Concept of Inclusion - Textbook - PDF

# Chapter two: Concept of inclusion - Inclusion in education/service refers to: - An ongoing process aimed at offering quality education/services for all. - Respecting diversity and the different needs and abilities of the students and communities and eliminating all forms of discrimination....

# Chapter two: Concept of inclusion - Inclusion in education/service refers to: - An ongoing process aimed at offering quality education/services for all. - Respecting diversity and the different needs and abilities of the students and communities and eliminating all forms of discrimination. - With the goal of creating a world where there is peace, tolerance, and sustainable use of resources, social justice, and where the basic needs and rights of all are met. - Moreover, effective transitions from segregated services to inclusive system requires: - Careful planning. - Structural changes to ensure that persons with disabilities are provided with appropriate accommodation and supports that ensure an inclusive learning and working environment. The inclusion principles that support inclusive practice: 1. Inclusion is a process. It has to be seen as a never-ending search to find better ways of responding to diversity. 2. Inclusion is concerned with the identification and removal of barriers that hinders the development of persons with disabilities. 3. Inclusion is about the presence, participation and achievement of all persons. 4. Inclusion invokes a particular emphasis on those who may be at risk of marginalization, exclusion or underachievement. - This indicates the moral responsibility to ensure that those at risk' are carefully monitored. Principles of Inclusion - The fundamental principle of inclusion is that all persons should learn, work and live together wherever possible, regardless of any difficulties or differences they may have. - Inclusion begins with the premise that all persons have unique characteristics, interests, abilities and particular learning needs and, further, that all persons have equal access education, employment and services. ## 2. Rationale for Inclusion | Educational Foundations | Social Foundation | | :-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | -Children do better academically, psychologically and socially in inclusive settings. | -All individuals need an education that will help them develop relationships and prepare them for life in the wider community. | | -A more efficient use of education resources | -Only inclusion has the potential to reduce fear and to build friendship, respect and understanding. | | -Decreases dropouts and repetitions. | | | -Teachers competency knowledge, skills, collaboration, satisfaction. | | | Legal Foundations | Economic Foundation | | :---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | -All individuals have the right to learn and live together. | -Cost-effective than the creation of special schools across the country. | | -Human being shouldn't be devalued or discriminated against by their disability. | -Children with disabilities go to local schools. | | -There are no legitimate reasons to separate children for their education. | -Reduce wastage of repetition and dropout. | | | -Better employment and job creation opportunities for people with disabilities. | Foundations for Building Inclusive Society - Formation of mutual understanding and appreciation of diversity. - Building up empathy, tolerance and cooperation. - Promotion of sustainable development. Factors - Communities: Education and community-based programs movement that favor inclusion of their community members. - Activists and advocates: The combined voices of primary stakeholders. - Representatives of groups of learners often excluded and marginalized from education. - The quality education and school improvement movement: The issues of quality, access and inclusion are strongly linked. - Involvement of International agencies: the UN is a major influence on the development of inclusive education policy and practice. - Involvement of NGOs movements, networks and campaigns: a wide range of civil society initiatives, and involve all stakeholders based on different situations. - Special educational needs movement: Has been a positive influence on inclusive education, enabling schools and systems to really respond to a wide range of diversity. Benefits of Inclusion It is now understood that inclusion benefits: - Communities - Families, - Teachers, and - Students By ensuring that children with disabilities attend school with their peers and providing them with adequate support to succeed both academically and socially. Reading assignment 1. Benefits for Students with Special Needs Education 2. Benefits for persons without Special Needs Education 3. Benefit for teachers and parents 4. Benefits of the society Features of Inclusive Environment - Is one in which members feel respected by and connected to one another. - Is an environment that welcomes all people, regardless of their disability and other vulnerabilities. - It recognizes and uses their skills and strengthens their abilities. - Is respectful, supportive, and equalizing. - Reaches out to and includes individuals with disabilities and vulnerabilities at all levels - from first time participants to board members. It has the following major characteristics: - It ensures the respect and dignity of