ADDIS ABABA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

UNIVERSITY

INCLUSSIVENESS
ASSIGNMENT:

CHAPTER TWO –
CONCEPTS OF
INCLUSION
(Review and Chapter
Reflection)

Submitted to: Wondwesen G

Prepared by: Yohannes Teshome

Section: N
ID No: ETS0702/12
 CHAPTER 2: CONCEPTS OF INCLUSION
Definition of Inclusion
Inclusion is, in our context, described as a continuing process targeted on offering education or
services for all persons while respecting diversity, the different needs & expectations of the
students and eliminating any type of discrimination. It involves reducing exclusion at all social
contexts.
Inclusion also acknowledges that learning begins at birth and is a continuing process throughout
life, and seeks to enable communities, systems & structures in all cultures and contexts to combat
discrimination & overcome barriers to learning with the goal of creating a world where there is
peace, tolerance, social justice and where the basic rights and needs of all are met.
According to McLeskey and Waldron (2000) Inclusion means:

- When a student all students receive an education that addresses their individual needs
- When No student is excluded based on type or degree of disability
- When every student is accepted and regarded as a full and valued member of the class
and the school community.
And Inclusion does not mean:

- Isolating students with disabilities socially, physically, or academically within the general
education school or classroom
- Placing students with disabilities into general education classrooms without careful
planning and adequate support.
- Teachers spending a disproportionate amount of time teaching or adapting the curriculum
for students with disabilities.

Principles of Inclusion
The basic and general principle of inclusion is that all persons should learn, work and live
together wherever possible, regardless of any difficulties or differences they may have.
Furthermore, UNESCO (2005) has provided four major inclusion principles that support
inclusive practice. These include:
1. Inclusion is an ongoing process. It has to be seen as a never-ending search to find better
ways of responding to diversity. It is about learning how to live with difference and
learning how to learn from difference. Differences should be seen as a positive stimulus
rather than the other way.
2. Inclusion is concerned with the identification and removal of barriers that hinders the
development of persons with disabilities. It is about using evidence of various kinds to
stimulate creativity and problem - solving.
3. Inclusion is about the presence, participation and achievement of all persons. ‘Presence‘
is concerned with where persons are provided and how reliably and punctually they
attend; ‘participation‘ relates to the quality of their experiences and must incorporate the
views of learners/and or workers and ‘achievement‘ is about the outcomes of learning
across the curriculum, not just test and exam results.
 4. Inclusion invokes a particular emphasis on those who may be at risk of marginalization,
exclusion or underachievement. This indicates the moral responsibility to ensure that
those ‘at risk‘ are carefully monitored, and that steps are taken to ensure their presence,
participation and achievement.

Rationale of Inclusion
Application of inclusion has a number of rationales/reason which includes:

- Educational Foundations – to enable Children do better academically, psychologically

and socially in inclusive settings and decreases dropouts and repetitions.
- Social Foundation – inclusion has the potential to reduce fear and to build friendship,
respect and understanding.
- Legal Foundations - All individuals have the right to learn and live together. Besides,
Human being shouldn‘t be devalued or discriminated against by being excluded or sent
away because of their disability.
- Economic Foundation - Inclusive education is more cost-effective than the creation of
special schools across the country.

Factors that Influenced Development of Inclusion

Inclusiveness came from three major ideas. These include: inclusive education is
a basic human right; quality education results from inclusion of students with diverse needs
and ability differences, and there is no clear demarcation between the characteristics of
students with and without disabilities and vulnerabilities. Inclusive education is facilitated by
many influencing actors like communities, activists & advocates, international agencies, NGOs
and others.

Benefits of Inclusion
Inclusion can benefit many parts of the community in different ways. To examine one by one:

- Benefit for a Student with Special Need Education: they will have improved friendships
with the social environment and increased social initiations, interactions, relationships
and networks. It also helps them academically by enhancing skill acquisition and
generalization in their learning.
- Benefits for persons without Special Needs Education: Learn that students with SEN
have many positive characteristics and abilities. They will also have an opportunity to
learn to communicate, and deal effectively with a wide range of individuals; this prepares
them to fully participate in society when they are adults that make them build an
inclusive society.
- Benefits for Teachers: They have more opportunities to learn new ways
to teach different kinds of students. They will also gain new knowledge, such as the
different ways children learn and can be taught.
- Benefits for Parents/Family: Learn how to deal better with their children at home by
using techniques that the teachers use in school. Find out ways to interact with others in
the community, as well as to understand and help solve each other‘s problems.
- Benefits for Society: Introduction of students with disabilities and vulnerabilities into
mainstream schools bring in the students into local communities and neighborhoods and
 helps break down barriers and prejudice that prevail in the society towards persons with
disability.

Goals of Inclusion
The goal of inclusive education is to create schools where everyone belongs. Students educated
together have a greater understanding of difference and diversity. Students educated together
have fewer fears about difference and disability. An inclusive school culture creates better long-
term outcomes for all students.

