Break the Barriers shall continually maintain and improve inclusive programs through ability awareness, outreach, and education. I went to the University which is situated at the top of a mountain and the campus is not geographically disability friendly. VVOB’s programme Learning and Teaching for Diversity (2017-2021) in South Africa got off to a flying start in Free State Province. Introduction. Breaking barriers for inclusive education. I had a strong conviction within me that I should work with the university administration to reduce some of the challenges faced by disabled students in accessing education. You might see a lot of barriers on the road ahead, from staff skepticism to plain old lack of time. National Coordinator, Empowerment for Disability and Social Integration Reach out to the program and ask if the licensed educator could provide supervision to teaching and family support staff at your site. American Journal of Educational Research 4, no. The project is being rolled out in Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria and Tanzania. I missed most of the lectures that were held in multistory buildings because there were no ramps. One of the final barriers associated with inclusion education is a lack of communication among administrators, teachers, specialists, staff, parents, and students. Nearly sixty disabled students have benefited since we started the project in 2013. Try this: Myths and misinformation are at the root of much resistance to inclusion. Import into BibTeX: Import into EndNote : Import into RefMan: Import into RefWorks: 1. My goal was to set up a disability desk on the Fourah Bay College campus, which is one of the University of Sierra Leone’s three campuses, and to have a body that represents and advocates for the educational rights of the students with disabilities. Invite a panel of families of children with and without disabilities to speak about inclusion and answer questions. Point families and staff to the accessible information on sites like The Arc and the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY). Monday, August 29, 2016 - 20:13. Facebook is showing information to help you better understand the purpose of a Page. Kurth & Gross (2015), highlighted a few including some possible solutions. Breaking down Barriers to inclusion Edited by Willem Elbers Pushing boundaries in disability advocacy Breaking down Barriers to inclusion . Breaking new ground. At the University of Sierra Leone, disabled students now receive their scholarships every year and they have an office where they can voice their complaints about challenges on campus. Members of the disability student support group at Fourah Bay College campus. Through our inclusive programs, instructors help students grow in their talents while developing a sense of purpose, compassion, and respect for others. Here are 6 of the most common obstacles to including all kids in the general curriculum—and some quick tips on overcoming them. Written by AnaoPro_Administrator on October 30, 2019. Consider an “inclusion observation series” that lets parents watch inclusion in practice and then meet with teachers to ask questions. Begin planning for inclusion well in advance of the school year, so teachers feel ready on Day 1 and don’t have to play catch up. Develop a helpful inclusion resource library for parents, and include books, pamphlets, videos, and handouts of recommended websites. The view of inclusion in the Index is a broad one. Inclusion is among the most controversial topics in modern education. I reintroduce myself and informed him that “I just came from the States, I have contacts, and I know where to report you”. 2. I took up full time advocacy on disabled issues and focused on developing my civil society organization (CSO): Empowerment for Disability and Social Integration (EDSI). Barrier # 1 - Difficulties with embracing diversity and the inclusive education philosophy/model This barrier may be one of the most difficult to measure but also one of the critical reasons for the lack of full implementation of the inclusive education model. It is akin to deinstitutionalization of the 1970s and mainstreaming of the 1980s---and shares its origins with both of these. I became a paraplegic during the civil war in my country in 1999 due to two bullets. We have a lot of ideas, but our greatest challenge has been the funding needed to make our dream of accessible tertiary education for people with disabilities a reality. In 2013, I was a delegate at the MIUSA Women’s Institute on Leadership and Disability (WILD) program and I’m also representing people with disabilities in the West African Civil Society Organization in Sierra Leone. It is easy to see the benefits of inclusive education, but there are some significant barriers that many schools have to overcome. educators is a key factor in the success of inclusion. Every child should get an equal opportunity in education and thus inclusive education has become very crucial in this age for breaking down barriers and embracing all marginalized students in the mainstream education system effectively. During the year, pair novice teachers with experienced ones so they can solve problems as a team and exchange ideas for including all kids. Home. Zainab Kamara With performances, assemblies, conferences workshops, and clinics, Break the Barriers will promote integrated sports, health and fitness, performing arts, and aquatics programs. We also provide specialised physiotherapy and rehabilitation, and skills training to help children get good jobs or create their own businesses. If anything, it is one of the barriers to moving forward" (Clough and Corbett, 2000). That is less than 5 per cent of all pupils who have a learning disability. While disability inclusive education has been identified as a regional priority by all member nations, implementing inclusive education in the countries of the region can be quite challenging as many barriers continue to hamper the progress of the countries. As a pioneer in inclusion, Break the Barriers is dedicated to accelerating awareness, understanding, acceptance, and education for all people with various abilities. Then we met with an organization, Center for the Promotion of Inclusive Education in Sierra Leone, that donated some desktops and a printer. Reducing Barriers to Inclusive Education. Barrier: No Staff Training One of the final barriers associated with inclusive education is a lack of