Publications

Reports:

New reports on Special Education in Ontario. English and French editions.

Brock University Professors issue report on "The Delivery of Education Services for Students Who Have An Intellectual Disability in The Province of Ontario" - commissioned by Community living Ontario. Sheila Bennett and Tiffany Gallagher. They conclude that "policy, protectionism, embedded practice and bureaucratic convenience" are major contributors to a system that continues to segregate and marginalize thousands of Ontario Students.

English and French editions.

Exploring Inclusive Educational Practices through Professional Inquiry.

Edited by

Gordon L. Porter
Inclusive Education Canada
The Education Training Group

Déirdre Smith
Ontario College of Teachers, Canada
With Contributors

Vianne Timmons
University of Regina

Brian Kelly
New Brunswick Department of Education

Diane Richler
Inclusion International

ISBN: 978-94-6091-556-7 (paperback) ($39)
ISBN: 978-94-6091-557-4 (hardback) ($99)
ISBN: 978-94-6091-558-1 (e-book)
Published by: Sense Publishers, P.O. Box 21858, 3001 AW Rotterdam, The Netherlands www.sensepublishers.com

AVAILABLE FROM: WWW.AMAZON.CA

This is a book on inclusive education that leaves you with hope and ideas for action. It takes a very difficult and highly charged topic and demonstrates that it is possible to see both the trees and the forest.
Michael Fullan, Professor Emeritus, OISE, University of Toronto

Practitioners, scholars, and teacher education students alike can celebrate reading Exploring Inclusive Educational Practices through Professional Inquiry. This rich array of case scenarios both illuminates and elaborates the meaning of inclusion in today’s schools and tomorrow’s visions. Twenty-five stories from parents, teachers, school principals, and specialists highlight the kind of experiential knowledge that won’t be found in typical research reports and district documents about inclusive education. What happens to real people—students and their families—doesn’t always resemble policies that can look so good on paper. This book makes a wonderful contribution to better understandings of the challenges of inclusion as well as the commitments positioned alongside values in order to meet those challenges. There are brave and spirited people in these pages—not the least of whom are the children themselves.
Professor Luanna H. Meyer, PhD
Director, Jessie Hetherington Centre for Educational Research
Victoria University, New Zealand

We are reminded in the commentaries parents share in this book of how their passionate commitment to good education and their ideas make inclusion work.
Michael Bach, Executive Vice-President
Canadian Association for Community Living

COMMENTATORS
Canadian Commentators
Carson Allard, Ontario College of Teachers.
Shelley Arsenault, Prince Edward Island.
Angèla AuCoin,Université de Moncton
Sarah Elizabeth Barrett, York University
Tracy Beck, White Oaks Secondary School, Oakville, ON
Alice Bender, Montreal, Quebec
Sheila Bennett, Brock University
Diana Carr, ALDI, Montreal, Quebec
Krista Carr, New Brunswick Association for Community Living
Edith Clarke, English Montreal School Board
Robin Crain, School District 14, Woodstock, N.B.
Carla DiGiorgio, University of Prince Edward Island
Alex Dingwall, School District 18, Fredericton, N.B.
Marilyn Dolmage, Toronto
Tiffany Gallagher, Brock University
Tammy Dunbar, District 14, Woodstock, NB
Emily Dwornikiewicz, Toronto
Inés-Elvira de Escallón,Toronto, Canada
Jackie Fewer-Bennett, Department of Education, Newfoundland and Labrador
Cindy Finn, Lester B. Pearson SB, Dorval, PQ
Agnes Gajuwski, OISE, University of Toronto
Dan Goodyear, Department of Education, Newfoundland and Labrador
Heather Hogan, School District 14, New Brunswick.
Anne Jordan, OISE, University of Toronto
Jacqueline Karsemeyer Ontario College of Teachers
Jaya Karsemeyer, Toronto
Lois Kember Prince Edward Island
Shirley Kendrick, Dufferin-Peel Catholic District SB
Isabel Killoran, York University
Anne Kresta, Community Living Manitoba
Gordon Kyle, Community Living Ontario
Audrey Lampert, Moncton, NB
Brent Langan, Huron-Perth Catholic District SB
Darquise Leroux, Toronto
John Lundy, Laurentian University
Zana Lutfiyya, University of Manitoba
Ann Marie MacDonald, Prince Edward Island
Kendra MacLaren, Prince Edward Island
Joanne MacNevin, Prince Edward Island
Pamela C. McGugan, Ontario Ministry of Education
Darren McKee, Department of Education, Saskatchewan
Sheila McWatters, Dufferin-Peel Catholic District SB
Alan McWhorter, Community Living Kingston
Bendina Miller, Canadian Association for Community Living, British Columbia
Penny Milton, Canadian Education Association
James Moloney, Ontario College of Teachers
Catherine Montreuil Bruce-Grey Catholic DSB
Kathryn Noel, University of Western Ontario
Melanie Panitch Ryerson University
Denise Silverstone, Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada
Sharon Rich, Nipissing University
Bruce Rivers, Community Living Toronto
Zuhy Sayeed, Canadian Association for Community Living, Alberta
Jacquline Specht, University of Western Ontario
Julie A. Stone, New Brunswick Associations for Community Living.
Scott A. Thompson, University of Regina
Chris Treadwell, School District 18, New Brunswick
Kara Walsh, Prince Edward Island
Jerry Wheeler, Ontario College of Teachers
Margaret Kress White, SIAST, Saskatchewan
Tanya Whitney, District 8, New Brunswick
Stephanie Zucko, Montreal, Quebec

