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Including Voices

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International Perspectives on Inclusive Education

Series Editor: Chris Forlin

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International Perspectives on Inclusive Education Volume 23

Including Voices: Respecting the Experiences of People From Marginalised Communities

Edited by

Richard Rose

University of Northampton, UK

And

Michael Shevlin

Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

United Kingdom – North America – Japan – India – Malaysia – China

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Emerald Publishing, Floor 5, Northspring, 21-23 Wellington Street, Leeds LS1 4DL

First edition 2024

Editorial matter and selection © 2024 Richard Rose and Michael Shevlin.

Individual chapters © 2024 The authors.

Published under exclusive licence by Emerald Publishing Limited.

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No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without either the prior written permission of the publisher or a licence permitting restricted copying issued in the UK by The Copyright Licensing Agency and in the USA by The Copyright Clearance Center. Any opinions expressed in the chapters are those of the authors. Whilst Emerald makes every effort to ensure the quality and accuracy of its content, Emerald makes no representation implied or otherwise, as to the chapters' suitability and application and disclaims any warranties, express or implied, to their use.

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-83797-720-8 (Print)

ISBN: 978-1-83797-719-2 (Online)

ISBN: 978-1-83797-721-5 (Epub)

ISSN: 1479-3636 (Series)

About the Editors

Richard Rose is an Emeritus Professor of Inclusive Education at the University of Northampton, UK. He has previously held posts as a teacher, school principal and education inspector in several parts of England and was a visiting professor at the Hong Kong Education University. Richard has conducted research and consultancy in several parts of the world including India, Cambodia, Ireland, Armenia, Georgia, Malta and Hong Kong. This has included projects for UNICEF, The Commonwealth Commission, ACCESS Australia, NCSE Ireland and a number of national governments and NGOs. He is the author of more than 100 academic publications and has presented key note papers at many international conferences. His current research is focused upon social and educational inclusion and children's rights.

Michael Shevlin is a Professor in Inclusive Education and Director of the Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities at Trinity College Dublin. His teaching and research have focused on facilitating the inclusion of children and young people with special educational needs within mainstream schools, promoting the voice of marginalised people within decision-making processes that affect their lives, and addressing access issues for young people with disabilities within compulsory and higher education. He has completed longitudinal national studies investigating the provision of inclusive education in the Republic of Ireland. Michael is involved in policymaking initiatives within Irish education in relation to the development of inclusive learning environments in schools and higher education. As Director of the Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities, he manages the delivery of an accredited education into an employment transition programme for young people with intellectual disabilities.

About the Contributors

Joanne Banks is a Lecturer and Researcher in inclusive education at the School of Education in Trinity College Dublin. She has published widely on special and inclusive education policy and practice, school exclusion and student diversity. She is the creator/presenter of the Inclusion Dialogue podcast series and author of The Inclusion Dialogue: Debating Issues, Challenges and Tensions with Global Experts.

Sujata Bhan is a Professor and Head of Department of Special Education, SNDT Women's University, Mumbai, India. She has an experience of 31 years in the field of special and inclusive education. Dr Bhan trains general education teachers in Universal Design for Learning to address diversities in a mainstream class. She is an expert committee member of various National Academic Bodies and contributes to the policy decisions for the persons with disabilities. She has written and edited books, chapters in books and research articles to her credit. Her latest publications include “Disability inclusive response and recovery planning for COVID-19”, A UNESCO commissioned Research Project, available at https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000378354, a thematic study on School Readiness to promote Inclusive Education available at https://dcidj.uog.edu.et/index.php/up-j-dcbrid/article/view/684. Professor Bhan's passion lies in creating a workforce of teachers who can make a difference in the life of a person with special needs.

