Implementing policies of inclusion: Vertical case study of networks of support for México’s inclusive transition education of people with disabilities

• In Event: Roundtable Session 5
  In Refereed Roundtable Session: Improvement of School Systems and Educational Systems to Promote Social Justice and Inclusion

Proposal

To ensure that future policy adjustments and inclusive education practices continue to improve, we must continue to grow the understanding of the process of policy implementation. This research is interested in understanding how the implementation of policies and practices at the macro, meso, and micro levels of society allow for and/or provide opportunity for networks of support for inclusive transition education, including university and professional training, for persons with disabilities in México. With the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), the United Nations has advocated for the inclusion of people with disabilities (PWD) in all aspects of society. Among the many rights of PWD, the CRPD asserts the rights of PWD to have employment and rehabilitation options as well as education at all levels.
In 2007, México ratified the CRPD, agreeing to work for the many rights afforded to PWD within the document. Then, in 2011, a previous law for PWD was updated to be the General Law for the Inclusion of People with Disabilities. The update included a focus on inclusive education with specific goals and indicators for this inclusion. This research uses Actor Network Theory as the foundation for understanding policy implementation and is guided by the following research question: What are the networks of support (both institutional and relational) for the transition education and assistance of adults with disabilities targeting labor and job placement in México?
This research uses a vertical case study to analyze the policies for inclusive transition education of PWD at multiple levels of implementation: the micro or local level, the meso or national level, and the macro or global level. It also uses a transversal analysis to see how policy has changed over time, and finally, does a horizontal analysis at the micro level by looking across multiple sites of implementation. The data collection includes a document analysis of policies and international treaties (macro level), as well as interviews of government officials (meso level), program directors and students with disabilities (micro level) to better understand their support networks. Actor Network Theory is used with qualitative analysis to examine the ways that support relationships have been structured to create a network of actors that are working for the implementation of these policies (Bartlett & Vavrus, 2014).
At this round table, the researcher will share the actor collaboration and networks that are occurring at the meso and micro levels of implementation. This includes collaboration between government entities, programs, universities, students, and their support systems. Inclusive education policy implementation has been previously studied in elementary and secondary education and this research concentrates on the third level of schooling, tertiary education (Benson, 2020; Chong & Graham, 2017; Schuelka, 2014). This research can inform the implementation of transition policy and detail how systems of support are being created.

Author

• Melissa Mendoza, University of California Los Angeles