INCLUSIVE EDUCATION: CROSS CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES 4 Len Barton Felicity Armstrong Editors Policy, Experience and Change: Cross Cultural Reflections on Inclusive Education POLICY, EXPERIENCE AND CHANGE: CROSS-CULTURAL REFLECTIONS ON INCLUSIVE EDUCATION Inclusive Education: Cross Cultural Perspectives VOLUME 4 Series Editors Len Barton, Institute of Education, University of London, United Kingdom Marcia Rioux, School of Health, Policy & Management, Atkinson Faculty of Liberal & Professional Studies, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada Editorial Board Mithu Alur, National Resource Centre for Inclusion, Bandra(West), Mumbai, India Susan Peters, College of Education, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, U.S.A. Roger Slee, Faculty of Education McGill University, Montreal, Canada Ronald G. Sultana, Euro-Mediterranean Centre for Educational Research, University of Malta Msida, Malta SCOPE OF THE SERIES This series is concerned with exploring the meaning and function of inclusive education in a world characterised by rapid social, economic and political change. The question of inclusion and exclusion will be viewed as a human rights issue, in which concerns over issues of equity, social justice and participation will be of central significance. The series will provide an inter-disciplinary approach and draw on research and ideas that will contribute to an awareness and understanding of cross-cultural insights and questions. Dominant assumptions and practices will be critically analysed thereby encouraging debate and dialogue over such fundamentally important values and concerns. For other titles published in this series, go to www.springer.com/series/6123 Policy, Experience and Change: Cross-Cultural Reflections on Inclusive Education Edited by L. BARTON Institute of Education, University of London, UK and F. ARMSTRONG Institute of Education, University of London, UK Editors L. Barton F. Armstrrong Institute of Education, Institute of Education, University of london, University of London, UK UK ISBN: 978-1-4020-8731-8 e-ISBN: 978-1-4020-5119-7 Library of Congress Control Number: 2008931098 c 2008 Springer Science + Business Media B.V. No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Printed on acid-free paper. 987654321 springer.com CONTENTS Acknowledgements vii Contributors ix Foreword xiii Introduction 1 1. Policy, Experience and Change and the Challenge of Inclusive Education: The Case of England 5 Felicity Armstrong and Len Barton 2. Inclusive Education in Spain: A View from Inside 19 Ángeles Parrilla 3. The Integration of ‘Disabled’ Children in Ordinary Schools in France: A New Challenge 37 Eric Plaisance 4. ‘Made in Italy’: Integrazione Scolastica and the New Vision of Inclusive Education 53 Simona D’Alessio 5. The Rhetoric of Inclusive Education in Libya: Are Children’s Rights in Crisis? 73 Abdelbasit Gadour 6. The Lethargy of a Nation: Inclusive Education in India and Developing Systemic Strategies for Change 91 Mithu Alur 7. Inclusive Education in Trinidad and Tobago 107 Jennifer Lavia 8. Disability and Inclusive Education in Zimbabwe 123 Robert Chimedza 9. Towards Inclusive Education in Canada 133 Vianne Timmons v vi CONTENTS 10. Educating the Other: A Journey in Cyprus Time and Space 147 Helen Phtiaka 11. To Be Or Not To Be Included – That is the Question: Disabled Students in Third Level Education in Ireland 163 Tina Lowe and Patrick McDonnell 12. It’s a Fit-Up! Inclusive Education, Higher Education, Policy and the Discordant Voice 177 Roger Slee Index 189 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We are grateful to all the contributors for their continuing commitment to this project and for responding to our comments and requests. Also our sincere thanks to Margaret for her excellent administrative/secretarial sup- port that enabled us to complete the manuscript. Thanks also to Zoe Armstrong of Writeup Solutions for her editorial advice. vii CONTRIBUTORS Mithu Alur founded the first Spastic Society of India in 1972, a model now replicated in 16 of the 31 States: educational reforms have been introduced on a macro level enabling children to move on to Higher Education. In 1989 Mithu obtained a PhD from the Institute of Education, University of London, entitled ‘Invisible Children: A study of policy exclusion’. Mithu then returned to India and set up the National Resource Centre for Inclusion. Over 3,000 children have attended inclusive nurseries in the poorest sec- tors and, if upscaled, 4 to 5 million children’s needs will be met. Felicity Armstrong is a teacher and researcher in education, with a particular