Yvon Bonenfant is an artistic research-creation specialist whose interventions focus on unusual voices, the tactile register, somatic engagement and haptic visuality. Since 2010, his performances and artworks have largely been participatory: co-made by their users. Funders have included Arts Council (Ireland), Arts Council England, the Wellcome Trust Large and Small Arts Awards, the IRC, the AHRC (UK), and with his artistic teams, Youth Music, the Postcode Community Trust and a range of venues and supporters. He has published and presented his work widely, and his article Queer Listening to Queer Vocal Timbres (2010) was a foundational text in interdisciplinary voice studies. He is Director of the Future Humanities Institute, and Head of Department – Theatre, UCC. www.yvonbonenfant.com.

Christine Bower is a Lecturer in Education (Inclusion) in the School of Education, Childhood, Youth and Sport (ECYS) at The Open University, Milton Keynes, England. Christine's research interests are in inclusive education, philosophy of education, epistemic injustice, social justice, autism, disabilities, children and young people and participatory research methods. Christine has researched and published on children's rights in Palestine, and the importance of friendships for children with intellectual disabilities in Northern Ireland.

Leo Cardinaal is a Junior Researcher in the field of Disability Studies at Disability Studies in Nederland, University of Humanistic Studies, Utrecht, the Netherlands. His research focuses on inclusive research and cultural integrations of technology. He has a background in cultures of science and technology and participative research design. He wrote his master’s thesis on inclusivity and experiences of neurodivergent students in digital educational settings.

Alex Carlson, MAT, is a doctoral candidate in Special Education at Clemson University. His research interests include using technology to enhance preservice teacher preparation, functional behaviour assessment in K-12 settings, teacher professional development, legal and policy issues in special education and post-secondary education for students with intellectual disabilities.

Denise E. De Souza is currently a Senior Research Fellow at Torrens University, Australia. She completed her doctoral degree at the National Institute of Education, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore. She has led and collaborated in a range of Education and Integrated Care research and evaluation projects in Australia and Singapore. Her publications include individual and co-authored articles in Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, Higher Education Research and Development, Journal of Critical Realism, Journal of Educational Change, Studies in Educational Evaluation, Evaluation (Sage Journals), American Journal of Evaluation, International Journal of Integrated Care, BMJ Open and BMJ Global Health.

Jessica K. Doyle, Autistic and ADHD, is a dedicated Researcher specialised in Autistic perception and sensory design. Having graduated from Trinity College Dublin with an honours BA in Psychology, she has participated in various research initiatives with both her alma mater and Dublin City University. At present, she holds a Director role at Thriving Autistic and serves as an Assistant Psychologist at Adult Autism Practice. As a co-author, her work includes ‘The Adult Autism Assessment Handbook: A Neurodiversity Affirmative Approach’, and she is presently engaged in co-writing ‘The Neurodiversity Affirmative Child Autism Assessment Handbook’. She currently chairs the Psychological Society of Ireland's Autism Special Interest Group and contributes to a neurodiversity and relationships project at the Muíriosa Foundation. In addition, she is involved in speaking engagements, film projects and consultancy roles related to sensory perception, neurodiversity and universal design. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9258-3981.

Emma Farrell is a Chartered Psychologist and Researcher with expertise in understanding people's lived experiences of mental health, health and well-being. Emma is a founding member of Jigsaw, Ireland's National Centre for Youth Mental Health and has received prestigious appointments to the Irish Government Taskforce for Youth Mental Health and the Royal Irish Academy's Young Academy of Ireland. She is author of 'Making Sense of Mental Health: A Practical Approach Through Lived Experience' (The Liffey Press, 2022) and founder of thinkful.ie.

Joanna Grace, Centre for Research in Inclusion, School of Education, University of Southampton, UK. Jo is a Doctoral Researcher and a sensory engagement and inclusion specialist, globally published author, trainer, TEDx speaker and founder of The Sensory Projects. With a background in special education, her PhD research focuses on the identity and belonging of young people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. She is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council in the South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership. Her books include Sensory Stories to Support Additional Needs: Making Narratives Accessible Through the Senses (Jessica Kingsley) and The Subtle Spectrum: An Honest Account of Autistic Discovery, Relationships and Identity (Routledge).

