‘He seemed a little lost soul’: Family Insights into the Reality of Realizing Inclusive Education for a Child with a Disability

Abstract

Inclusive education is promoted internationally as the most effective way of educating all children. Concurring with this, parents increasingly seek out inclusive schooling for their child with disability, rather than placement in a special segregated facility. There is, nonetheless, enormous diversity between countries and regions in the form that this takes, depending upon local policies, contexts and government and school commitment to an inclusive approach. Listening to the voices of parents and self-advocates from different regions about their personal experiences when endeavouring to access an inclusive schooling option can provide greater clarity about the process and how easy it is for families to take this route. The following stories are told by four parents from different countries and one self-advocate about their journey to access an inclusive education for a child with a disability.

Citation

Forlin, C., Scorgie, K., Strikwerda, H., Walker, J., Donnelly, M., Jane, S. and Aragon, A.B. (2019), "‘He seemed a little lost soul’: Family Insights into the Reality of Realizing Inclusive Education for a Child with a Disability", Promoting Social Inclusion (International Perspectives on Inclusive Education, Vol. 13), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 93-103. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-363620190000013008