This document discusses inclusive education for learners with disabilities and the issues and challenges involved. It defines inclusive education as addressing diversity of needs for all learners through increased participation. Effective inclusive schools promote student needs through collaboration, know student learning needs, create inclusive environments, and have adaptive leadership. Key challenges to inclusion are attitudinal issues, ensuring equality for children with special needs, insufficient resources, and lack of teacher training. Strategies to meet these challenges include innovative teacher training programs, cross-ministry collaboration, involvement of NGOs, and school-university partnerships.

1. Inclusive Education for learners With
Disabilities: Issues and challenges
Sanjeevani Sudha Jena.
PG Part-II
Department of Education,
Ravenshaw University, Cuttack

2. Inclusive Education
Inclusive education is defined as a process of addressing and
responding to the diversity of needs of all learners through
increasing participation in learning, cultures and communities, and
of reducing exclusion within and from education (Conceptual
Paper, UNESCO,2003) .
Inclusion is that which identifies and removes barrier to
participation in education(mittler,2012).
It is Supports and services brought to students through an
Individual Education Program (IEP)
Inclusion was defined by stinback & stainback
(1990)as
Education of all in regular classes
Appropriate educational programs for every
students
everyone is accepted and supported

3. Effective & Inclusive School
1. Teaching & Learning arrangement
students and developmental needs are promoted through
a collaborative approach and by focusing on the
students learning needs rather than on their
disabilities. Arrangement of multi-skilled
personnel(e.g) teachers, specialists, volunteers and
other students are available to help them in their
learning.
Teaching practices
Teachers know their students learning needs & able to
adapt current pedagogical knowledge and thinking
and apply it in different ways, so that each student is
engaged in meaningful learning experiences.

4. Learning environment
Create a inclusive environment that helps student to
explore new ideas, to work within various student
groupings and for managing learners’ learning.
Learning community
work collaboratively to enhance the effectiveness
of curriculum, teaching strategies and assessment.
Leadership
It is the combination of certain beliefs and
practices that help to characterise inclusive and
effective schools
Adapt at managing change and at building a school
culture that commit to inclusiveness and that is
improvement oriented.

5. Important Milestones in the education of
learners with disabilities
1880s-Establishment of special schools
1974-Formulation of centrally sponsored scheme of IEDC
1990-World conference for EFA , Jomtien
1992-The Rehabilitation council of India
1994-The Salamanca statement and framework for action
1995- The PWD(Equal oppertunities,protection of Rights
and full partcipation) Act
1997-Inclusion of IED in DPEP
1999-National trust for the welfare of persons with
Autism,cerebralpalsy,mental retardation and multipla
disabled
2001-SSA(Sarva Sikshya Abhiyan)
2009- RTE Act

6. Issues of Inclusive Education
Environmental issues
Attitudinal Issues
Issues of equality for CWSN
Legal Issues: Progress towards the right to Inclusive
Education
Policy/Practice Implications: Critical issues in
Inclusive Education
Process based issues
Create a peaceful culture by inclusive education

8. Research Evidence
In the prevailing Indian situation resources are insufficient
even to provide quality mainstream schools for common
children, it is unethical and impracticable to put children with
special needs to test or to prove any thing in a research study to
live and learn in the mainstream of school and community
(Dash, 2006).
A further challenge is that the attitude of Society create
significant barriers to inclusion(Forlin, Loreman,Sharma&
Eale,2009 ; Sharma, Forlin, & Loreman,2011). Australia is a
nation of diverse cultures and ethnic groups with diverse
cultures and ethnic groups with diverse understanding of
disabilities that may inform attitudes toward inclusion.
In wide ranging review of practices in Australia,
Shaddock(2006) concludes the potential barriers to inclusion as
perceived by teachers include:
-lack of time
-difficulty in individualizing within a group
-inadequate training and resources
-a lack of school support

9. Views that adjusting for some students
-compromises the learning of others
-draws negative attention to student differences
-fail to prepare student for the real world
Challenges of inclusive education for learners
with disabilities
Challenges of poverty associated with disabilities
modifying deeply held attitudes
providing adequate levels of training to key
stakeholders
organizational structure and leadership
Challenges around securing and resourcing for
assistive devices

10. Possible strategies to meet the challenges
Training of teachers
Need to design innovative system of training
Need for collaboration between different ministries
Involve NGO's in implementing integrated education
programs
School-university partnership