Manuela Heinz is an Associate Professor and the Head of Discipline of Education at the National University of Ireland Galway. Her research focuses on diversity, inclusion and equity in teaching and learning and on teacher professional learning. She has led a number of national and international funded research and teaching projects in these areas and is a member of the editorial boards of the European Journal of Teacher Education and the Learning Environments Research Journal. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3542-8931.

Marja W. Hodes is a Clinical psychologist and specialist, and Post-Doc Researcher in the field of parenthood and intellectual disability. She is the author of the awarded toolkit: ‘Talking about children’, Co-founder of the national Working Group on Parenthood and Child Wish and board member/EU representative of IASSIDD's Special Interest Research Group on Parenting.

Elaine Keane is an Associate Professor and Director of Doctoral Studies in the School of Education at the University of Galway. Her research focuses on social class and education, teacher diversity, and constructivist grounded theory. She has published widely in peer-reviewed journals and has led national and international projects in these areas. She is Co-Editor of Irish Educational Studies and serves on the Editorial Board of Teaching in Higher Education. She is lead editor of books about constructivist grounded theory in educational research (Routledge, 2024) and diversifying the teaching profession (Routledge, 2023), and is Convenor of the Educational Studies Association of Ireland Special Interest Group (SIG) on Teacher Diversity.

Neil Kenny is a member of the School of Inclusive and Special Education at Dublin City University's Institute of Education and is a Research Fellow at the UNESCO AntiBullying Research Centre at DCU. He is the programme chair for the Master of Education in Autism and his research interests are autism research, qualitative research methods and educational inclusion. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2340-6586.

Jane Strugar Kolesnik is a Junior Researcher in the field of Disability Studies at Disability Studies in Nederland, University of Humanistic Studies, Utrecht, the Netherlands. She has previously worked with concepts of the social role of motherhood and parenting in relation to assistive technologies. Her background is in sustainability design and participative design methods in science-technology studies. She wrote her master’s thesis on inclusive design and democratic development of sustainable mobility in Berlin.

Mark Koning is a Co-Researcher at Disability Studies in Nederland, University of Humanistic Studies, Utrecht, the Netherlands with experiential knowledge who works with researchers on different research projects within the field of Disability Studies based on robotics and various (digital) technologies. He has also participated as co-researcher on projects relating to social themes such as relationships, sexuality and Family Quality of Life, and in PhD research related to e-health support for independent living of persons with disabilities.

John Kubiak is a Lecturer at the School of Education, Trinity College Dublin and is based in the Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities. John's doctoral research – which was conducted with the input of co-researchers with intellectual disabilities – has led to the development of a model of how people with intellectual disabilities experience learning while in tertiary education. His efforts to raise awareness on equality issues and promote diversity in Trinity resulted in being a recipient of the Equality Fund Project on two occasions (2013–2014 and 2015–2016). John supervises at postgraduate level on the School's MEd and PME programmes. In 2012, John was a recipient of the prestigious Provost Teaching Award. In 2013, he was awarded a postdoctorate research position and bursary with TCD's School of Education and is a member of the research group Inclusion in Education and Society.

Ivana Lessner Lištiaková is an Associate Professor in Childhood and Education at the University of Suffolk. Her area of expertise is sensory processing needs and supporting professionals in empowering individuals and families living with disabilities. She leads projects focused on co-creation of inclusive practice in the United Kingdom and in Europe.

Andrea Lynch is the Course Leader of the Professional Diploma in Education (Further Education) at Marino Institute of Education, teaching in the areas of initial teacher education, additional educational needs, educational psychology and adult education. Her research interests include diversity in initial teacher education, social disadvantage in second level and higher education and gender in the context of students with additional educational needs.

Alison MacKenzie is a Professor of Social Justice at the School of Social Sciences Education and Social Work, Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland. Alison's research interests are in feminism, philosophy of education, social epistemology, the capabilities approach and marginalised and excluded identities. She has to date written over 40 research papers and co-edited several books. She is an Associate Editor of International Journal of Educational Research and International Journal of Educational Research Open and is on the editorial boards of the European Journal of Special Needs Education, Teaching in Higher Education and Postdigital Science and Education. Prior to entering academia, she was a secondary school teacher in Scotland.

