Social Inclusion and Belonging: Affirming Validation, Agency and Voice

Abstract

Social inclusion incorporates attitudes, expectations and perceptions about what it means to belong to a group. Belonging is embedded in personal beliefs and social structures that set forth criteria that determine how individuals and groups are accorded value and esteem. This chapter explores the constructs of social inclusion, exclusion and belonging with regard to persons in general and more specifically children with disability. It examines the importance of belonging and social inclusion to academic and psychosocial well-being and the effects of stigmatization and exclusion on self-perception, agency and voice. The chapter concludes with a number of evidence-based strategies for creating classrooms, schools and communities in which all are valued, welcomed and belong.

Citation

Scorgie, K. and Forlin, C. (2019), "Social Inclusion and Belonging: Affirming Validation, Agency and Voice", Promoting Social Inclusion (International Perspectives on Inclusive Education, Vol. 13), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 3-15. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-363620190000013001