individuals with disabilities. - It meets current accessibility standards to the greatest extent possible to all people with special needs. - Provides accommodations willingly and proactively. - Persons with disabilities are welcomed and are valued for their contributions as individuals. Barriers to Inclusion - Problems related with societal values and beliefs- particularly the community and policy makers negative attitude towards students with disability and vulnerabilities. - Economic factors- this is mainly related with poverty of family, community and society at large - Lack of taking measures to ensure conformity of implementation of inclusion practice with policies. - Lack of stakeholders. - Conservative traditions among the community members about inclusion. - Lack of knowledge and skills among teachers regarding inclusive education. - Rigid curricula, teaching method and examination systems that do not consider students with dives needs and ability differences. - Fragile democratic institutions that could not promote inclusion. - Inadequate resources and inaccessibility of social and physical environments, Using inclusive models that may be imported from other countries. # Chapter 4: Promoting Inclusive Culture - Inclusion is a sense of Belonging, connection and community at work. - Culture is the ideas, customs, and social behavior of a particular people or society that shared by members of the group. - An inclusive culture involves the full and successful integration of diverse people into a workplace or industry. Dimensions of inclusive culture 1. Universal design -Refers to the construction of structures, spaces, services, communications and resources that are organically accessible to a range of people with and without disabilities, without further need for modification or accommodation. Core values: - Representation: The presence of people with disabilities across a range of employee roles and leadership positions - Receptivity: Respect for differences in working styles and flexibility in tailoring positions to the strengths and abilities of employees and - Fairness: Equitable access to all resources, opportunities, networks and decision making processes. 2. Recruitment, Training, & Advancement Opportunities - A. Recruitment: Effective recruitment of people with disabilities involves two components: - Accessible outreach and hiring practices and - ✓ Outreach materials, networking and recruitment sites, communications, and application processes all include a range of accessible options, or are free of barriers - Targeted recruitment of workers with disabilities. - B. Training: Training plays a dual role in the creation of inclusive workplace culture. 1st The degree to which people with disabilities have equitable access to training sites, events, and materials. 2nd The training of managers, particularly middle management, and human resources staff, to work effectively with all people, including those with disabilities. - C. Advancement Promotion, targeted professional networking opportunities, and the establishment of disability affinity networks and related supports to encourage full integration into the workplace culture. 3. Workplace Accommodations and Accessibility: Policy & Practice Workplace policies need to carefully plan for the provision of reasonable accommodations. When assessing the effectiveness of existing accommodations policies, employee experiences can be described based on two measures of equity. Procedural justice , Employees with disabilities perceive the accommodations policy as fair, accessible and functional. Interactional justice refers to the experience of feeling that the managers or colleagues with whom one is interacting are behaving fairly, reasonably and respectfully. The Benefits of Inclusive cultures - Reduced employee turn-over, Improved productivity - Improved employee health and well-being - Reduced perception of discrimination and inequity - Improved cooperation and collaboration between co-workers, and between employees and management. These are some of the benefits of an Inclusive organization that needs to be considered: - Higher Job Satisfaction, Lower Turnover, Higher Productivity, Higher Employee Morale, Improved Creativity and Innovation, Improved Problem-Solving, Increased Organizational Flexibility. Building inclusive community What is an inclusive community? - Works to eliminate all forms of discrimination. - Engages all its citizens in decision-making processes that affect their lives. - ✓ Values diversity and - Responds quickly to racist and other discriminating incidents. An inclusive society - Aims at empowering and promoting the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, economic, or other status. - It is a society that leaves no one behind. We work to ensure that societies are open and inclusive to all. Characteristics of an Inclusive Community - Integrative and cooperative: Bring people together - Interactive: Social interaction and community activity, including celebrating community life. - Invested: Both the public and private sectors commit resources for the social and economic health and well-being of the whole community. - Diverse: Welcome and incorporate diverse people and cultures into the structures, processes and functions of daily community life. - Equitable: inclusive communities make sure that everyone has the means to live in decent