Dr Ratika Malkani is an Independent Researcher having previously held teaching positions in India, Georgia and the United Kingdom. Her research has included an ethnographic investigation of education provision for first-generation learners in Maharashtra, India, an investigation of preparation for adulthood for young people with special educational needs in an English Local Authority, and a project to research and evaluate support provided to families of children with disabilities in Mahabubnagar district in Telangana State. Dr Malkani’s work has been published in several international journals and books, and she contributes to a programme of research training for novice researchers in India.

Patricia Mannix McNamara is a Professor (chair) of Education at the University of Limerick in Ireland. She is Course Director of the Postgraduate Diploma in School Leadership. Her research interests are inclusive leadership, organisational culture and climate, workplace bullying and incivility, educational leadership and affective leadership. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3011-0177.

Joan McDonald is a second level science teacher working independently as Posautive. Following many years teaching in mainstream classrooms, Joan worked on individual planning in centres for adults with learning disabilities and those with mental health struggles. She, then, became one of the first SENOs in Ireland, observing and providing school supports for students with atypical needs across 80 rural schools. While studying for an MEd in Autism, Joan was taught by and met a variety of autistic adults, which ultimately led to her own autism assessment. Prior to meeting such a diverse range of autistic people, Joan would only have recognised autism in people with profound and complex support needs. Joan is passionate about using students' interests to support autistic learners of all levels of cognitive ability to access education and contented lives. She currently works on a variety of projects with agencies such as Middletown Centre for Autism. In recent years, creating and delivering the Posauteen and Posaudult courses to help autistic people understand and advocate for themselves has been a major focus of Joan's time.

Shree Ram Mittal born as a non-disabled healthy child, he lost his vision at the age of six due to small pox which was rampant in those days. Thereafter, with the support of his parents, advice from ophthalmologists and others he went to school. He struggled hard to get accessible reading material. He transcribed his textbooks in Braille on his own as there were hardly any facilities available. He got some help from his classmates and teachers, who helped him complete his higher education in 1974 and PhD in 1988. He was employed as a school teacher in 1979. He joined Jamia Millia Islamia, a central University in 1992 as an Associate Professor. In 2009, he joined Delhi University as a Professor in Education. During the last 43 years, he has guided Master and PhD level research besides teaching students pursuing graduate and postgraduate courses in Special Education. He continues to participate in the development of curriculum in special education developed by Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI). He has contributed chapters in books on education of the blind, published in Hindi and English. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1036-038X

Jayanthi Narayan is a Special educator from India, retired as deputy director, from the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities, under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India. She was a Visiting Professor at the University of Northampton, UK, for over six years. She holds a master degree in Special Education from the State University of New York and another master degree in education and PhD from Universities in India. She was awarded Fulbright senior research fellowship with which she carried out research at Boston College. She has published research papers in reputed journals, chapters in books and is an editor for distance mode programmes in education. She has worked as a special education consultant in countries including Bhutan, Indonesia, China, Cambodia and Maldives, hired by the UN and International agencies. She has also worked extensively in the rural areas in India. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5125-0227

Stuart Neilson lectures and writes about the autism spectrum as a health statistician and from his personal perspective of an Asperger syndrome diagnosis in 2009, at the age of 45. He was a founder member of the team that developed the innovative Diploma in Autism Studies at University College Cork, Ireland. He has a degree in computer science and a doctorate in mathematical modelling of inherent susceptibility to fatal disease. His images explore autistic portrayals and reactions to sensory stimulus and motion, particularly in public spaces, and complement his written work. Stuart Neilson's most recent publications include Living with Asperger syndrome and Autism in Ireland, Painted Lorries of Pakistan and a chapter on sensory issues and social inclusion in the anthology Knowing Why: Adult-Diagnosed Autistic People on Life and Autism.

