CONTRIBUTORS

Colleen Brown has a background in secondary teaching, and as a communication lecturer in the tertiary sector. She has been an elected local government representative for 15 years. She is an elected member of the Counties Manukau District Health Board and the Chair of the Parent and Family Resource Centre. As the parent of Travers, who has Down syndrome, she has taken an active role in the development of special education policy, and been a member of parent lobby groups at regional and national levels. She has acted as a volunteer advocate in the disability sector and supported parents taking Section 10 Appeals against the government.

Mere Berryman is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Education at the University of . She has contributed to the iterative research and development nature of secondary school reform through Te Kotahitanga since its inception 13 years ago. Mere is currently the director on the Kia Eke Panuku: Building on Success, a school reform initiative. In this work she continues to work extensively with school leaders, classroom practitioners, Māori communities and other education professionals to bring about education reform for Māori students.

Gail Gillon affiliates to Ngāi Tahu . Professor Gillon is the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the College of Education at the University of Canterbury, and a member of the University’s Ngāi Tahu Research Centre. She worked for several years working in and Australia in speech-language therapy and in special and inclusive education advocating for the right of all children to a quality education. At the University of Canterbury she has worked in the Department of Communication Disorders, served as Dean of Science and Kaiārahi Māori. In 2007 Professor Gillon was made a fellow of the American Speech and Hearing Association, and has won three ASHA Research Excellence Awards.

Alison Kearney is a senior lecturer in the Institute of Education at Massey University in Palmerston North. She teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in learning and behaviour and inclusive education. A former primary school teacher, and Guidance and Learning Teacher, Alison’s research interests include inclusion and exclusion; parents’ perspectives; learning; and human rights.

Colin Gladstone is a teacher and practitioner researcher with over 30 years experience in senior management and leadership roles within the UK and New Zealand. His passion is in creating collaborative learning environments where all students can succeed. Colin’s PhD thesis was a participatory research project, and his co-researchers Andrew Dever and Caroline Quick have lived experience of being students at a special school. Together they explored young disabled students’ and school leavers’ desires for a good life on leaving school – and comparing these desires with the realities of their post-school experiences.

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Annie Guerin is a teacher researcher who has worked across and within many communities on Aotearoa’s West Coast. Her work is based on notions of social justice and democracy, and the concept of manākitanga – reciprocal hospitality and respect. Respectful relationships that support all voices to be heard are essential if everyone is to have their learning potential recognised and realised. Annie is grateful to the students, their families, educators and other professionals who continue to say yes to projects where people can work together to challenge inequities and drive policy through more inclusive practice.

Angus Macfarlane affiliates to the confederation of tribes. He is Professor of Maori Research at the University of Canterbury. His research focuses on cultural concepts and strategies that influence educational practice. His published books include, Kia hiwa rā! Listen to Culture – Māori Students’ Plea to Educators (2003), Discipline, Democracy and Diversity (2007) and Restorative Pedagogies (2011). In 2013 Professor Macfarlane won the University of Canterbury Research Medal for outstanding leadership in educational research – the first-ever Māori recipient.

Sonja Macfarlane affiliates to the tribe of Ngāi Tahu. She is an experienced educationalist, with a long-standing conviction for improving outcomes for students at risk of educational failure. Sonja is currently a senior lecturer in the School of Health Sciences at the University of Canterbury. Her teaching and research concentrates on enhancing the social, cultural and educational outcomes for Māori learners, by strengthening specialists’ professional practice. Her PhD research explored the key components of culturally responsive evidence based special education practice. In 2013, Dr Macfarlane was awarded the University of Canterbury (College of Education) Emerging Researcher of the Year Award.

Anne-Marie McIlroy is a specialist teacher working in an outreach service in Dunedin. She is completing a PhD at the University of Canterbury looking at narrative assessment as an approach that may support the development of inclusive school communities. She has been involved in the Narrative Assessment Project at the University of Canterbury (2007-2008) and the Inclusive Education Capability Building Project at the Ministry of Education (2013-2014). She is particularly interested in enabling student voice and supporting teachers so they feel confident to teach all students.

Margaret McLean trained as a primary school teacher. Much of her teaching experience was in special classes for children considered unable to cope in mainstream classrooms. Latterly Margaret was a senior lecturer at the School of Critical Studies in Education at the Faculty of Education. Her research and writing interests are grounded in Disability Studies in Education and include a focus on the impact of ableism in tertiary level education and curriculum design for professional development. Margaret is semi-retired and currently teaches needs assessors and

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