Inclusive Education Essay

As society changes we must also consider the changes this has on the educational setting.

One such change is the move towards inclusive education within the classroom, but to

understand how the inclusive classroom works we first need to understand a definition of

what an inclusive classroom is. Eric Shyman (2015) defines inclusive education as all

students without exception being entitled to opportunities included in a regular classroom

environment, whilst still receiving the necessary support to facilitate access. It is this

changing view towards acceptance and access for students with disability in the classroom

that will be explored in this paper. This paper will draw information from specific legislations

such as the Disability Standards for Education, 2005 and the Disability Discrimination Act

1992, exploring the impacts this has on an inclusive approach to education. Along with this

exploration into legislation approaches to teaching within an inclusive education setting will

be explored incorporating approaches for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

and other students with diverse learning needs. Along with teaching approaches that will

include different adjustments to learning to accommodate an inclusive classroom there will

also be a discussion about the skills needed of teachers within an inclusive classroom and

why they are chosen as needed skills.

The Australian government has taken a proactive approach to improving the quality of

engagement with society for all people who have a disability, not only in education but in all

aspects of life. The Disability discrimination Act 1992 addresses Australia’s approach to

disability in all aspects of society with its primary objective being “to eliminate, as far as

possible, discrimination against persons on the ground of disability” (pp. 7) (Australian

Government ,2016). This approach has been continually added to as seen with the Disability

Standards for Education, 2005 which falls under the DDA 1992 and focuses on Disability

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standards in education. The Disability Standards for Education 2005 aims to allow all

students with a disability the same opportunities as those without (Department of Education,

2012). These legislations draw on the idea of adjustments to the learning process which are

considered ‘reasonable’. For an adjustment to be considered reasonable it needs to assist the

student/s who have a disability whilst also considering the impact these adjustments have on

the learning needs of all involved. The other parties involved can include other students,

teachers and the education providers. One of the features of the DDA and Disability

Standards for Education is that they aim to change the whole picture and the overall approach

to all people with a disability in society as a whole. The final factor these legislations address

is the approach to remove discrimination against the students with disabilities, this requires a

whole school understanding of the obligation not to harass or victimise students with

disabilities and knowledge that action will be taken if this occurs.

Over the past 100 years there have been many changes in the way societies approach

the minorities. This approach has occurred across the globe and includes events such as the

abolishment of slavery in the United States of America. It was big changes like this that lead

to social activists perusing legislation changes not only for ethnic minorities but for all

minorities including women and sexual orientation or gender identity, it was these successes

that brought about a large social change to the way the world approaches the minorities (Poed

& Elkins, 2012). Australia has followed in these steps of social change and a number of

legislations and documents have been created addressing these changes. These documents

include the DDA 1992, Disability Standards for Education 2005 and the Age Discrimination

Act 2004 (Poed & Elkins, 2012). The combination of these legislations and the changing

social views on access for all including educational access, has led to an approach known as

inclusive education. There have been changing views regarding the implementation of an

inclusive education practice with people asking why we need to include this approach to now

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focusing on the how it can be done successfully (Loreman, 2007). This change has developed

due to the regulation of the policies regarding discrimination and a changing moral, ethical

and social justice response from society as a whole (Thomas, 1997). It is the approach of how

that will be discussed further including approaches exploring reasonable adjustments,

differentiation, accommodations and teacher skills.

Since we have already discussed what is considered a reasonable adjustment with

‘reasonable’ being the consideration of all parties involved when making the adjustment, we

must also consider what an adjustment is. The University of Canberra (2014) defines an

adjustment as the actions taken to enable a student with disability to participate in education

on the same basis as other students, whilst ensuring that there is no discrimination against the

student with disability. The University also touches on a key aspect of inclusive education

saying “An adjustment for one student can benefit others” (University of Canberra, 2014)

which is one of the key parts of inclusive education and key for approaching adjustments.