communication among administrators, teachers, specialists, staff, parents, and students. Jha (2002) also expresses that the Salamanca Framework of Action did refer to a move from the term 'special educational needs' to inclusive education. Immediately they made a call to the Ministry of Education and booked an appointment for me with the Minister. Only 56 school leavers in Scotland who have a learning disability went on to higher education at the end of 2015/16. Commit to inclusive education The World Bank’s aim is that all its education programs and projects will be disability inclusive by 2025. Several experts concur that the definition of “achievement” needs to be broadened and not only be based on results. inclusive education agenda. I went back to school only to receive the shock of social and structural marginalization. ), Building Blocks for Teaching Preschoolers with Special Needs, Inclusion: How to Know It When You See It | The Inclusion Lab. All they could say was that the only way they could accept our list is by having it stamped by the Disabled People’s Commission and the Ministry of Education. Education Website. In 2013, I had the opportunity to travel to the United States on an exchange program hosted by Mobility International USA to meet other disabled women from different countries and visit accessible sites, including schools that were disability friendly. Ummu’s peculiar story further demonstrated the need for Sokoto State to promptly domesticate the National Inclusive education policy, hence the Breaking Barriers project has commenced working with all education stakeholder in the state to ensure that no child is denied access to education … Inclusive education is a key aspect of the European Disability Strategy 2010–2020. We help children with disabilities access primary and secondary schools that meet their needs. "Breaking Barriers for the Inclusion of Persons with Disability in National Development." Ask each team to come prepared with problems to solve and successes to share. 6 Barriers to Inclusion (and How to Break Them Down! There is an emphasis on mobilising under-used resources within staff, students, governors, parents and other members of the school's communities. Build plenty of regularly scheduled planning time into the school year, starting with summer. There is no access to the library or internet for people with disabilities. Since we didn’t have an office space we had meetings in the open. The reply was that they don’t have a particular section responsible for this and they don’t have records of disabled students on campus. Try this: Here are some strategies that can help ease parents’ concerns. We also want to replicate this project in other tertiary institutions as many disabled students have not started enjoying the scholarship scheme. We found ourselves also helping them with their college registration, so we registered 24 students. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. I had meetings with them to tell them about the project and my experiences in the United States. I spoke with Mobility International USA who hosted the U.S. exchange program and they advised that I seek help from other organizations and individuals, which I did. Ask your local OSEP-funded Parent Training and Information (PTI) center for a list of inclusion-related workshops and support groups. For example I might set up my laptop next to me and record what I’m doing so they can go back and listen to it. They became very interested so we took the initiative to start registering disabled students on campus. Zainab is the woman in the center who uses a scooter. […], Your email address will not be published. (These are adapted from Sarika Gupta’s First Steps to Preschool Inclusion, though the tips apply to K-12 inclusion, too.) Many people are not prepared to interact with people with disabilities. You might consider hiring an inclusion coach to discover where staff members need support, provide mentoring, and plan professional development activities. After waiting several months, nothing happened. The diversity of students is stressed as a rich resource for supporting teaching and learning. Immediately I went to the Disabled People’s Commission and they wrote letters to the college, but no action was taken. Empowerment for Disability and Social Integration (EDSI) offered to paint the office, buy carpet, and window curtains. Inclusive education means all children in the same classrooms, in the same schools. Lack of access to education for a particular set of children may be the result of a combination of multiple barriers. The results of their study indicated that without communication between general and special educators, a student may appear to have adequate skills in the special education room, but be deficit in specific skills crucial to the inclusive environment. 1 (2016): 8-10. I returned home with great expectation to work with partner institutions to implement this project, but it was not as easy as I thought. I had no access to the library or internet café because they were not disabled friendly. 1. Our main focus has been on accessible and inclusive education for disabled students. Try this: Show staff how to use a resource like Building Blocks for Teaching Preschoolers with Special Needs. LEARN MORE STRATEGIES for busting inclusion barriers in this guidebook. 2. Find out what your program needs first. For each barrier, we give examples of EAC partners that are addressing it. We succeeded! Are distance and funding major issues for your program? I waited for almost a month before I was called to a meeting with one of the administrators who asked me to prepare a concept note so that they could submit it to the Principal. But breaking down barriers to inclusion can make it a little easier. Barriers to inclusive education 1. Their response was good but the meeting was adjourned since they had to inform other authorities that were not in the meeting. Post reader-friendly research summaries on your program’s website, ask staff and families to share their questions and then develop a Q&A handout, and use your newsletter to highlight inclusion questions and facts. The project was finally launched in May 2015 although it started operating in 2013. During my years as a student at the University of Sierra Leone, I had to pay fees even though I was legally not supposed to. They think that persons with disabilities lack the skills needed to live in the community or to be educated with non- disabled children. 