Inclusion at a Crossroads: Dismantling Ireland's System of Special Education

Autor/inn/en	Shevlin, Michael; Banks, Joanne
Titel	Inclusion at a Crossroads: Dismantling Ireland's System of Special Education
Quelle	In: Education Sciences, 11 (2021), Artikel 161 (11 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext kostenfreie Datei Verfügbarkeit
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	2227-7102
Schlagwörter	Foreign Countries; Educational Change; Special Education; Educational Trends; Educational History; Educational Policy; Students with Disabilities; Treaties; International Law; Inclusion; Special Classes; Mainstreaming; Ireland + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Ausland; Bildungsreform; Special needs education; Sonderpädagogik; Sonderschulwesen; Bildungsentwicklung; History of education; Bildungsgeschichte; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Student; Students; Disability; Disabilities; Schüler; Schülerin; Studentin; Behinderung; Abkommen; Law of nations; Völkerrecht; Inklusion; Special class; Sonderklasse; Irland
Abstract	Ireland's system of special education has undergone unprecedented change over the last three decades. Following major policy developments in the mid-2000s which emphasised inclusive education, there have been changes to special education school personnel and funding structures which seek to include greater numbers of students with disabilities in mainstream education. There is one anomaly however: Ireland continues to operate a parallel system of special schools and classes with an emphasis on special class provision for students with disabilities. The aim of this paper is to examine the evolution of Ireland's special education policy over the past three decades and explore the extent to which it is compatible with its obligations under the United Nations Convention for People with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and more recent discussions around moving to inclusive education. It uses a systematic investigation of policy and administrative data on special class growth over time to highlight anomalies between the policy narrative around inclusive education in Ireland and the continued use of segregated settings. The current system, therefore, suggests confused thinking at a policy level which has resulted in the implementation of special education grafted on to the general education system. Any move to an inclusive system therefore, in order to be successful, would require a root and branch overhaul of existing policies. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01