Skip to 0 minutes and 21 seconds When we think about education for all. What is inclusion? Why discuss it? Inclusion is important because it implies an acceptance and a celebration of human diversity. It is about all of us. We need to contribute and participate and know that we’re making a difference in our communities and in the lives of others. It is through inclusion that we achieve education for all children in all their diversity. In this course we’ll focus on a particular aspect of diversity which is disability. We’ll learn more about how our educational systems can adjust to welcome children with disabilities into schools and we’ll also look at how the student can be supported to be, to participate, and to belong.
Skip to 1 minute and 4 seconds When my son was born we were told that he had a genetic syndrome, and words like ‘mental retardation’, ‘developmental delay’ were thrown at us. And this meant all our dreams for his future were shattered. And we had no idea what education would look like for him. But as he started growing and as we started hearing about what the options were, this idea of inclusion really appeal to us. The idea that Matt could be accepted for who he was in a every day government school where he could learn alongside the children from the community, and not segregated to a school for children with special needs. You do not have to be a well resourced school to make inclusion happen.
Skip to 1 minute and 43 seconds The three main resources you actually need are passion, commitment, and cooperation. What is amazing about inclusion is that when it is successful, it is beneficial to everyone who participated in making it happen. So this is what the course is about. We come together to engage and to explore proven ways of making inclusion happen, and in this way we further the goal of education for all.