United States Commentators
Lauren Hoffman, Lewis University, Illinois
Peter McLaren, University of California, Los Angeles
Anthony H. Normore, California State University-Dominguez Hills Los Angeles
Darlene Perner, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania
JoAnne Putnam, University of Maine at Presque Isle
Jean J. Ryoo, University of California, Los Angeles

International Commentators
Alicia de la Peña Rode, Mexico City
Nithi Muthukrishna, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Ulla Alexandersson, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Marie Schoeman, South African Ministry of Education,
Pretoria
Miguel Ángel Verdugo, Institute on Community Integration, University of Salamanca, Spain
Bernhard Schmid, Lebenshilfe Wien, Austria
John Loughran, Monash University, Victoria, Australia
Anke Grafe, Halle/Saale, Germany
Jude MacArthur, Dunedin, New Zealand
Seamus Hagerty, London, United Kingdom
Odet Moliner Garcia, University Jaume I, Castellón de la Plana, Spain.
Amanda Watkins, European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education, Denmark
Barbara Wenders, Grundschule Berg Fidel, Münster, Germany
Roger Slee, Institute of Education, University of London, United Kingdom
Cor Meijer, European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education, Denmark
Maribel Alves-Fierro Sevilla, Ministry of Culture, Brasilia, Brazil

New Zealand Report Draws on International Trends in the Education of Students with Special education Needs

David Mitchell, a former Professor of Education at the University of Waikato in Hamilton New Zealand, and now with the College of Education, University of Canterbury completed the study in July 2010. It is called - Education that fits: Review of international trends in the education of students with special educational needs. The purpose of the review is to outline international trends in the education of students with special educational needs, with the aim of informing the New Zealand Ministry of Education’s review of special education.

Professor Mitchell observes that: How best to educate students with special educational needs (hereafter referred to as SWSEN) is one of the most dominant and controversial issues confronting educators around the world today. It is a complex and dynamic issue that demands careful and systematic analysis.

A few of the conclusions that emerged are interesting in the Canadian context.