conditions - Accessible and Sensitive: readily available and accessible supports and services for the social, health, and developmental needs of their populations and provide such supports in culturally sensitive and appropriate ways /essential services. - Participatory: encourage and support the involvement of all their members in the planning and decision-making that affects community conditions and development, - Safe: inclusive communities ensure both individual and broad community safety and security so that no one feels at risk in their homes or moving around the neighborhood and city. Inclusive leadership behaviors: - Empowerment: Enable team members to grow and excel by encouraging them to solve problems, come up with new ideas and develop new skills. - Accountability: Show confidence in team members by holding them responsible for aspects of their performance that are within their control. - Courage: Stand up for what you believe is right, even when it means taking a risk. - Humility: Admit mistakes, learn from criticism and different points of view, and overcome your limitations by seeking contributions from team members. How to establish inclusive culture 1. Consider what you want to achieve and what the benefits will be. Looking at your organization: its size, the type of work it does, where it is located, who it employs, who uses its services, and what its goals are; and thinking about how it could become more inclusive. 2. Undertake an inclusion review of your workplace. - The demographics of your organization and customer base. - All organizations are different, so the first thing you will need to do is examine what the demographic make-up of your workplace is. - Policies and procedure. 3. Decide where work is needed and create an action plan. - Set out the key changes you would like to make as a result of your review. - Prioritize these changes to help you decide where to start. - Actively involve all employees , Consultation and participation - Encourage employees to take part in monitoring, and promote the reasons for doing so. Ensure the organization's core values include a commitment to equality, human rights and inclusive working. - 4. Communicate the plan with staff and put the plan into action - Actively involve all groups of employees - In order to create a working culture of inclusion, - Participation and consultation Consult employees to find out about their experiences, what they feel are the key issues affecting them and what action they would like to see taken to address these issues. - Staff surveys Gather information on a range of subjects, including the make-up of the workforce, responses and attitudes towards equality and human rights issues Focus groups Provide more opportunity for in-depth consultation and debate with a smaller number of employees. Engagement Networks and forums can utilize an important representative voice of staff from minority groups and can provide useful input into policies and action plans. 5. Review, monitor and evaluate the plan's impact and use what you find to plan future action Characteristics of an Inclusive Organization 1. It accepts diversity and inclusion as a way of life. 2. It evaluates individual and group performance on the basis of observable and measurable behaviors and competencies. 3. It operates under transparent policies and procedures. 4. It is consistent in its interactions with everyone. No one group is favored over another. 5. It creates and maintains a learning culture. 6. It has a comprehensive and easily accessible system of conflict resolution at all levels. 7. It recognizes that it is part of the community that it serves. 8. It lives its mission and core values. 9. It values earned privilege over unearned privilege. Employees are recognized for their actions and accomplishments, not simply because of their titles or degrees 10. It accepts and embraces change. Inclusive values The seven Pillars of Inclusion: - Access: Access explores the importance of a welcoming environment and the habits that create it. - Attitude: Attitude looks at how willing people are to embrace inclusion and diversity and to take meaningful action. - Choice, partnership, communication, policy and opportunity Indigenous inclusive values and practices - The term "Indigenous refers to a better understanding of, and respect for, indigenous cultures develops an enriched appreciation of the existing cultural heritage. - It was important to recognize the right of indigenous peoples to land, and resources. What is indigenous inclusion? - An organizational state that is embraced as a cultural norm, with enterprise-wide workplace strategies as well as a culture which invites the full participation of indigenous people into all aspects of business operations. Features of an indigenous inclusion: - Human rights and responsibilities are promoted and respected. - There are significant revenues and jobs gained by Indigenous people and businesses through the organization's supply chain; - Indigenes community sustainable gains have been realized as a result of the relationships built between the company and the community; - Leadership has put into place the resources needed to sustain its Indigenous inclusion strategy and it may have introduced an inclusion policy framework or statement; - Indigenous inclusion is integral to the mission and vision of the organization. Thank you!!!