102084 INCLUSIVE EDUCATION

In order to appropriately define inclusive education, we must first ask ourselves some
pertinent questions. Do we view education as an inalienable right which must be
accessible to all? Do we as a society work collectively to share the empowerment and
wonderful benefits education can bring about? These questions roll like thunder for all
stakeholders in the education sphere; policymakers, teachers, students and relatives.
It is the view of this author that education is much like access to public utilities such
as clean drinking water and electricity, without which life becomes exceedingly difficult.
This position necessitates embracing and equalizing the learning needs of all
students. It is a shift from the traditional model of disability that historically negatively
labeled and radicalized individuals on their differences. To the present model of
inclusion which promotes principles and values and challenges the ways in which
schools perceive and reproduce social inequalities (Liasidou, 2015). This essay aims
to explore the changing views revolving around inclusion and the influence of
legislative regulations in regards to Australian schools. Furthermore, it also aims to
recognise the skills and strategies required of teachers to establish an effective
inclusive learning environment for all students, with particular reference to students
with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

The Social Model and Legislations

The modification journey of inclusive education in Australia has come a long way since
before the 1970s, as students with disabilities were educated in segregated learning
environments for almost a century. Prior to this era disability was considered to be a
medical deficiency, therefore students with disabilities were placed in home cares,
ignored or retained in medical establishments where their main objective was daily
care endorsed through medications/treatment rather than schooling. Subsequently,
students with disabilities who were permitted to attend regular schools were subject to
labels such as ‘different’ and were separated into special schools to cater their needs
(Keeffe-Martin and Lindsay, 2002). Thus, there was a shift from the traditional model
of persons with disabilities to the present Social Model of disability stemming from the
Fundamental Principles of Disability Document 1970. The Social model focuses on

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the idea that people are not disabled by their impairments but by factors placed by
society, it aims to promote inclusion not only for people with disabilities but society as
a whole (Oliver, 2013).

Australian education began to reflect a more inclusive approach to by involving

students with disabilities after the ‘normalization principal’ was introduced in the
1970s. Although many modifications had begun to emerge before the Salamanca
Statement (UNESCO, 1994), time has revealed that in the previous decade there have
been noticeable outcomes to the shift towards inclusive education in Australian
schools (Forlin, 2006). Consequently, modifications in inclusive education occurred
due to the response in research discoveries on the usefulness of special education
and the change in the attitudes of the Western world on how individuals with disabilities
should be educated and be able to live ‘normal’ lives (Konza, 2008). Following these
modifications, legislations were reformed and put in place in order to ensure that the
idea of inclusive education was achieved. Hence, the Rights of Individuals with
disabilities in the United Nations Convention 2008, was designed as a universal treaty
between Australia and other global nations to encourage the inclusion and
participation of all individuals with disabilities. The Convention declares that individuals
with disabilities must be given the right to inclusive education regardless of their
circumstances (ARACY, 2013).

Australia promotes inclusive education through specific legislations such as The

Commonwealth and State Anti-Discrimination laws for example, the Anti-
Discrimination Act, 1991 (Qld.) and the Disability Discrimination Act, 1992 (Cth.) (NSW
DET, 2012). These legislations were introduced in order to mitigate any acts of
negative stereotyping and discrimination towards people with disabilities. Among one
of their objectives is, ‘to promote recognition and acceptance within the community of
the principle that persons with disabilities have the same fundamental rights as the
rest of the community’ (Disability Discrimination Act, 1992. Section 3). The Disability
Standards for Education 2005 formed under the Disability Discrimination Act, 1992
(Ct). (NSW DET, 2012), further promotes the elimination of discrimination against
people with or without disabilities. The standard highlights the relevant modifications
and accommodations required by students with disabilities to experience and share in
the same equal opportunities to education as their peers (NSW DET, 2012).

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Inclusiveness of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and
disabilities overall

As time is progressing the rates of students with disabilities in Australian schools is

also increasing. The Australian Bureau of statistics (ABS) demonstrates, that in 2015
roughly 81% of students and young individuals between 5-20yrs with a disability
attended schools/educational facility (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2017).
Among these individuals are students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) which
accounts for 4.97% of all students with disabilities (Hughes, Katsiyannis, McDaniel,
Ryan and Sprinkle 2011). In simplest terms, ASD can be described as a group of
complex neurodevelopment disorders, that can be termed as a set of difficult patterns
in social interactions/communications (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and
Stroke, 2015).

Diagnosing ASD can be made by observing the behaviour of the individual, it does not
involve blood tests nor does it have a single defining symptom or physical features
that are unique to it (Positive Partnerships, DATE). As aforementioned, individuals
with ASD tend to have problems with their communication skills, this can include
responding inappropriately in social interactions, misreading non-verbal
communications or find it difficult to form friendships with individuals within their age
group. In addition, individuals with ASD may also be highly depend on set routines,
overly sensitive to modifications to their surroundings or extremely focused on
inappropriate things (American Psychiatric Association, 2013).