• The education of SWSEN is a complex process with many inter-related elements, most of which apply to education in general and some of which are specific to SWSEN.
• Educational provisions for SWSEN should not be primarily designed to fit the student into existing systems, but rather, they should also lead to those systems being reformed so as to better accommodate diversity, i.e., education should fit the student.
• Inclusive education goes far beyond the physical placement of SWSEN in general classrooms, but requires nothing less than transforming regular education by promoting positive school/classroom cultures and structures, together with evidence-based practices.
• Educational policies and practices for SWSEN (indeed all students) should be evidence-driven and data-based, and focused on learning outcomes.
• The rights of SWSEN to a quality education and to be treated with respect and dignity should be honoured.
• (Provincial) … curricula and assessment regimes should be accessible to SWSEN, taking account of the principles of universal design for learning.
• Educational provisions for SWSEN should emphasise prevention and early intervention prior to referral for more costly special educational services, through such processes as graduated response to intervention.
• Partnerships with parents should be seen as an essential component of education for such students.
• In order to improve the quality of education for SWSEN, leadership must be exercised throughout the education system, from legislators to school principals.

For the full report, the website link is:
http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/special_education/education-that-fits-review-of-international-trends-in-the-education-of-students-with-special-educational-needs

Did you get this report? – if not download it now!

Vianne Timmons and Maryam Wagner completed a very important report connecting inclusive education to parents sense of their child’s well-being. Many parents and advocates have made use of the report but it has not been as widely shared as it could be. Be sure to look at the report and download the full text as well as the executive summary – and share it with others. It has a strong message that needs to be heard.

Inclusive Education Knowledge Exchange Initiative: An Analysis of the Statistics Canada Participation and Activity Limitation Survey

Background Since the 1980s, many children with disabilities in Canada have attended their neighbourhood schools with age-appropriate peers. Research exists that reveals parents’ perceptions of their children’s school In particular, Statistics Canada’s 2001 Children’s Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS), a post-censal survey of people with disabilities, has been undertaken. PALS provides a wealth of information about children with disabilities in Canada.

The purpose of the “Inclusive Education Knowledge Exchange Initiative” research project was to assist in creating an effective knowledge exchange process in order to accommodate a scarcity of knowledge surrounding inclusive education. Researchers from across Canada engaged in an analysis of Statistics Canada’s 2001 Participation and Activity Limitation Survey to test the hypothesis that where educational services are organized to ensure inclusion, parents are more likely to report that their children are in good general health and that their children are doing well in school.

The link:
http://www.ccl-cca.ca/ccl/Research/FundedResearch/201009TimmonsInclusiveEducation.html

British Study says – Schools need help with 'special needs influx'

Schools in England need new teaching methods to deal with an influx of children with increasingly complex special needs, a report warns. The study says more disabled children are surviving to school age, and new conditions, such as foetal alcohol syndrome, bring a range of needs.

The Complex Learning Difficulties and Disabilities Research Project, funded by the Department for Education, says urgent action is needed to help schools serve a new generation of children with special needs and disabilities "never seen before in the education system".

These include foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, attachment disorder, rare chromosomal disorders, some mental health problems, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, sensory impairment, autism, fragile X syndrome, the long-term effects of drug use during pregnancy and the long-term effects of premature birth.

The researchers have also developed a set of briefing and guidance notes, with advice for teachers in handling pupils with complex special needs. The study says there have been rapid increases in the number of children with the most complex special needs. It says research shows the number of children with disabilities in Britain has risen from 700,000 in 2004 to 950,000 in 2009.

Department for Education figures show that over the same period the number of children with profound multiple learning difficulties increased by nearly 30%. Chief author of the report Professor Barry Carpenter said: "Rare disabilities and other conditions are on the increase. "There are also more and more children coming into the system with mental health problems.”

The report concludes: "This is not just an issue for special schools - teachers in mainstream schools need to be aware of these trends because they are increasingly likely to encounter children with problems they have not seen before. "We need urgent action to alert teachers across the system to this fast-growing trend and prepare them for it. Without proper training teachers will struggle to cope with these new challenges and children will not get the support they need."

BC Research Results: Inclusion of special education students doesn’t affect classmates’ education

The Centre for Education Research and Policy (CERP) at Simon Fraser University has released a compelling research report on the effects of inclusive education. It demonstrates that having special needs students in regular classes does not affect the learning of other students.

