Facilitators and impediments in inclusive education for students with intellectual developmental disability: Perceptions of school staff and parents in Israel

Abstract

Students with intellectual developmental disability (IDD) may have impairments in conceptual, social, and daily life areas that will require support when these students are included in mainstream settings. In order to examine the facilitators and impediments involved in inclusion of students with IDD in regular schools in Israel, we interviewed six parents of students with IDD who were enrolled in inclusive classes, five teachers of inclusive classes, one teaching assistant and two school principals. Analysis of the interview transcripts revealed the perceptions regarding the included students, by their parents and the school staff. The school staff perceived family involvement and the connection between them and the parents as the most important. Parents perceived the possibility of studying in an inclusive class as an opportunity for social integration and scholastic advancement. All the participants indicated the social aspect as crucial to the inclusion of students with IDD.

Participación de las familias en la educación de estudiantes con discapacidad

“…de las instituciones educativas es determinante (Guerrero y Rojas-Romero, 2023;Garcia-Melgar et al, 2022). El involucramiento activo y empático de estas partes puede ayudar a disipar temores y dudas, además de generar actitudes positivas, interés y confianza (Heiman y Avissar, 2022).…”

“…El trabajo escaso o infructuoso entre familias y docentes en la identificación de barreras y facilitadores durante la elaboración de los planes individuales de ajustes razonables puede resultar en desconfianza o dudas respecto al quehacer docente y sus habilidades pedagógicas. La falta de colaboración de algunas familias en las labores escolares también suele relacionarse con percepciones negativas acerca de la discapacidad y las consecuentes bajas expectativas frente al avance académico (Heiman y Avissar, 2022;Fishman y Nickerson, 2015;Montaño et al, 2019). En este contexto, convocar a las familias a la realización de los planes de ajustes razonables desde un planteamiento problemático, más que propositivo, puede generar resistencias y desconfianza frente a la inclusión misma (Fishman y Nickerson, 2015;Heiman y Avissar, 2022).…”

“…La falta de colaboración de algunas familias en las labores escolares también suele relacionarse con percepciones negativas acerca de la discapacidad y las consecuentes bajas expectativas frente al avance académico (Heiman y Avissar, 2022;Fishman y Nickerson, 2015;Montaño et al, 2019). En este contexto, convocar a las familias a la realización de los planes de ajustes razonables desde un planteamiento problemático, más que propositivo, puede generar resistencias y desconfianza frente a la inclusión misma (Fishman y Nickerson, 2015;Heiman y Avissar, 2022).…”

Unveiling frustration: an exploration of principals' frustration in special education schools for complex disabilities

“…This study focuses on the special education sector operating under the Division of Special Education, encompassing schools that reflect Israel's diversity in terms of religion, socioeconomics, and culture (Ari-Am and Gumpel, 2014). Over time, Israel's special education approaches have evolved from physical maintenance to prioritizing rehabilitative, educational, and emotional efforts, aiming to enhance the children's meaningful lives despite limitations (Heiman and Avissar, 2022).…”

“…In Israel, 20.3% of the 224,000 students with disabilities attend special education schools, while 40.04% are integrated into regular classes, and 20.1% participate in special education classes in general education schools (Heiman and Avissar, 2022). The Israeli educational system is known for its centralized structure, and the school principals, while supervised by senior superintendents, also enjoy a certain level of autonomy (Mizrahi-Shtelman, 2021).…”