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Inclusive education incorporates factors such as acceptance and support and this is crucial in

applying a balanced and equal learning environment for all. Inclusive education involves a

collective effort by everyone to provide every student in the learning environment with the

right to feel a sense of belonging (Sakiz, 2018). Through legislation such as the Disability

Discrimination Act 1992 and Disability Standards for Education 2005, views have ultimately

changed and this demonstrates the significance of legislation. These legislative documents

also provide an outline of how everyone can assist with the inclusion of students with

disabilities including those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Reversing previous and

also current injustices that surround inclusive education is paramount, and challenging these

notions through the areas of legislation and teaching skills can help everyone obtain

inclusivity in and around the classroom.

The introduction of legislation in Australia regarding inclusive education endeavours to

remove discrimination and bring clarity about previous misconceptions. Australia adheres by

both the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005.

Both legislations have the common goal of striving to grant all students with or without a

disability the same and equal rights and this applies across all levels of the schooling

environment. The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 ensures that those who treat an

individual unfairly or differently will be accountable by the law (AHRC, 2014). This

legislation is not limited to just the school environment but encompasses all facets of

everyday life. The Disability Standards for Education 2005 directly focusses on education

and works in conjunction with the Disability Discrimination Act 1992. These standards

incorporate the areas of “enrolment, participation, curriculum development, accreditation and

delivery, student support services and elimination of harassment and victimisation” (DOE

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,2005, p.5-6). This legislation is a core component of compliance within Australia for both

government and non-government schools in conjunction with legislation appropriate to state

or territories. The effect that legislation has on promoting inclusivity for those with additional

needs is significant, as it empowers both responsibility and accountability for not just

teachers but everyone within the educational environment.

The effectiveness of legislation such as the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and the

Disability Standards for Education 2005 along with global policies can be subjected to

question. Policies in not just Australia but globally have been rolled out and considerable

changes within society and more directly within a schooling environment has been impacted

throughout the late twentieth and twenty first century. However, whether or not these policies

have been adhered to by all schooling communities to the standard that is expected is up for

debate. Rajovic & Jovanovic (2013) in their quantitative study of teacher attitudes towards

inclusion in Serbia between 2002 and 2012 demonstrates the slow shift in thinking despite

reform changes being rolled out. Whilst it was observed that significant progress had been

achieved, there was still some obstacles that hindered the inclusion process within the

schooling environment. These obstacles that were highlighted included a “lack of initial

education … lack of resources… pressure from external stakeholders” (Rajovic & Jovanovic,

2013, p.90). Whilst these obstacles are present, the introduction of reform and legislation has

garnered a spotlight on these difficulties. Subsequent action from both the government and

schools through the form of further reforms and legislations may help alleviate some of the

obstacles that exist.

Similar situations occur on a global scale and this is evident within Australia as highlighted

through the qualitative account by Whitburn (2015). Whitburn (2015) discusses the

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experiences of five students with vision impairment and how schools enforced inclusive

education by adhering to present reforms. Marginalisation occurred through a variety of ways

in and outside of the learning environment setting. Examples of marginalisation included

travel, overwhelmed with support, not in mainstream classes and the threat of being viewed

as “others” was constant (Whitburn, 2015). The overarching argument from Whitburn (2015)

mentions that policy is not radical enough and more needs to be done in placing legislation

into practice. Ultimately, the introduction of legislation is a positive step in the right

direction. However, more needs to be done to ensure that the requirements within legislation

is being met across the schooling environment.

Changing views regarding inclusive education and the shift from segregation to inclusion

began in the mid 1970’s within Australia. Konza (2008) identifies that this shift in thinking

was in response to research findings on the effectiveness of special education settings along

with a shift in attitudes in the western world. Segregation prior to the mid 1970’s was seen as

essential and necessary and evidence of this view appears through the influential work of

American Psychologist John Edward Wallace Wallin in his text The Education of

Handicapped children (1924). Wallin (1924) held the core belief in his writing that “mentally

disabled students represent an inassimilable accumulation of human clinkers… which

seriously retards the rate of progress of the entire class” (p.93). This view held by Wallin

(1924) demonstrated the lack of responsibility for teachers in assisting students that needed

extra learning support. It implies that students that required additional support were somehow

an inconvenience to the rest of the class. Wallin (1924) continued, stating that students with

learning difficulties had severe behavioural issues and focussing extra on these students

would not be fair on the class as a whole. This viewpoint demonstrates a clear lack of

understanding to those with learning difficulties. For example, research suggests that many

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students with Autism Spectrum Disorder are visual learners and may in fact struggle

understanding verbal instructions or verbal cues (Kidder & McDonnell, 2017). Sweeny

(2007) highlights that school professionals and researchers had two arguments regarding

segregation. These arguments included that it was necessary for a classroom to operate

smoothly and that segregation was the best practice for the educational and psychological

interests of all. Ultimately, the evidence towards inclusive education being the more

beneficial for students outweighed segregation and views began to shift in the mid 1970’s.