When making adjustments it is important to consider how these adjustments are beneficial to

a student, but also the impact they have on others as mentioned, but these can also have many

positive impacts on other students as what is good for one can also be good for others even if

they do not have a disability (Loreman, 2007) (Universal Design for learning, n.d.). These

adjustments are best approached through the Understanding design for learning model for

planning, this planning process works from set goals and outcomes such as an assessment to

backwards plan the lesson so that it incorporates and is differentiated for all learners in the

classroom (Universal Design for learning, n.d.). Understanding Design for learning provides

frameworks to help educators create effective units of work through a focus on three key

areas, representation, expression and engagement (Universal Design for learning, n.d.). These

areas are focus points in making adjustments within the classroom so that reasonable

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adjustments can be made as the process of Universal Design considers all students throughout

the design process.

To put reasonable adjustments, accommodations and differentiation into perspective

we will be exploring how to approach an inclusive classroom with a range of students with

diverse learning needs. These students will include students who are Gifted and Talented,

students with behavioural difficulties, and students with ASD. In NSW public schools 12

percent of the students have a disability or additional learning needs or behavioural issues

(NSW DET, 2012). Many of these students have been identified to have learning difficulties

or disabilities which also includes ASD. These students are present in all schools and likely in

all classrooms so it is important to consider approaches that are effective in their approach to

inclusive education supported by research and effective teacher skills.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong developmental condition that is

diagnosed on the basis of observed behaviours (DSM-5 Fact sheet, 2013). These observed

behaviours can include a variety differences and do not all need to be present with each

person with ASD. The behaviours include are recognised as restricted and repetitive patterns

of behaviour, a strong interest in a specific topic/area and difficulties with social

communication and interactions (Autism Spectrum Australia, 2017). The diagnosis of ASD

has changed from one that individually identifies someone as one of the following three titles:

Autistic disorder, Asperger syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not

Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) to a single title of ASD. These changes to the Label of ASD

occurred with the new DSM-5 introduced in 2013, but those who had been identified as one

of the three above mentioned titles will retain that if they were diagnosed prior to the DSM-5.

Students with ASD require special adjustments and accommodations in the classroom and as

the number of diagnosis increase and the move towards inclusivity over segregation occurs

across more schools, we will be seeing more students with ASD in mainstream classrooms.

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 There are a range of adjustments that can be made to accommodate students with

ASD in mainstream classrooms. A simple and often overlooked approach is parental

involvement in the education process. Parental involvement in the planning process of

education plans for students with special needs including ASD have shown to improve the

engagement with the learning program and continuation of learning at both school and home

(Sukys, Dumciene & Lapeniene, 2015). Another accommodation that can be made not only

for students with ASD but all students in an inclusive classroom is to draw student’s ability

not disability (Griffin, Woods, Coles-Janess & Roberts, 2010). One way to apply this in the

classroom with students who have ASD is to set tasks that allow for them to explore their

area of interest. For example, in an English class and you are doing a creative writing task

and you know that one of your students has a deep interest into wrestling, you can allow (not

only that one student) them to do their creative writing about a wrestling scene. This

integration of interests based tasks can also help to engage and positive behaviours among all

students, including those who have behavioural difficulties. Other provisions that can be

provided for students can include support materials, learning support teacher in the

classroom, a range of pedagogies focused on engagement, the way material is presented to

student’s e.g. larger font, differentiated forms of instruction and a change to the classroom

learning environment. Many of these steps are taken to provide access to content for all

students but are also helpful to promote engagement over punishment especially for those

with behavioural issues (Sullivan, Johnson, Conway, Owens & Taddeo, 2012).

To effectively implement these adjustments, accommodations and therefore create an

inclusive classroom that provides access for all, I believe there are certain skills that assist

and can be considered key within an inclusive education setting. The first and one of the most

important skills needed to work in an inclusive classroom is knowledge, not simply

knowledge about the topic you are teaching, though it does help, but knowledge about your

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students are how they learn (AITSL, 2014). This includes having knowledge about ASD,

behavioural issues, the planning process and accommodations and how to implement them.

The knowledge you have walking into the classroom help you become adaptable with your

approach to different events throughout the lesson, but it is also the ability to acknowledge

that there is still more knowledge you need and to seek that further improvement that will

make the biggest different. This brings us to the next skill which is being proactive. Being

proactive is taking the initiative with something, this can come through with seeking

knowledge, ensuring proper planning for lessons and units of work using the Design for

learning model, so that they include differentiation for all students and being proactive in

identifying behavioural situations prior to them escalating. In order to be proactive in this

sense you must also be observant, through observing the interactions between your students

you can identify when to change activity to avoid disruptive behaviour, notice when students

need assistance and improve engagement levels.