interest in and commitment to challenging inequalities in education and developing inclusive poli- cies and practices. Her work focusses on cross-cultural and practitioner research. She is the author of ‘Spaced Out: Policy, Difference and the Challenge of Inclusive Education’ and of numerous articles and co-edited books. Felicity is the Course Leader of the inter- nationally recognised MA in Inclusive Education at the Institute of Education, University of London. Len Barton is Emeritus Professor of Inclusive Education at the Institute of Education, University of London. He teaches on an MA course in Inclusive Education and his research interests include exploring the nature and implementation of policy develop- ment; cross-cultural issues relating to Inclusive Education; the voices of excluded and marginalised groups including disabled people and qualitative research approaches to Inclusive Education. Robert Chimedza works at the Zimbabwe Open University as the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Academic Affairs. His training and working experience is mainly in Disability Studies and Special Needs Education. He worked as a teacher of deaf students for a long time before starting to train special education teachers at college and university levels. He also worked as an education officer responsible for policy in Special Education. In the process, he worked closely with people with disabilities in organisations of and for people with disabilities. He has published widely in the area. Simona D’Alessio is a doctoral student at the Institute of Education, University of London. She is conducting research in the field of Inclusive Education and Disability Studies. She has been working as a research assistant and disability office tutor at the University of Rome (IUSM) and as a support teacher in state secondary schools in Italy. She is currently working part time for the European Agency for Development of Special Needs Education in Brussels. ix x CONTRIBUTORS Abdelbasit Gadour is Libyan and a member of academic staff at the faculty of Social Science, Al-Fateh University, Tripoli, Libya. He is currently coordinating a project in Netherthorpe, Upperthorpe and Langsett (SRB6 area) in Sheffield, which concerns children with specific cultural and learning needs. In addition he is Head of the Libyan school in Sheffield. He considers himself as an academic and an educator concerned with the well-being of children. His interest and expertise in the area of child and edu- cational psychology has led him to carry out research both in Libya and the United Kingdom. This research has encompassed studies on pupils’/students’ learning and behaviour, the assessment of teachers, school psychologists and social workers. Jennifer Lavia is currently a lecturer at the University of Sheffield School of Education. She is Director of the School of Education’s Caribbean Programme and joint coordinator of its Postcolonial Theory, Education and Development Discussion Group. Jennifer’s main research and teaching areas include: globalisation and educa- tion policy; gender and education; teacher professionalism; critical pedagogies for social justice; narrative research; postcolonial theories and education; and educational leadership. Tina Lowe returned to full time education in University College Dublin after losing her sight in 1993. She read for a BA (Hons) Degree in languages and Greek and Roman civ- ilization. She then went on to complete a Master’s Degree in Equality Studies. She now works for the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability (AHEAD) as Project Coordinator. Her particular research interests include disability awareness train- ing and access to education and employment for people with disabilities. Patrick McDonnell is a part-time lecturer in the Equality Studies Centre and in the Education Department at University College Dublin. He also lectures in the Centre for Deaf Studies at Trinity College Dublin. During his tenure as Newman Scholar at UCD in 2001–03 he carried out research on the ideological and historical dimensions of dis- ability in Irish society. His other research interests include disability and education and the linguistics of sign language. Angeles Parrilla is Professor of Special Needs Education at the University of Seville. Her research is linked to educational exclusion and inclusion processes, with a prefered focus on how schools, teacher education and classrooms can be made more inclusive. Collaboration between teachers, researchers and institutions is one of the most recurrent topics in her professional work. Helen Phtiaka is an Assistant Professor of Sociology of