Inclusive Environments and their Characteristics

An inclusive environment is a place that is adjusted to individuals‘needs rather than its inversion
– the individuals are adjusted to the environmental needs. It acknowledges that individual
differences among individuals are a source of richness and diversity, and not a problem, and that
various needs and the individual pace of learning and development can be met successfully with
a wide range of flexible approaches.
An inclusive environment is an environment that welcomes all people, regardless of their
disability and other vulnerabilities. It recognizes and uses their skills and strengthens their
abilities. It has the following major characteristics:

- it ensures the respect and dignity of individuals with disabilities

- it meets current accessibility standards to the greatest extent possible to all people with
special needs
- provides accommodations willingly and proactively

Barriers to Inclusion
Even though, inclusion can benefit the society and bring better interaction between member of
the communities it faces many challenges in form of these;

- Problems related with societal values and beliefs- particularly the community and
policy makers’ negative attitude towards students with disability and vulnerabilities.
Inclusion cannot flourish in a society that has prejudice and negative attitude towards
persons with disability.
- Economic factors- this is mainly related with poverty of family, community and
society at large
- Lack of taking measures to ensure conformity of implementation of inclusion
practice with policies
- Lack of stakeholders taking responsibility in their cooperation as well as
collaboration for inclusion
- Conservative traditions among the community members about inclusion
- Lack of knowledge and skills among teachers regarding inclusive education
- Inadequate resources and inaccessibility of social and physical environments
- Large class sizes that make teachers and stakeholders meet students‘ diverse needs
- Globalization and free market policy that make students engage in fierce completion,
individualism and individuals‘ excellence rather than teaching through cooperation,
 collaboration and group excellence.

Reflection

- What did you observe about the socio environmental situation of your local area for
people with disability?
As we all know Ethiopia is a diversified country. With over 80 languages and cultures, it is
correct to say that Ethiopia is a multi-cultural country. This figure is based on the culture of the
people. Using survey data from 2015/16, nearly 7.8 million people in Ethiopia are estimated to
live with some form of disability, or 9.3 percent of the country's total population. Of these, up to
2.2 million people (2.4 percent) have very profound difficulties. So, the number of disabled
people in the country cannot be ignored in fact it should be taken seriously.
In my society, it would be a lie to say that, people with disability are well respected and have a
special care. Children with disabilities have been marginalized in our community. The school I
learned in there was a girl with brain development disorder. I can confidently remark that, she
was not received well in school and didn’t get the attention she deserved unlike other students in
that community.
This situation shows that, we are still far from reaching the goal of inclusion. Not only in school,
but also in extracurricular activities children like her are neglected by their peers and often are
sidelined. This brings an emotional breakdown which could lead to many unfavorable outcomes
in her or any other child like her as a matter of fact. This is not the aim of inclusion and this is
not how to treat to people. Therefore, much has to be done in order to accept and pay special
attention to disable people in school or in the community.

- What are the existing opportunities and challenges people with disability in your local
area?

Even though they are small in number, there are volunteers and places dedicated to the care and
well-being of disable people. I personally know a friend who volunteers as a sign language
translator in such centers. So, we cannot ignore such centers by saying there is no an opportunity
or care for people with disability in our area. However, we are far from saying that it has no
challenges.

Among the challenges the first and foremost, people don’t give attentions to such centers and
since these centers are charity organizations there is no much funding and material support. This
hinders the organization’s ability to help many people with disabilities. Additionally, in some
areas there is no such centers, if they exist much does not know about them.

- Mention any innovative technology which could assist the life of people with disability?

In a world where new technologies are emerging, there is a big chance for the creation of
innovative technologies to help the disabled community. Among them, assistive techs like
 Google Assistant. This app is an artificial intelligence–powered virtual assistant developed by
Google that is primarily available on mobile and smart home devices. The user can manipulate a
program by just speaking. If this technology become advanced it can help people with
disabilities. For instance, a person who cannot walk can command to close or open a door or to
turn on and off the light if this tech is integrated into a house system.

AI solutions are also able to equate visually or physically impaired workers with the rest of the
employees by giving them an opportunity to operate in the workplace with voice. With the use of
AI-powered software, the tasks that earlier required manual efforts and/or eyesight can today be
performed using voice. As a result, visual and motion impairment of an employee is no longer a
competitive disadvantage.
While the technology of XR can significantly transform the traditional workplace
communication, making it practically borderless. XR refers to an artificially created environment
that merges the real and virtual worlds. By eliminating the problem of distance, mixed reality can
create a decentralized workplace, enabling employees with motion disabilities to be virtually on
the field, carrying out assignments and work tasks remotely.
Mobile phones may have become a common need for everyone, including persons with
disabilities. But regular phones are not equipped for the needs of people with limited mobility
and who find it difficult to operate a regular phone. New techs are arriving like devices like
Sesame Phone, a touch-free smartphone designed for people with disabilities. This phone is
designed to be used with small head movements, tracked by its front-facing camera. So you can
access all the features of a smartphone without even touching this device. Gestures are
recognized as if you were using a finger to operate it: swipe, browse, play, and more. Voice
control is also added to provide a real hands-free experience on the phones.

- What should be done for improving the life of people with disability in terms of using
technology?
To improve the life of people with disability in terms of technology
- Promote and appreciate new inventions
- Fund raising
- Convincing the government to take this matter seriously and important to budget or
provide man power to such projects
- Increase the number of these volunteer institutions
- Giving awareness to the society that such technologies are important and need to be
manufactured
- Increase educated people in science and technology
- The volunteer institution should work hard
- Know the major problems and challenges of disabled persons
- Direct training in disability cases, through specialists, developers, special‐education
teachers, and volunteers.
- Indirect training through communication with households and disabled parents.
 - Exchange of expertise with other interested agencies, universities, researchers, and
specialists. Implementation of special e-learning networks for disabled teachers and
students to exchange lessons, courses, and information among themselves.