For some time inclusion has been criticized as setting up conditions where teachers are spending all their time with students with special needs and neglect other students. It has been suggested that inclusion holds other children back. This research shows this not to be accurate.

CERP at Simon Fraser University analyzed data from British Columbia to contribute credible new evidence. CERP researchers compared the performance of successive cohorts within every public elementary school in B.C. (as measured by the change in individual test scores between grades 4 and 7), to see if the proportion of disabled peers makes any difference to the achievement of non-disabled students.

“Attending school with a higher percentage of students with disabilities is found to have only extremely small and statistically insignificant effects on the reading and numeracy achievement of non-disabled students.”

Under current conditions, the placement of students with special learning needs and disabilities into regular classrooms does not compromise the education of their average non-disabled classmate. The study does not evaluate the helpfulness of the inclusion policy for disabled students themselves, or measure any non-educational effects.

Jane Friesen, Ross Hickey and Brian Krauth of Simon Fraser University conducted the research.

We recommend the full report to readers. Print the report and share it with others.

The press release on the report: http://www.sfu.ca/cerp/research/briefings.html#peers2

The full report http://www.sfu.ca/cerp/research/d_p_a_a.pdf

Defining a Rights Based Framework: Advancing Inclusion of Students with Disabilities – A Summary of the Canadian Association of Statutory Human Rights Agencies’ 2008 National Forum

For the full report click here.

Inclusion International Issues Global Report on Inclusive Education
By Diane Richler, President of Inclusion International and
Connie Laurin-Bowie, Executive Director

Better Education for All: When We’re Included Too is a global report developed by Inclusion International and its members around the world to tell the story of our continued exclusion from education. This report documents information and analysis from parents, self-advocates, family based organizations in 75 countries about our experiences with inclusive education over the past 15 years since the adoption of the Salamanca Framework by UNESCO. The central finding of this report is that there are good examples of inclusive education in the world, both in rich and poor countries, which have not resulted in systemic change that promotes the inclusion of children with disabilities. The main reason for the continued systemic exclusion of millions of children with disabilities is that there continues to be two parallel agendas for education; one that promotes investment and monitoring for education systems as a whole and one that focuses on the special education needs of children and youth who have a disability.

Our report examines the global agenda for education (EFA and the Dakar Goals) in relation to the findings and evidence provided by our members around the world. It demonstrates how children and youth with disabilities are excluded from different priority initiatives in each of the Dakar Goal areas. The report points to the CRPD as the international legal instrument which can help to close the gap between the rhetoric of inclusive education and reality. Using the CRPD not only as the legal basis for promoting inclusive education but also as a framework for reform, the report provides a roadmap for governments and international agencies to move forward in building a new global agenda for education that includes people with disabilities.

Of the 77 million children who are not in school at least 25 million have a disability (UNESCO, 2006), most of whom live in developing countries. Our members report that most other children with disabilities do not attend school with their non-disabled peers or do not receive the supports they need.

Our study shows that in the past fifteen years, children and youth with disabilities, parents, educators and policy makers have demonstrated that inclusion works. We have numerous examples of those with the most significant disabilities being fully included and supported in regular classrooms.

Our study identifies systemic barriers to inclusive education:
• Political vacuum of leadership and accountability for inclusive education.
• Children with disabilities remain invisible to the education system.
• Families are not supported.
• Teachers lack training, leadership, knowledge and supports to adapt curriculum.
• Poor quality education.
• Poor access to knowledge and information for – parents, teachers, administrators and policy makers.
• No inclusive education infrastructure -governance, policy, planning, financing, implementation and monitoring.
• Lack of public support for inclusion.
• Lack of accountability and monitoring mechanisms.


The CRPD now provides both the framework and the obligations for completing what Salamanca began.

Our recommendations are:
• Establish strong and effective governance, policy and planning for inclusive education.
• Governments, donor and international agencies must create targeted financing mechanisms for inclusive education plans
• Effective delivery systems must be established at the school district level to coordinate efforts.
• Governments, donor and international agencies must develop a disability-inclusive, and CRPD-compliant, monitoring and reporting framework for EFA.

