Barriers to inclusion: a case study of a pupil with severe learning difficulties in Ireland

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the inclusion of a pupil with a severe general learning difficulty in a four‐teacher mainstream primary school, located in rural Ireland. The research employed a qualitative multiple operationism approach to data collection. Data were analysed qualitatively, and quantitative reporting and display procedures were also employed. This paper focuses on curricular and social access, the pupil’s perception, peers’ perception and the impact on peers. The study identified the existence of a number of dilemmas in seeking to secure successful inclusion. These included concerns over specialist teaching materials, mainstream teachers’ perception of meeting the needs of pupils with special educational needs as constituting an esoteric specialist domain, non‐disabled pupils’ lack of knowledge and understanding of learning disability, and the extent to which the pupil was included socially. Questions are raised about the model of support for inclusive education in Ireland.