to general curriculum, enhanced skill acquisition and generalization.
Inclusive education provides an effective education for the majority of students and improves the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the entire education system.
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Families of the students with disabilities are more integrated into the community, leading to increased inclusion in future environments. Thus inclusion is seen as a process which places emphasis on “Uncovering and minimizing barriers to learning and maximizing the participation in education of all learners within an area whatever the origin of their barriers” (Lomofsky &
Lazarus, 2001, p.315). The inclusive model of education further addresses issues of disability that include inaccessible physical environment and rigid curriculum, and can be used to transform cultures and practices in celebration of diversity (Lomofsky & Lazarus, 2001).
To conclude this section, I have chosen the inclusive model as it is essential in ensuring improvement in accessibility and in the provision of equal opportunities for all. From a research perspective, the model helps us to understand how inclusion and exclusion links to access and success in education. Access to education for students with disabilities should not be problematic. Exclusion of SWDs from the educational system should be addressed. The curriculum should be flexible, and assistive devices provided to address their learning needs.
Finally, they should not be socially marginalized.
2.10.4 Limitations and criticism of inclusive education
Not everyone is excited about bringing students with disabilities into the mainstream classroom setting. Controversy over full inclusion spotlights another, larger, issue in education. The idea that all students, including those with disabilities, should and can learn in a regular classroom has taken firm root in many educational institutions. To oppose inclusion would seem to advocate exclusion. Yet some observers maintain that full inclusion is not always the best way to meet student needs.
Critics of full inclusion ask whether even those students with the most severe disabilities benefit from placement in regular classrooms. Inclusive classes may require more than one teacher.
Teachers and students may need specific technology to help students with disabilities perform better. The issues extend far beyond special education. All students can learn at high levels' has become a rallying cry for improving educational institutions (DSD, 2015).
Students with disabilities in South Africa, particularly black students with disabilities who have in the past been excluded still continue to be especially vulnerable to exclusion from the educational system, including the higher education system (DSD, 2015). Students with
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disabilities have reported being denied access to certain courses because they are believed to be unable to meet the course requirements due to impairment.
Others think that just because students with disabilities have an “impairment”, they have a mental problem as well. If students with disabilities pick up such attitudes, they interpret them as hostility; it becomes difficult for them to overcome their disability.
It is therefore clear that inclusive policies in South Africa have not been able to safeguard individual rights effectively. “Marginalized and excluded voices are not heard and students with disabilities still experience exclusion” (Prinsloo, 2001, p. 344). In this study, I argue that disability is not random or natural, but a social infliction.
Although the inclusive model has gained popularity in education, it has remained ill-defined in its implementation and practice. It was hoped that with the transition from apartheid to democracy, the education for many students with disabilities would improve. It is recommended that the education and training system should promote education for all, and foster the development of inclusive and supportive centers of learning that would enable all learners to participate actively in the education process so that they can develop and extend their potential and participate as equal members of society.