Framing the Symposium: Why a Focus on Canada’s Connection to the World on Inclusive Education?

• In Event: Inclusive Education: Canada’s Connection to the World

Abstract

This paper would be the first paper in the symposium. It would be shorter than other paper presentations (perhaps 5 minutes) and would provide a framing of the remaining paper presentations in the symposium and the rationale behind the special issue of Exceptionality Education International.

Comparative and international perspectives on educational issues are not new. As scholars, we need to consider comparative and international perspectives so that we can engage in learning that is trans-national and which speaks to fundamental human issues.

Inclusive education is one such area which requires local and global exploration, sense-making, and renewed efforts to address the barriers that students with disabilities often experience. Mel Ainscow stated that “The issue of how to build more inclusive forms of education is arguably the biggest challenge facing school systems throughout the world” (Ainscow & Sandill, 2010, p. 401). Inclusive education is premised on the belief that every child, no matter their strengths or needs, is able to fully and authentically participate in their neighbourhood school. It is a foundational aspect of one of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). SDG4 states that governments around the world will, "Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all” (United Nations, n.d.).

Comparative and international education is critical in this process of understanding inclusive education since, “…comparative education offers a starting point for improving our education systems and our classroom practices. It also challenges us to think broadly about the link between local practices and global issues, and to explore the overlapping values and social systems that underpin the educational enterprise itself” (Bickmore et al., 2017, p. 2).

Comparative and international education research frameworks on inclusive education provide opportunities to better understand inclusive education from a contextualized, localized, and relational perspective (Schuelka & Lapham, 2019). Local contexts can inform broader knowledge and vice versa. Sustainable change is often best pursued through locally and regionally driven efforts that identify relevant issues and leveraging the assets on the ground to make that innovative change happen (Brissett, 2018). The lessons learned in these contexts can illuminate opportunities in other locations.

For Canadian scholars, comparative research on inclusive education is critical in advancing knowledge on how effective inclusive education can be implemented in Canadian schools particularly with increasingly diverse student populations (Porter & Towell, 2017). The experiences of students, families, and educators in diverse global contexts can provide lessons, illustrations, and case examples to expand research on inclusive education.

We received 13 submissions, with 50 global scholars, for the special issue. The topics, methodologies, and geographies were diverse including research studies from Ghana, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Mauritius, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Norway, England, Australia, United States, and multiple contexts within Europe including Germany, Italy, Greece, and Switzerland.

Authors

• Jacqueline A. Specht, Western University

• Steve Sider, Wilfrid Laurier University