The Perspectives of Students With and Without Disabilities on Inclusive Schools

• In Event: 60.081 - Unpacking Systems Capacity Through SWIFT Schools: Building Coherence

Abstract

Theoretical frameworks for understanding disability are changing, and students (with and without disabilities) are increasingly being viewed as active learners who can be supported to be causal agents over their lives. Theory that is inclusive and driven by strengths-based perspectives of students as learners is necessary to lead to changes in the outcomes experienced by students. Understanding student perspective and giving voice to student experiences moves us closer to change that is led by the people most affected by it. Schools must be responsive to multiple stakeholder groups that influence and are affected by inclusive schoolwide transformation—students, families, and community members first as well as the practitioners who serve them: (a) teachers, related service providers, and staff; and (b) school, district, and state administrators and policy makers who are charged with ensuring access, opportunity and success for each and every student. This study documented student perceptions of inclusion, the culture of their school, and the practices that were implemented to support all students.
We analyzed data from 11 focus groups (six with students without disabilities and five with students with disabilities) and two individual interviews with students with severe disabilities and their peer buddies across six schools. The focus groups were conducted at six Knowledge Development Sites (KDS), identified by the SWIFT Center as being exemplars of successful inclusive school reform in the United States. Thirty-two schools were initially nominated and subjected to an extensive vetting process (including one site visit) and six schools were ultimately selected to serve as KDS. The KDS included five elementary schools and one middle school in urban and rural communities, representing all major U.S. geographic regions. Across the six sites, disability prevalence ranged from 11% to 27% of students; 12% to 54% of students were identified as economically disadvantaged; and 2% to 15% were English Language Learners. The schools varied widely with respect to race/ethnicity with 27% to 64% of students categorized as White, 18% to 24% Black, 11% to 24% Hispanic, 0.4% to 10% Asian, less than 1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander and American Indian or Alaska Native, and 6% to 11% reporting two or more races/ethnicities.
The six KDSes were visited two additional times over a one year period. Each visit lasted between 3 and 4 days, included 4-5 researchers and technical assistance providers, and allowed for multiple forms of data collection to generate an in-depth picture of the factors that that the KDS implemented to promote inclusive school reform. Data were collected from multiple sources, including focus groups with all key stakeholders, completion of school-level assessments of best practices associated with the SWIFT model, and classroom and individual student observations. From our student focus groups three major themes emerged: (a) students’ sense of belonging; (b) inclusion and its impact on students; and (c) school and classroom practices, such as positive behavior support systems, co-teaching, and instructional practices related to student self-determination and direction, feedback and re-teaching, multiple means of representation and expression, and technology utilization.

Author

• Karrie A. Shogren, The University of Kansas