Building Inclusive Communities Through Education And Learning

The book addresses the complex relationships among learning, education and the community. It examines the significance of the community for the individual’s development and the potential that learning and education have for the development of the community. The volume gathers together the findings of a number of quantitative and qualitative studies conducted on different samples, theoretical discussions set in comparative international contexts. Although the studies employ Slovenian samples and analyse situations in this country, the contributions address issues that are of concern to the global research community. Moreover, they respond to international debates and engage in the dialogue between the local/partial and the global/universal. The book is unique in its embeddedness in the intellectual continental European tradition that has been characterised by the failed historical experience of attempting collective unity through the community understood as a common identity in former Yugoslavia.

Widening the Circle is a passionate, even radical argument for creating school and classroom environments where all kids, including children labeled as “disabled” and “special needs,” are welcome on equal terms. In opposition to traditional models of special education, where teachers decide when a child is deemed “ready to compete” in “mainstream” classes, Mara Sapon-Shevin articulates a vision of full inclusion as a practical and moral goal. Inclusion, she argues, begins not with the assumption that students have to earn their way into the classroom with their behavior or skills, it begins with the right of every child to be in the mainstream of education, perhaps with modifications, adaptations, and support. Full inclusion requires teachers to think about all aspects of their classrooms—pedagogy, curriculum, and classroom climate. Crucially, Sapon-Shevin takes on arguments against full inclusion in a section of straight-talking answers to common questions. She agrees with critics that the rhetoric of inclusion has been used to justify eliminating services and “dumping” students with significant educational needs unceremoniously back into the mainstream with little or no support. If full inclusion is properly implemented, however, she argues, it not only clearly benefits those traditionally excluded but enhances the educations and lives of those considered mainstream in myriad ways. Through powerful storytelling and argument, Sapon-Shevin lays out the moral and educational case for not separating kids on the basis of difference.

Our communities-from our churches to our schools to our workplaces-are worse off when we exclude those with disabilities. Disability and Inclusive Communities intends to help readers learn how to build communities that fully include people with disabilities. For when we do that, all of us are better off.

This collection challenges misconceptions that rural Canada is a bastion of intolerance. While examining the extent and nature of contemporary cultural and religious discrimination in rural Canadian communities, the editors and contributors explore the many efforts by rural citizens, community groups, and municipalities to counter intolerance, build inclusive communities, and become better neighbours. Throughout, scholars and community leaders focus on building new understandings, language, and ways of thinking about diversity and inclusion that will resonate with rural people. Scholars of rural studies will find this book useful as will rural community leaders and community organizers. Contributors: Clark Banack, Ray Bollman, Claudine Bonner, Corina Borri-Anadon, Jen Budney, Michael Corbett, Roger Epp, Murray Fulton, Stacey Haugen, Phil Henderson, Sivane Hirsch, Michelle Lam, Coleen Lynch, Aasa Marshall, Darcy Overland, Trista Pewapisconias, Dionne Pohler, Samuel Reimer, Jennifer Tinkham, Kyle White

As explained in more detail throughout this book, the link between the environment and the school constitutes a relationship of mutual interdependence that is paramount for meeting the challenge of implementing inclusion as a guiding principle for action. In order to build inclusive cultures, the actions proposed by the education centre must be reflected and have continuity outside the school walls, so that they are not disconnected from reality and children and youth can internalise and generalise them in a natural and logical manner. Because as Wenger et al (2021) show, children’s experiences indicate that children with disabilities are not included in the play of children without disabilities and vice versa (there is an invisible social barriers and the perfection of ‘us and them’), as well as the segregation between children with and without disabilities caused by the school system might continue, even unintentionally, on the inclusive playgrounds.

* An essential resource for all development agencies seeking to include people with disabilities* User-friendly tools and practical advice from experienced practitionersThere are four hundred million people with disabilities living in developing countries today. All too often they live in poverty and isolation. If development is to truly address the needs of the poor and marginalized, the inclusion of people with disabilities is crucial. Building an Inclusive Development Community is a toolkit for development agencies and others concerned with the participation of people with disabilities at all levels and in all areas of the international development process. The manual is organized into issues and includes helpful worksheets, best practice examples, resources and much more.

An exploration of how design might be led by marginalized communities, dismantle structural inequality, and advance collective liberation and ecological survival. What is the relationship between design, power, and social justice? “Design justice” is an approach to design that is led by marginalized communities and that aims expilcitly to challenge, rather than reproduce, structural inequalities. It has emerged from a growing community of designers in various fields who work closely with social movements and community-based organizations around the world. This book explores the theory and practice of design justice, demonstrates how universalist design principles and practices erase certain groups of people—specifically, those who are intersectionally disadvantaged or multiply burdened under the matrix of domination (white supremacist heteropatriarchy, ableism, capitalism, and settler colonialism)—and invites readers to “build a better world, a world where many worlds fit; linked worlds of collective liberation and ecological sustainability.” Along the way, the book documents a multitude of real-world community-led design practices, each grounded in a particular social movement. Design Justice goes beyond recent calls for design for good, user-centered design, and employment diversity in the technology and design professions; it connects design to larger struggles for collective liberation and ecological survival.

In Teaching to Diversity, Dr. Jennifer Katz synthesizes the research, and 16 years experience of teaching in inclusive classrooms and schools, to provide answers to several questions: How do I make inclusion work for ALL students? What are the foundational best practices of a truly inclusive learning community? How does one create such a community? The author pulls together, in an organized way, a three-block model of universal design for learning (UDL) and suggests a step-by-step approach for implementing it. This framework includes: Block One, Social and Emotional Learning details ways to build compassionate learning communities (K-12) in which all students feel safe and valued, and develop a positive self-concept, sense of belonging, and respect for diverse others. Block Two, Inclusive Instructional Practice includes a framework for planning units from K-12, and explains instructional and management practices for teaching, assessing, grading, and reporting in UDL Classrooms. Block Three, Systems and Structures suggests strategies for creating inclusive learning communities, and explores ways in which resource teachers, student services personnel, and school administrators can support and create socially and academically inclusive schools and classrooms. The three-block model of UDL can empower educators with the knowledge, skills, and confidence required to teach diverse learners in the same classroom--including those who have previously been excluded. Ultimately, it is about creating classrooms and schools that heal by teaching to the heart, mind, and spirit of every student.