Therefore we see that as society is changing across time, the educational setting must

also change along with it. The views and requirements brought forwards through legislation

such as the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability standards for Education

2005 have changed the way we approach education within the classroom. This has led us

away from segregated learning spaces and classrooms to those which promote inclusivity.

These new learning environments draw on a teacher’s ability to provide reasonable

adjustments, accommodations and differentiated learning for all students. Though these three

key areas of inclusive education can be daunting to some educators, the changing discord

among education requires this approach so that all students can have equal access. It is

challenging for teacher’s to approach this, but there are supports available to facilitate the

process including the Understanding design for learning model, professional development

workshops and further education. These approaches may be harder for educators who have

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been in the field for a longer period of time, but the newer generation of teachers are learning

how to approach an inclusive classroom during their initial teacher education and should be

equipped with the required skills and knowledge to approach their own inclusive classroom.

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References List

AITSL. (2014). Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Retrieved from

https://educationstandards.nsw.edu.au/wps/wcm/connect/8658b2fa-62d3-40ca-a8d9-

02309a2c67a1/australian-professional-standards-

teachers.pdf?MOD=AJPERES&CVID=

Australian Government Department of Education and Training (DET). (2012). Disability

Standards for Education 2005. Australian Government. Retrieved April 1, 2018, from

https://docs.education.gov.au/system/files/doc/other/disability_standards_f

or_education_2005_plus_guidance_notes.pdf

Autism Spectrum Australia. (2013). Fact Sheet 10 DSM-5 and Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Retrieved from

https://www.autismtraining.com.au/orionfiles/upload/public/files/Fact%20Sheet%201

0_DSM-5_Nov13(1).pdf

Australian Government (2016). Disability Discrimination Act, 1992. Retrieved April 1, 2018,

from https://www.legislation.gov.au/Series/C2004A04426

Autism Spectrum Australia. (2017). What is Autism? Autism Spectrum Australia Retrieved

March 28, 2017, from https://www.autismspectrum.org.au/content/what-autism

Griffin, P., Woods, K., Coles-Janess, B., Roberts, E. (2010). Mining the Gold:

Assessing Students by Ability, Not Disability. Teacher: The National Education

Magazine, (April 2010), 34-37.

Loreman, T. (2007). Seven pillars of support for inclusive education : moving from "why?"

to "how?". International Journal of Whole Schooling, 3(2), 39.

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Loreman, T., Deppeler, J., & Harvey, D. (2011). Inclusive education : Supporting diversity in

the classroom (2nd ed.).

NSW Department of Education and Training (NSW DET). (2012). Every Student, Every

School. NSW Government. Retrieved April 1, 2018, from

https://www.det.nsw.edu.au/media/downloads/about-us/how-weoperate/national-

partnerships-program/every-student-everyschool/learning-and-support.pdf

Poed, S., & Elkins, J. (2012). Legislation, Policies and Principles Education for Inclusion and

Diversity (pp. 39-60). Australia: Pearson Education.

Shyman, E. (2015). Toward a Globally Sensitive Definition of Inclusive Education Based in

Social Justice. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education,

62(4), 351-362. doi:10.1080/1034912X.2015.1025715

Sukys, S., Dumciene, A., & Lapeniene, D. (2015). PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT IN

INCLUSIVE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL EDUCATIONAL

NEEDS.Social Behavior and Personality, 43(2), 327-338. Retrieved from

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Sullivan, A., Johnson, B., Conway R., Owens, L., Taddeo, C. (2012). Punish Them or Engage

Them?. Retrieved from https://vuws.westernsydney.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-3145808-

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Thomas, G. (1997). Inclusive Schools for an Inclusive Society. British Journal of

Special Education, 24(3), 103-107.

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University of Canberra. (2014). What's Reasonable? Retrieved from

https://resource.dse.theeducationinstitute.edu.au/content/whats-reasonable

Universal Design. (n.d.). Retrieved April 02, 2017, from http://www.adcet.edu.au/disability-

practitioner/course-design-andimplementation/universal-design/

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