According to UNESCO (2005, p.

13) inclusive education is “a process of addressing and

responding to the diversity of needs of all learners through increasing participation in
learning, cultures and communities, and reducing exclusion within and from education”.
Tiwari, Das & Sharma (2015) highlight that the inclusive model ensures that all students with
disabilities (SWDs) are provided with relevant education to reach their full learning potential.
Inclusive education has become imperative and an essential part in facilitating the education
of all students. Schools need to provide education which is accessible and designed to meet
the needs of all students. This paper aims to discuss the changing views towards inclusive
education in schools and how legislation has resulted in a discrimination free environment for
SWDs. The legislation will be discussed in regard to the Disability Standards for Education
(2005) and the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. Also, this paper aims to highlight how
SWDs can be supported through schools and specifically through teachers whereby inclusive
education is applied widely.

To assist SWDs Australia, inclusive education was adopted early on. Thus, the Australian
Government released an explicit interpretation of the Disability Discrimination Act 1992
called Disability Standards for Education 2005 for education systems. This act aimed to
expand on the obligations on inclusive education all institutions have. Thus, promoting equal
and active participation of all individuals with disabilities. Anderson & Boyle (2015)
emphasise that the purpose of legislation of these laws has been to encourage all learners to
become confident, creative and successful individuals. Australian Research Alliance for
Children and Youth (ARACY) highlights that Australia has developed these laws by joining
other countries in promoting active and equal participation of individual with disabilities.
This is mainly due to the agreement with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of
People with Disabilities in 2008. The adoption of inclusive education was implemented in the
education system to assist SWDs’ educational journey. Round, Subban & Sharma (2015)
explain that state- and federal-level institutes have been implemented to promote inclusive
education in schools. Including the Victorian government initiatives with the Principles of
Learning and Teaching, the Melbourne Declaration on Goals for Young Australians and the
Australian Curriculum guidelines. These initiatives are driven by the Discrimination Act
(1992) which aims to include all students with disabilities in mainstream schools.
According to Round, Subban & Sharma (2015) “schools are also expected to ensure that
reasonable accommodations are made to the curriculum so that a student with a disability is
not only physically included but also benefitting academically and socially from the
programme”.

The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), 1992 was legalised to prevent and make illegal for
individuals to discriminate due to any form of disability. All educational institutes must abide
by this Act, including all government, catholic and independent schools. However,
institutions must also comply with their own state and territory legislations. According to the
Australian Human Rights Commission (2012) the DDA (1992) “covers disabilities that
people have now, had in the past, may have in the future or which they are believed to have”.
The Disability Standards for Education 2005 is a direct interpretation and formulated under
the DDA (1992). The purpose of the standards is to provide a clarification of the obligations
that institutions have to individuals with disabilities in relation to education and training.
These obligations include the modifications that need to be made to learning and curricula to
assist students in participating at the highest level. Any modifications that are on a personal
level must be approved by the student’s guardians/parents. It should not be expectant that
learners adapt to the school, the schools need to adapt to the needs of the students. Thus,
modifications must be reasonable and ultimately provide opportunities for individuals to
reach their full potential without being subject to discrimination.

According to Konzo (2008), changing views on inclusive education have been on the rise
since the mid 1970s after a long period where students with disabilities were educated in
separated settings. There was not only a change in attitude towards individuals with
disabilities but also due to the fact that research found that combined educational setting have
a positive effect on student learning. Thus, the integration of students with disabilities in all
schools and classrooms has been normalised. Forlin (1997) argues that over the past two
decades the concept of inclusion has pressed the discussion on the education of students with
disabilities further.
Inclusive education aims to provide students with equal opportunities and remove the
division between “special and regular education” (Konzo, 2008). Schools are instead required
to provide resources, facilities and suitable curriculum despite any disability. This build
towards a model, where all students are considered normal and their needs can be met thus
supporting equality for all. The DDA (1992) and Disability standards for Education (2005)
reinforce the concept of the full participation of students with disabilities in conventional
educational settings. So, all inclusion is supported “where possible” and “when in the best
interests of the child” (Konza, 2008).
The need for inclusive education is required due to the increasing number of students who are
being diagnosed with different behavioural and learning disabilities. According to the
Department of Education (2012) 12% of the total school population have a disability and/or
difficulties in learning or behaviour. The spike in students with disabilities has increased,
particularly the number of students with mental health disorders and autism spectrum
disorders. Although students may have these disabilities or learning disorders these students
are taught in classrooms and enrolled into every school. So, students have the same
opportunities and experiences as their peers, without disabilities.

According to Soto, Pooley, Cohen & Taylor (2012) there has been a shift in Australian
education of the incorporation of inclusive education for students with Autism Spectrum
Disorders (ASD). ASD is a neurodevelopmental disability that is permanent with three areas
of impairment: communication, social skills and behaviour. In Australia, around 1 in 160 of
the population is diagnosed with ASD (Australian Advisory Board on Autism Spectrum
Disorders, 2012). Thus, students with ASD are emotionally and socially vulnerable as a result
of attention deficit disorders, learning and thinking style differences and impulse control
problems. Unlike their peers, students with ASD cannot adjust their behaviour or match their
emotions and social stimuli.
Therefore, it is vital that teachers have skills and strategies to address the difficulties that
students with ASD are experiencing. Due to Australia’s commitment to inclusive education
the inclusion of students with disabilities are included in classrooms with age-level peers
(Mehring & Dow, 2001). Inclusion in schools has been challenging especially in secondary
school’s due the poor communication and social skills, challenging behaviours such as hand
flapping and failure to develop peer relationships, of students with ASD. So, teachers are
faced with the difficulty of applying varied modifications, accommodations, strategies and
skills to teach students with ASD or other disabilities.