We urge governments, donors and international agencies not to fail us this time.

For the full report click here.

New Brunswick Human Rights Commission issues new Guideline on Accommodating Students with Disabilities

For the full report click here

Focusing on Students – The ISSP and Pathways Commission Report

A new report on special education services has been completed in Newfoundland and Labrador. The report is called - Focusing on Students – The ISSP and Pathways Commission Report. In releasing the report, Minister of Education Joan Burke noted that “ … (s)ubstantive and immediate changes will be made to improve the delivery of special education programming in the K-12 education system.

"This was one of the first issues brought to my attention when I took over the education portfolio," said Minister Burke. "We heard from educators and administrators that they have been overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork required under the current system, detracting from their ability to focus on individual student learning in the classroom.

"The report is a straight-forward assessment of the current process, based on extensive consultations with teachers, parents, administrators and many others involved in the K-12 system. It places the focus squarely on student needs in the classroom and our response respects the importance of having these needs addressed in a timely manner."

For the full report connect to: http://www.ed.gov.nl.ca/edu/pub/Focusing_on_Students.pdf

Brief on Systemic Barriers to Implementing Inclusive Education in New Brunswick
New Brunswick ACL releases “Brief on Systemic Barriers to Implementing Inclusive Education in New Brunswick” - a thorough analysis of issues that will be of interest to educators, parents and policy makers.

» Check it out – click here (pdf, 49KB)

Canadian Teachers Federation Issues Conference Report
CACL has been working closely with the Canadian Teachers Federation over the past two years, and was involved in the November 2005 Conference as a follow-up to the 2004 CACL-sponsored National Summit on Inclusive Education.

Participants were given opportunities through presentations, workshops and discussions to examine and develop solutions and strategies that ensure children and youth are not excluded by culture, race, language, socio-economic status, sexual orientation or ability. In March 2006, CTF issued a complete summary report.

» View 2005 Conference Report (pdf, 912KB)
» Visit www.CTF-FCE.ca for more information

Crucial Terms Final Report
The Marsha Forest Centre of Toronto recently released a report outlining the recommended terms to replace certain confusing or inaccurate terms currently being used to describe the special education and inclusive education approaches to teaching learners with disabilities.

The intent of the project was to lessen confusion in conversations and to provide the strongest educational service for Canadians with disabilities. Over the past few years, it has become apparent that certain terms have been misused, particularly when it comes to understanding the inclusive approach to education.

Click here to download and print the Crucial Terms Final Report. (pdf, 460KB)

CACL Regional Consultation Reports
From 2002- 2004 CACL held regional forums across Canada. These forums brought together parents of students with disabilities, representatives from ACLs, teachers’ unions, ministries of education and educators and parents to identify areas of common concern and to develop strategies for joint efforts for inclusive education.

Regional forums took place in Nova Scotia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and in the North. In October 2004 Manitoba hosted an Education Summit that focused on partnerships between parents and teachers; evaluating the quality of inclusive education; examining differentiated instruction; and perspectives of the legal aspects of Bill 13.

The purpose of these summits was to bring together key stakeholders who have direct interest in the issue of inclusive education:

1. Parents of students with special needs – specifically those with intellectual disabilities and other children traditionally represented by the Association for Community Living associations.
2. Representatives of the teachers associations.
3. Parents of students with special needs – specifically those with intellectual disabilities and other children traditionally represented by the Association for Community Living associations.
4. Representatives of the teachers associations.

The design for each meeting was tailored to meet the regions’ own unique features, concerns, issues, legislation and policies. However, the following goals were common throughout each summit:

• to identify areas of common concern;
  
• to find ways to mutually support teachers/schools to assure that inclusion goes well;
  
• to stimulate regional action to bring more focus to support for inclusion;
  
• to develop strategies for training and professional development for teachers, principals and other staff in best practices for inclusion;
  
• to identify research and information sharing strategies relevant to inclusion.

