Towards Inclusive Practices In Secondary Education

Abstract

To promote inclusive education as part of the ‘Education for All’ initiative, the International Working Group on Disability and Development (IWGDD) worked collaboratively with UNESCO to identify and describe illustrative examples of inclusive approaches to education in secondary schools in multiple regions around the world. This study is about secondary schools that have changed the ways in which supports and services are provided to all students, including those with disabilities. The schools and countries were selected to represent a diverse view of inclusive practices in secondary schools in countries from different regions of the world. The study provides examples of how schools have begun to implement change towards providing inclusive environments. Each case study provides issues to consider in the relationship between inclusive practices and the structuring of secondary school education. It is important to note that general education reforms profoundly affect students with disabilities in secondary school settings and the implementation of inclusive practices. Inclusive education starts from the belief that the right to education is a basic human right and the foundation for a more just society. Over half a century ago (1948) the Universal Declaration of Human Rights asserted education to be this basic human right, a right that was reaffirmed in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (United Nations, 1989). The Convention also recognized that there are particular problems to overcome in order to truly ensure educational opportunities for all children