Individuals with ASD are usually placed in segregated schools, the main issues with
separating students with ASD is that there learning environment is surrounded only
with other students with disabilities. Hence, students in these schools tend to learn
from their surrounding peers with disabilities and are not exposed to peers who are
not (Reagan, 2012). Eldar, Talmor and Wolf-Zukerman, (2010) states that, “peers
benefit from being exposed to children with a diversity of temperaments” (p.98).
Therefore, not only do ASD students benefit from the exposure to inclusive educational
institutions but their peers also benefit. There are multiple reasons as to why students
with ASD and students with disabilities in general should be included into general
educational institutions. For instance, “education can be, and perhaps should be, an
effective ‘treatment’ for ASD in the sense that, since there is so much that individuals
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with ASD have to learn that is just intuitively grasped by the non-autistic, learning may
best be enhanced through high-quality teaching” (Jordan 2008, p. 11). Research has
demonstrated that students with ASD gain a great amount of skills, abilities and
knowledge from being integrated into an inclusive learning environment. Some of
these skills and abilities may include, students may demonstrate significant levels of
engagement and social interaction with their peers and teachers; students receive and
provide great social support and greater higher learning objectives compared to
students with ASD in divided schools (Reagan, 2012).

Thus, it is evident that inclusive education provides students with the opportunity to
develop appropriate attitudes towards individuals with disabilities (Konza, 2008).
Exposure to students with a range of differences and special needs can allow regular
students to observe that they themselves to some extent may share some similarities
with students with disabilities. For example, students with disabilities, have bad days
and good days and have weaknesses and strengths, and from this it allows them to
construct solid connections with their peers (Westwood & Graham 2003). Empirical
evidence has shown that shifting attitudes towards individuals with disabilities and
inclusive education necessitates two components; one being that people are provided
with enough information about people with disabilities and two being that experience
and exposure to people with disabilities is essential in the construction of an inclusive
setting (Bandy & Boyer 1994).

Professional and Personal skills of Teachers

Furthermore, it is essential that teachers understand to integrate appropriate personal

and professional skills to their teaching; to ensure that students with ASD/disabilities
and students in general are provided with an inclusive learning environment. In order
for teachers to fully understand what strategies they need to utilize to achieve the
inclusion of students with ASD into their lessons they must first, “understand ASD and
the many complexities presented by the various dimensions of the disorder” (Burns,
Leblanc & Richardson, 2009, p. 167). In achieving this, teachers can use their
knowledge on students with ASD to create teaching strategies that can help students
learn better and help engage them in the lesson content.

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There a various teaching and learning strategies that teachers can incorporate into
their lessons for students with ASD/disability. An example of an inclusive approach
teachers can take with regards to students with ASD may involve their sensory input
which they gain through a variety of self-stimulatory actions. These may include:
Auditory (making noise), Visual (closing eyes), Tactile (rubbing things), Olfactory
(smelling things), Gustatory (licking items), Vestibular (rocking) and Proprioceptive
(squeezing things) (Beal-Alvarez, Jolivette and Mays, 2011). Therefore, when
students are occupied in these self-stimulatory actions they are more likely to be less
engaged in the lesson instructions. Hence, teachers must mitigate these actions and
create strategies that can replace them with appropriate behaviors. Some empirically
accepted strategies include: for Vestibular senses students can sit in a rocking chair
and for auditory senses teachers can incorporate songs that can be regularly played
in the background or when transitioning through instructions as this can help reduce
the student’s anxiety (Reagan, 2012). The advantage of using these strategies
throughout lessons is that they are usually beneficial for all students as using a variety
of teaching methods is recommended and effective in class lessons (Goodman &
Williams 2007).

There are alternative strategies that are beneficial for the learning of students with
additional disabilities and students in general. For example, differentiated instruction
includes teachers constructively responding to what students know, and creating
learning pathways that enables students to access beneficial learning opportunities
(Munro, 2012). This strategy is not only used for students with disabilities but for gifted
and talented students, heterogeneous and mixed ability classrooms. Empirical
evidence has shown high success rates with this type of teaching (Colangelo,
Assouline & Gross, 2004). For example, with gifted and talented students, it aims to
accelerate their learning through the modification of the curriculum and grade
placement (Munro, 2012). Furthermore, the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is
another strategy that is useful for the inclusion of students with ASD, general
disabilities and students as a whole. Its main goal is to be a ‘design for all’, as it uses
various means of expressions, representations and engagement strategies to achieve
the learning needs of a diverse range of students (CAST, 2014). It is a tool used to
design particular pedagogies and curricular activities that is compatible with the
learning of all students (Loreman, Deppeler and Harvey, 2011). It can be used by

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educators to, “reduce contextual barriers in the learning environment and offer
learners with ASD the flexibility and support they need to be successful by applying
the principles of UDL” (Boser and Goodwin, 2014, p. 24). For example, for students
with ASD basic modifications and additions under the UDL principals can make a
significant difference to their learning this may include; incorporating visual
representations in the form of a photograph, objects or models for visual learners
(Boser and Goodwin, 2014). Thus, it is important to understand that overall as
educators, high expectations must be set for all learners not just those with special
needs. When constructing lessons teachers must take into consideration the benefit
and welfare of all students in order to help students achieve their full learning potential.

In conclusion, it is evident that the changing views about inclusion and the
implementation of legislative regulations in the Australian education system, has
sparked a significant increase in the number of students with ASD/disabilities in
‘regular’ schooling environments. Thus as a result, this increases the responsibilities
of teachers to engage in research on the needs of students with ASD/disabilities; in
order to fully understand what accommodations, modifications and additions are
essential to creating inclusive lesson plans that meet the needs of all students. It is
fundamentally important to understand that teachers must ensure that whilst meeting
the needs of students with ASD/disabilities they must also take into consideration the
needs of ‘regular’ students in order to fully achieve the success of an inclusive learning
environment.

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