Atlantic Regional Meeting
The first regional summit took place in Amherst, Nova Scotia on January 9th, 2003, bringing together representatives from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and PEI. Participants provided updates of the status of inclusive education in their provinces, identified areas of priority for action, discussed ways to collaborate and share information and laid out plans for future meetings and discussion. Click here to view report.

Western Regional Meeting
Two meetings took place at the University of Calgary in Alberta on March 13th and 14th, 2003 and were attended by representatives from Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia.

The first meeting, facilitated by The Roeher Institute and the University of Calgary, focused on teacher preparation for inclusive education. Key themes that were explored included the present state of teacher preparedness to address diversity in the regular classroom; arrangements to foster more effective inclusive practice in the regular classroom; and engaging partners to move forward an inclusive education agenda.
Click here to view Roeher Institute report.

At the second meeting, hosted by CACL, participants discussed critical issues for schools, teachers, parents and governments, they identified areas of priority for action, and put together a leadership strategy.
Click here to view CACL report.

Ontario Meeting #1
The meetings held in Toronto, Ontario on October 17th and 18th were planned as the first of two provincial forums; the second to take place in the spring, 2004. This first meeting brought together 59 representatives from local Associations for Community Living, and the Ontario Coalition for Inclusive Education. Discussions focused on strategies for creating change in schools in Ontario and what parents and organizations can do to bring this change about.
Click here to view report.

Saskatchewan Meeting
In conjunction with the Saskatchewan Association for Community Living, two presentations were facilitated by Gordon Porter, Co-Chair of the Joint Working Group on Inclusive Education, which took place on November 27-28, 2003. On the first day presentations’ included “Accommodating Diversity in the Classroom: Toward a Multi-level Instruction Model” and “The Critical Factors in Creating and Sustaining Successful Inclusive Schools for Students with Intellectual and Multiple Disabilities”. On the second day, a provincial forum was held on the preparation and continuing professional development of teachers, educational assistants and other personnel who work with students with intellectual disabilities.
Click here to view report.

Northern Meeting
From March 24-26, 2004 a forum was held in Whitehorse, Yukon to discuss the status of inclusive education in the three territories – the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Representatives from each area included families, educators, Ministry personnel as well as Zuhy Sayeed, President of CACL. Gordon Porter chaired the meeting. It became apparent from this consultation that, while challenges do exist, good examples and experiences have become clearly evident over the last decade. It is perhaps due to the fact that it is less political in the territories; there is more consensus and politicians are more accessible.
Click here to view report.

Ontario Meeting #2
On April 16, 2004, the Ensuring Excellence in Ontario’s Education System Roundtable Discussion was held in Toronto. Participants in the event included more than 50 individuals from a variety of backgrounds and considerable expertise in the field of education. Participants included teachers, teacher’s aids, school administrators, school board representatives, SEAC representatives, parents, community service providers, individuals with disabilities and others. The purpose of the day was to discuss approaches to education that would ensure excellence in education for students who have a disability. In particular, the discussion focused on strategies for ensuring the effective inclusion of students in all areas of education, the approaches and supports that would need to be in place to ensure a high quality of education for these students and the resources and supports that teachers and schools would require. The roundtable did not aim to be conclusive in its deliberation, but rather to explore issues and consider areas for future cooperation between the diverse groups of experts gathered at the event. A final discussion considered how participants in the event might continue to talk about and cooperate on issues. There was a consensus that such cooperation would be of considerable value. A number of strategies were suggested to facilitate continuing cooperation and some specific commitments were made for action.
Click here to view report.

Proceedings from the National Summit on Inclusive Education
The National Summit on Inclusive Education took place at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Ottawa November 24-26, 2004. It brought together over 350 participants from across Canada, including educational professionals, families, government officials, young people, and representatives from teachers' unions, the disability community and the voluntary sector. The Summit provided an opportunity for delegates to discuss key issues and challenges, share information and to identify directions and opportunities for future dialogue and action in support of inclusive education in Canada. Presentations and a summary of the proceedings are available on CACL’s website:
www.cacl.ca/english/natconf/2004/conferencesummary.html