Inclusion in Education: ‘A Piggy Back Will Do?’

Abstract

‘Inclusion’ within education is not a new word. Typically, as educators, we want education to work for all our students and we are required to provide equality within education. Consequently, it is not unusual to hear statements like ‘we are an inclusive school’. However, what exactly does it mean to be an inclusive education provider, on whose terms do we define inclusion, and how do we measure outcomes relative to the goal of being an inclusive school or higher education institute? In this chapter, I reflect on a number of different stories that depict teaching practices and institutional polices that have distanced students from feeling included, as well as those practices and policies which invite students to engage with and enjoy their learning environment. The selected stories are drawn from a number of case studies, namely: children’s and adults’ experiences of education as a student who has an illness and/or disability, work experiences within the education sector when a person has an illness and/or disability, and a tertiary institution’s policy on student attendance. The meta-narrative that emerges from these local stories is that the idea of inclusion is easier to voice and write than actually achieve in practice. An analysis of the competing discursive realities that vie for ascendency within the case studies illustrate why inclusion within education is challenging to action well; despite inclusion education policies being prevalent and/or educators’ intentions towards inclusion being positive. Foucauldian and Freirean concepts have been drawn on in making sense of both the discursive complexity of providing inclusive education and the kinds of systemic actions that enable education to be experienced as equitable and supportive.