The Journey To Inclusion

This book offers insight on the politics of inclusion in Vietnam through a Foucauldian and post-colonial perspective on disability and education. Drawing on a socio-historical analysis of the inclusion of disabled people in Vietnam in the twenty-first century, the book guides readers through a ‘history of the present.’ By reflecting on the treatment of disabled people in Vietnamese social history, the book argues that this journey to inclusion calls for critical reflections on the challenges and possibilities for policies to transform exclusion for disabled people. The book unveils the problematics of social and educational institutions in governing disability and difference through a critical reflection on discourses and power in the global and local juncture, in relation to its engagement with disability in the global South. The intersection between the global politics of disability rights and development and the local politics of inclusion in Vietnam shapes the cultural politics of education. The ways inclusive education is historically constructed, within this socio-historical condition, reflects the challenges of inclusive thought and action for transforming injustice. Going beyond ‘deconstructive politics,’ The Journey to Inclusion argues for a re-positioning of the relationships between the global North and South as an alternative approach to inclusion. It suggests that critical research must construct a politics of engagement with subjugated voices and representations in transnational, national, and local contexts. A reflexive, critical, and inclusive dialogue that engages with Southern knowledge offers a political platform for reframing justice in the twenty-first century.

"What does a workplace utopia look like to you?" This is the question Dr. Ella F. Washington asks company leaders, and often she hears about an ideal vision of an organization that values diversity and inclusion and wants employees to bring their whole selves to work. But how can you get there? Organizations have largely missed the mark when it comes to creating environments where all employees thrive in an equal and equitable way, because they treat diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) as a program that gets done rather than the necessary and difficult journey it is. A truly inclusive workplace requires invention and reinvention, mistakes and humility, adaptation to a changing world, constant reflection, and sometimes significant sacrifice. The road to an inclusive workplace is a difficult one, but you can traverse it, and there's help along the way. Start here with stories of companies making the necessary journey, including Slack, PwC, Best Buy, Denny's, and many others. Hear from company leaders about their successes and failures, the times they were on the vanguard, and the moments they realized they had much more work to do. These are profiles in perseverance from people who are keen enough to recognize the need for inclusive workplaces and humble enough to know they're not there yet. Along the way, Washington provides a framework for thinking about where these companies are on their journeys and where you and your company may be too. Progress is hard won on the necessary journey to becoming an inclusive organization, but it must be won. John Lewis said it best: "You see something you want to get done, you cannot give up, and you cannot give in."

Despite national and international commitments to Education for All, and the Millennium Development Goals to assure universal primary education by 2015, over 90% of children with disabilities remain excluded from regular education in countries of the south. This book describes a three decade-long change initiative in India to enable children with disabilities to move from segregation and exclusion to inclusive education, and draws lessons for confronting global exclusion. It examines the barriers to inclusion of children with disabilities in the Indian sub-continent, estimated at 4% of the population, or 40-50 million children, and implications of the systemic failure within a human rights framework. The book concludes with setting this initiative in a broader context of inclusive education development efforts, and identifies lessons it provides for a global development agenda for inclusive education, including the importance of ensuring strategies that are culturally appropriate and context-specific.

Confronting Obstacles to Inclusion uniquely and comprehensively addresses interpretations of inclusive education by drawing upon the experiences and expertise of leading writers and academics who have direct experience of teaching and researching this area around the world. This landmark publication combines theoretical chapters with practical material demonstrating how the theories can be put in to action in the classroom. The contributors, who all have regular contact with pupils and teachers in inclusive settings, provide a broad spectrum of ideas, examine a number of key themes and interpret these in an international context, such as: the causes of exclusion, the obstacles to inclusion and how these can be overcome supporting families how we can learn from students professional development enhancing teaching and learning support in the classroom. This authoritative text will be of immense interest and use to practitioners, policy-makers, researchers and campaigners who are working towards a more equitable and inclusive society. Through a synthesis of theory and practice the book offers readers an opportunity to explore local, national and international perspectives and raises questions with regards to our current understanding of inclusion. Whilst the interrogation of the concept of inclusion is, in itself important, the book provides examples of professional approaches to the key questions which are currently challenging the education of a diverse range of learners.

This book offers a comprehensive overview of how inclusion for students with special educational needs (SEN) has developed and is continuing to evolve in mainstream schools across the Asia-Pacific region. The authors provide an applied analysis of inclusive education in 10 geographical settings, covering legislative, historical, and cultural perspectives. A diverse range of factors that influence inclusive policy-to-practice implementation in these contexts are highlighted, and practical strategies to address some key issues are put forward. The settings in focus are the Maldives, Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macao, Japan, Province of British Columbia Canada, New Zealand, and Australia.

The purpose of this volume is to explore personal, family and theoretical constructions of inclusion and offer evidence-based strategies and resources to foster parent-professional home-school collaborative partnerships.