Accommodations and adjustments need to be made in the classrooms by the teachers for
students with additional needs. This is interlinked with the Universal Design for Learning
(UDL) were differed approaches can be applied assisting all students but accommodating to
the needs of students with disabilities. This adjustment may be minor or major for example,
printing A3 font worksheets for a student who is visually impaired where the font is bigger,
and the teacher is able to accommodate to the student’s requirements. Different students
require different adjustments and needs, the teacher needs to be aware and able to suit the
needs of the students.

For teachers to successfully and effectively assist students with ASD they must be adequately
trained. According to Leblanc, Richardson & Burns (2009, p.167) there is a “real need within
the professional community to understand ASD and the many complexities presented by the
various dimensions of the disorder”. Due to the complexity of ASD, educators need to
develop their understanding and the effect ASD has on learning. In the study conducted by
Leblanc, Richardson & Burns (2009) pre-service teachers received 200-minute instructional
training from AD consultants. After the training, pre-service teachers felt more comfortable
and understood at a deeper level on how to support students with ASD. Therefore, training
teachers on teaching students with ASD or any other disability has proven useful and
effective. If teachers lack the training they may lack the knowledge in assisting students with
diverse needs.
Furthermore, teachers need to provide an environment in their classroom where students with
disabilities are independent and teachers should be able to handle challenging behaviour. This
is all dependent on the teachers attitudes towards students with disabilities. DeBoer (2009)
conducted a study which concluded that the there are four attitudes teachers have towards
students with disabilities: concern, attachment, indifference and rejection. These attitudes
directly affected the student’s educational experiences because it affects their willingness to
include these students throughout the classroom. Thus, teachers need to understand that their
attitudes not only form their willingness to include students but ultimately impacts the
outcomes the students achieve.

Teachers do not hold the sole responsibility in assisting students with disabilities. There
needs to be a collaborative effort between teachers, principals, specialists and parents. All
these individuals need to work together to promote a consistent environment throughout
different settings. So, students can use the same behaviours and acquired information even
when at home, at school or in the community. There also needs to a collaboration between
each member of the school so all staff members understand on how to address and deal with
students (Harding, 2009). This will ultimately lead to the student understanding on the
expectations that are required of them through all settings.
Differentiated learning should be provided to students through structured assignments and
tasks. According to Parker & Kamps (2011) assignments such as projects or essays should be
broken down into smaller sections. These sections should be taught through guided practice
and modelling, supporting the completion of tasks. One of the main skills teachers can apply
for students to complete tasks effectively can be by using performance rubrics. Teachers can
explicitly highlight their expectations based on the rubric, that are anticipated of students.
Students are able to adapt and familiarise themselves with those expectations, if further
assistance is required quality examples of assignments can also be provided (Flash, 2009).
Furthermore, if teachers provide students with the opportunity, of allowing students a choice
to select from different formats for assignment can also be helpful. These formats may
include presentations, journals, essays or portfolios, allowing students to be assessed based
on their strengths, motivations and special interests (Greenspan, Wieder & Simons, 1998).
For example, another way to offer choice during activities can be through tic-tac-toe lessons
which enhance engagement and expression especially for students with disabilities. These
types of lessons allow students choices with differentiated instruction and assessment.

Routines and procedures in the classroom can also be very useful for students with
disabilities and a great skill for teachers. Both routines and procedures represent different
things, routines are the things that students do without supervision or instructions. While
procedures are how the teachers wants things done in different aspects of the classroom.
Students with disabilities such as ASD can benefit greatly from routines and procedures by
offering clarity and consistency on classroom expectations (McIntosh, Herman, Sanford,
McGraw & Florence, 2004). Procedures should be taught to students similarly to behavioural
and academic expectations and made explicit. Teachers could apply procedures in the
classroom by providing a rationale, explain the procedure through a written example and
demonstrate each step. For example, students could form a routine which involves starting
class by marking the roll, giving homework to teacher, complete class task and line up to
leave classroom. However, procedures and routines need to be mastered through multiple
attempts and feedback. Once routines and procedures are taught to students they are able to
simplify a complex environment, know what is expected of them and what to expect (Burden,
2003).
Furthermore, to assist students in preparing for change and reducing their anxiety, schedules
could be of great use. If teachers need to change routines or procedures this could be done by
highlighting on a schedule. These changes could be for example, notifying students of
substitute teachers or a change in a planned activity. Allowing students with ASD or other
disabilities to prepare themselves for the changes. Schedules assist students in planning for
the day and preparing for changes reducing anxiety and allows preparation time for change.

In conclusion, the Australian education system has increasingly incorporated inclusive

learning in mainstream education through different legislations. The different skills
mentioned throughout are required and needed to allow students with varying abilities to
achieve successful outcomes. Teachers are the key in establishing inclusive classrooms where
students can become successful learner’s despite any disabilities.
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