Count me in: the role of action learning in making learning and skills provision more inclusive

This article explores the role of action learning in a national programme of research and development. The aim of the programme was to improve provision for disabled learners in the learning and skills sector by supporting providers in implementing the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act (2002). Practitioners worked on a wide range of issues, including provision for learners with specific disabilities and improving policies and procedures to make them more inclusive. Drawing on findings from the projects, involving more than 90 educational organizations across the learning and skills sector in England, the impact of the process at three different levels is shown: at practitioner level, through reflection on one's own practice to develop new ways of thinking and learning, at the level of the learner, through their involvement and resulting empowerment, and at the strategic level in bringing about change in organizational culture. Achieving change in practice, the article will show, requires a shift in ‘organizational thinking’ and long-term philosophy, and involving learners in the process, rather than being the sole responsibility of the practitioner.