The basic principles of inclusive education

2.1 Before you start reading the text, try to guess the meaning of the following words and word combinations if necessary use the dictionary:

Fundamental arguments, social and moral arguments, social segregation and isolation, start, a multiform society, limitations, discrimination, stranger, companions, realistic, logical, automatically, naive.

WARMING UP

2.2 Before you start reading the text explain the term “inclusive” in English.

READING

2.3 Read the text making use of the active terminological vocabulary.

Text l

WHY DO WE NEED INCLUSIVE EDUCATION?

It has become clear that the fundamental arguments for inclusive education are not only educational ones. There are also solid social and moral arguments for it. Separate special education systems have obviously lead to social segregation and isolation of people with stabilities in adult life: separate worlds were created from the start. Inclusive education, on the contrary, can lay the foundations of a more inclusive society, where all people belong and where being "different" is accepted and valued as just a part of humanity. The inclusion of disabled people in society starts with the inclusion into one of the first forms of society, that is, school inclusive education gives an opportunity to non-disabled pupils to share with peers who are "different" in one way or another and to learn to accept and respect these "differences". Disabled pupils, on their turn, have the opportunity to become part of the school community and get a "realistic" idea of what a multiform and competitive society looks like, as well as of their own possibilities and limitations. They are empowered to participate more fully in society. In fact, the inclusion of disabled people in society is a process that runs in two directions: prepare disabled people to become part of society and prepare society to receive them. With respect to the latter it would be little realistic to assume that after years and years of segregated education the members of a society or community would fully accept these people that they have barely seen before, who did not attend their school, with whom they never played as a child … It is logical that they see them as strangers, as people who do not belong, in spite of all the efforts made in favour of their inclusion. Of course, it would also be naive to assume that inclusive education would automatically lead to an inclusive society. Prejudices and discrimination are firmly rooted and some time will have to pass by before all community members will have had the opportunity to share their youth and education with disabled companions.