Defining School Inclusion for Students With Moderate to Severe Disabilities: What Do Experts Say? (original) (raw)

The term inclusion is new to special education and currently has many uses in the literature and in the field. The evolution of the term and its various uses frequently lead to confusion and miscommunication during discussions of school inclusion. This study examined how experts in the field of school inclusion for students with moderate to severe disabilities defined the term for that population at one point in time. As part of a larger study, authors of relevant literature were asked to submit their definition of school inclusion. The content of these definitions was analyzed using qualitative methodology, and 7 themes emerged: (a) placement in natural typical settings; (b) all students together for instruction and learning; (c) supports and modifications within general education to meet appropriate learner outcomes; (d) belongingness, equal membership, acceptance, and being valued; (e) collaborative integrated services by education teams; (f) systemic philosophy or belief system; and (g) meshing general and special education into one unified system. The overwhelming incorporation of the first five themes listed previously indicates that these themes cannot be viewed in isolation when defining school inclusion for students with moderate to severe disabilities. That EXCEPTIONALITY, 8(2),[101][102][103][104][105][106][107][108][109][110][111][112][113][114][115][116] is, unless services for students with moderate to severe disabilities reflect all of the first 5 themes, those services cannot be defined as reflecting school inclusion. Descriptive statements expanding each of the 7 themes were developed, and areas for future research and inquiry were offered related to the relation among these themes.

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