Intellectually Disabled Students. Education Inclusive Practices In Greece

Inclusive education can be an effective policy reform to tackle educational underachievement and address societal and pedagogical exclusion. Inclusive education encompasses supporting individuals to experience a sense of belonging in the educational community; promotes the reduction of exclusion, discrimination, and learning barriers; and encourages the inclusion and transformation of culture, education policies, and school practices to respond equitably to the diversity of the student population. The present paper focuses on the views of secondary school teachers on the inclusion of students with intellectual disabilities. Twenty-five secondary school teachers participated in the study, and semi-structured interviews were conducted. The research results showed that our study's teachers were ambivalent about inclusive education for students with intellectual disabilities. Firstly, the manifestations of their learning or social exclusion are not rare since the Greek education sector with its facilities (material and technological resources, teachers' education and training, information, etc.) is incapable of responding to their growing demands and, secondly, some educators and parents of typical students maintain a negative approach towards disabled students' inclusion in the mainstream school system. It is imperative to develop a democratic education, an education for all which deconstructs the dominant norms of ableism and ablebodyism, supports the training and qualification of teachers and forms a culture of solidarity, mutual respect, and empathy for students with disabilities.