1. Pushing boundaries in disability advocacy Breaking down Barriers to inclusion. I went to the office and informed them about our challenge. I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2011 and I also set history as the first female with a wheelchair to graduate from the University of Sierra Leone. They’ll be able to see just how much kids with disabilities learn and grow over the course of the year—and seeing that kind of progress in black and white can be a real eye-opener. This will give them an easy way to collect information about a child’s needs and abilities, embed appropriate interventions into classroom routines and activities, and monitor child progress. Consider video coaching strategies to support teacher reflection, planning, and improvement. Inclusive education is when all students, regardless of any challenges they may have, are placed in age-appropriate general education classes that are in their own neighborhood schools to receive high-quality instruction, interventions, and supports that enable them to meet success in the core curriculum (Bui, Quirk, Almazan, & Valenti, 2010; Alquraini & Gut, 2012). We reminded them about the system that is in place for disabled student to be granted financial aid. Being educated on the importance of inclusion and participating in ongoing collaboration with fellow teachers, the inclusive setting can be filled with meaningful learning experiences for all. Developing teamwork and community will increase the feeling of “shared ownership”—making inclusion work will be a communal responsibility and adventure. I spoke with the man in charge on phone, who said that he was done dealing with disabled student matters on campus so there was nothing he could do. The first group to assist us was a student club (Qumanora club), which supported the construction of the ramp and launching the project. Traditionally, aspirations for people who have a learning disability progressing from school to higher education have been low. Hold monthly brainstorming lunches where teams meet to address issues and develop solutions. In such cases, problems can be adequately and sustainably addressed only through a combination of strategies that recognize the complexity of barriers. Now when I’m planning something I’m very conscious that I need to represent something in many different ways. Another key barrier for inclusion in the mainstream education system is the teaching methods, the educational programs and availability of support. My name is Zainab Kamara and I am a Sierra Leonean. Locate a program that’s already implementing inclusion under the guidance of a licensed early childhood special educator. I prepared the concept paper and delivered it in the hope that it would not take much time to get a response. Open communication and coordinated planning between general education teachers and special education staff are essential for inclusion to work. Authentic Filipino Talents and Skills: Breaking the Barriers in Inclusive Education Towards Unity in Diversity. Your email address will not be published. He told me to come tomorrow so that we could work on it and he would stamp the document. 13 likes. In 2013 when our project started, we were approached by some disabled students who informed us that the college was refusing them registration for the upcoming exams since they did not pay fees. You are here. ATTITUDINAL BARRIERS Some of the greatest barriers related to inclusion in education are negative attitudes. Although economic challenges are a universal barrier to accessing education, there is an argument to be made that households with children with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to poverty. The aim of this study is to give voice to three local organisations of people with disability and for people with disability in Spain, Lithuania and Greece, discussing the EU policy for inclusive education in relation to personal experiences and national policies, as part of the Able’20 European project. While the practice of inclusion places extra demands on students and facility logistics, there are numerous … […] 6 Barriers to Inclusion (and How to Break Them Down!) Be sure to grab the infographic at the end of the post and share it with fellow educators! We also received chairs by individual donation. We were so happy to deliver the document, which allowed the disabled students register on campus. We are hoping to secure funds so that we can have a resource center where disabled students can have access to the internet and other resources for their studies. I told them that we had the records. We needed to construct a ramp as the office was not disabled friendly. When you’re just starting out with inclusion, the first steps can be the toughest. Feature first-hand quotes from parents, students, and teachers that testify vividly to the benefits of inclusion. Posted in News and Events. Help us by translating this page ; Print. Freetown, Sierra Leone, At the University of Sierra Leone, disabled students now receive their scholarships every year and they have an office where they can voice their complaints about challenges on campus, MIUSA 2016 Women's Institute on Leadership and Disability. “Having used the Universal Design for Learning guide for a while now, I’m much more aware of what potential barriers to learning could be. September 22, 2016; When you’re just starting out with inclusion, the first steps can be the toughest. Breaking barriers to inclusive education. Something I learned from the U.S. exchange program came to my mind immediately, which I used as a weapon to succeed. It is concerned with minimising all barriers to learning and participation, whoever experiences them and wherever they are located within the cultures, policies and practices of a school. 23/02/2018. It was through the exchange program that I gained the knowledge and confidence to develop the Reducing Barriers to Inclusive Education project. I spoke to a friend who advised me to go to the disability desk at the ruling party office. Inclusive education is the most effective way to give all children a fair chance to go to school, learn and develop the skills they need to thrive. You might see a lot of barriers on the road ahead, from staff skepticism to plain old lack of time. Have staff share their best, most compelling inclusion success stories with parents. Build in weekly planning times for teaching teams during the school year.