Public opinion regarding social justice began to rise especially within the mid 1970’s and this

is a central theme that is grounded within inclusive education. Anderson and Boyle (2015)

define the goals of inclusive education as the process of reducing educational inequalities and

to potentially break cycles of disadvantages and increase understanding. The increase in

understanding for both students and teachers is a significant area of growth and is a stark

contrast of previous views. This increase in understanding is elaborated further by Konza

(2008) who states that students working alongside students with learning disabilities can

develop a greater level of understanding compared to segregation. Students will be exposed

to other student’s strengths, weaknesses and good and bad days with the overarching goal to

create a sense of neutrality and togetherness in the classroom. This exposure would be

impossible to achieve if students with learning disabilities were segregated. If segregation did

occur, it can be argued that the opposite effect would happen and students would develop a

lack of awareness towards those with learning difficulties.

One of the crucial themes that also led to a shift in thinking was the emergence of the

principal of normalisation. Normalisation has multiple definitions however, its main notion

centres around closing the gap and providing a life that is balanced and consistent for

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everybody. This in relation to inclusive education incorporates “the right of people with

disabilities to learning and living environments as close to normal as possible” (Konza, 2008,

p.39). Normalisation can be applied through Australia’s implementation of a national

curriculum. The national curriculum core objective is to ensure ‘all students are entitled to

rigorous, relevant and engaging learning programs’ (ACARA, 2013, p.4). This objective

demonstrates the extent of the changing views, going from segregation and blame to

inclusion and unity. The importance of having a national curriculum that holds core

objectives of inclusion and working together to reach a common goal is a significant step in

the right direction.

Teaching strategies also have to adapt to cater for a more inclusive setting. Within the NSW

public school system, more than twelve percent of the total school population have a

disability or need additional support due to difficulties in learning or behaviour (NSW

Government, 2012). There is also an upward trend within schools regarding the amount of

students with learning difficulties and whilst funding is shared between commonwealth and

state governments the public sector carries a heavy burden of students with learning

difficulties (Anderson & Boyle, 2015). Funding disparities only further increases the need for

appropriate teaching strategies and to not adapt a “one size fits all” approach and rather focus

on individual needs. One teaching strategy that is effective within an inclusive learning

environment is differentiated instruction. Differentiation incorporates recognising each

individual worth and producing content that is stimulating, appropriate and challenging for all

students (Adami, 2004). This requires efficient lesson planning by the educator and also an

openness to a wide variety of learning materials that can get the most out every student

within the classroom. Differentiated learning has an impact on not just students with learning

difficulties but also those that are gifted and talented. This could come in the form of

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extracurricular activities that could be performed during class or at another time. For those

with learning difficulties, differentiated learning could be setting a task for the students to

complete and offer alternative methods in completing the required work.

One crucial example of applying differentiating teaching practices to promote an inclusive

learning environment is utilising technology within the classroom. Teachers need to have an

increased sense of awareness that today’s students have an improved exposure to technology

than ever before. Therefore, in an effort to increase engagement, teachers should incorporate

technology within their practice. Morgan (2014) notes that through research, internet

searching and browsing had a more stimulating effect on children than reading. This is also

supported through data collected from the University of California in which brain activity

increased through navigation of a web page rather than reading something in print format

(Morgan, 2014). It is important to note that these findings do not encourage the complete

abandonment of text in a print format however, they do support the use of differentiating

learning materials such of that as technology. A wide variety of assistive technology exists

which can be utilised in the classroom to not just promote academic success but also

encourage independence and productivity. Examples of assistive technology can range from

low tech equipment such as a pencil grip or a thesaurus to more high tech things such as word

prediction software, text-to-speech, tag reader and an iPad. (Bouck et.al, 2012 & Simpson

et.al, 2009). Having numerous assistive technology from both a low and a high range can

help potentially alleviate the deterrent of costing which could turn educators off using these

resources on a whole school level. However, it is up to governments to realise the potential

benefit of having access to these resources and funding should reflect the endeavour to

increase inclusion and equality throughout the classroom.

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Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a condition that affects social interaction and social

communication and is a lifelong developmental condition (Autism Spectrum Australia,

2017). There is no single indicator that signals Autism however, a child would have multiple

indicators. These indicators include things from the following categories; behaviour, sensory,

communication, social skills and play (Autism Spectrum Australia, 2017). Promoting

inclusivity for those students with ASD requires teachers to be increasingly aware of some of

the things they need to do to accommodate them. Visual support has been supported by

research to be beneficial towards children with ASD and this may garner a more positive

reaction rather than verbal only instruction (Kidder & McDonnell, 2017). An example of how

a visual support can be used within a classroom is the use of an activity schedule. An activity

schedule can be placed at the front of the classroom and also handed out individually to

students. This allows students to have a visual timeline of the proceedings of events and tasks

and also gives the students a sense of responsibility and independence. A sense of

responsibility and independence is achieved as students become aware of what is expected of

them, the time allocated to complete each task and also a visual representation of the

transitions that the lesson will undergo. Educators can also do simple things such as positive

reinforcement and implement reward systems that can help recognise the achievement of all

students. Ultimately, not just students with ASD but all students with learning disabilities

have a great benefit of being a part of inclusive learning environment as they have regular

peers to model their behaviour around and become a part of their local community (Konza,

2008).

In conclusion, views about inclusive education has shifted from the mid 1970’s and this can

be attributed to the implementation of legislation and a change of public opinion and

attitudes. Whilst a greater emphasis on ensuring what is required through legislation is put

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into practice in all classrooms, it has ensured a step in the right direction is taken. Teaching

professionals also need to have an increased understanding in getting the most out of all

students whether they have learning or behavioural disabilities or they are high achieving.

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References

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