Melanie Nind, Centre for Research in Inclusion, School of Education, University of Southampton, UK. Melanie (PhD) is a Professor of Education and elected Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences. She is the Deputy Director of the South Coast Doctoral Training Partnership, co-director of the ESRC National Centre for Research Methods, and editor-in-chief of British Journal of Learning Disabilities. She is an educationalist turned methodologist with a keen interest in inclusive ways of teaching and researching. Her recent research projects have explored quality and capacity-building in inclusive research, community and belonging for people with intellectual disabilities, and how research methods are taught and learned. Melanie's books include What is Inclusive Research? and Research Methods for Pedagogy (with Curtin and Hall) (both Bloomsbury Academic).

Jane O'Kelly is an Assistant Professor at the School of Policy and Practice at Dublin City University where she is the Programme Chair of the BSc in Education and Training. Her research interests are in the areas of Autism, teacher education, further education and training and inclusive education. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7781-3013.

Mohammed Owaineh completed his PhD at the School of Social Sciences Education and Social Work, Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland. He is now undertaking a Postdoc on children's rights in University College Cork, Ireland. His research was on epistemic injustice, marginalisation and resistance among Palestinian young women with disabilities, and their experiences of education. Mohammed's research interests are focused on education, children rights, participatory action research, inclusion, social epistemology, education for marginalised groups and education in a post-colonial context. Mohammed has researched and published on children's rights in Palestine.

David Preece's career involved managing local authority services for children with autism and their families as well as working within academia. As an Associate Professor within the University of Northampton's Centre for Education and Research he contributed to a number of projects related to social and educational inclusion and led EU-funded projects developing autism education for parents and professionals in central and south-east Europe.

Kristina N. Randall, Clemson University, United States of America, is a Clinical Assistant Professor at Clemson University working specifically with the Clemson LIFE (Learning Is For Everyone) post-secondary education programme. Dr Randall's primary role as a researcher focuses on examining how post-school outcomes for those with intellectual and developmental disability are increased through: (a) the use of assistive technology and various instructional strategies to increase independence and competitive employment, and (b) the impact that post-secondary educational programs have on life outcomes and quality of life of individuals with intellectual and developmental disability. Dr Randall has published in many peer-reviewed national and international journals, and has presented her research at over 50 international, national and regional conferences.

Vivian Rath is a Research Fellow in Trinity College Dublin, and a Research and Policy Officer Postgraduate Focus with AHEAD. He is a Government appointee to the Board of the National Disability Authority, and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Disability Advisory Committee. He is the founder and Chair of the National Disabled Postgraduate Advisory Committee, a disabled peoples organisation. He has written about student voice, belonging and social engagement, and his other research interests include the civic and political participation, employment of disabled people and management of the widening participation agenda. He is an award-winning disability and civil rights advocate. As a national disability rights figure he has over 20 years' working experience in the HE space and has extensive experience advising Government and State bodies on the inclusion of disabled people.

Joseph B. Ryan is the Sue Stanzione Distinguished Professor of Clemson LIFE. He is the Founder and Executive Director of the LIFE (Learning is for Everyone) programme, a nationally recognized post-secondary education programme for young adults with intellectual disabilities. Dr Ryan has over 100 publications and has served as Editor of the journal Beyond Behavior for the past decade. His research interests focus on behavioural interventions and enhancing post-school outcomes for individuals with disabilities. He is a retired Captain in the United States Navy Reserve, and a US Fulbright Scholar to Ireland.

Alice Schippers is a Professor of Disability Studies at the University of Humanistic Studies and Director of Disability Studies in Nederland. Her current research focus is on (Family) Quality of Life, Social Inclusion and Inclusive Research. Alice has over 30 years of experience in the field of Intellectual Disability and a wide (inter)national network; and experiential knowledge as parent, friend and ally of people with disabilities. She is the Vice-president of IASSIDD, past chair and member of IASSIDD's Quality of Life Research Group and co-founded IASSIDD's Inclusive Research Group.

Teresa Shiels is a Researcher and advocate for innovation in inclusive education, neurodiversity and disability studies. As a person with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), she is a unique scholar, having achieved an undergraduate, master's and doctorate degree, whilst also overcoming TBI trauma and dealing with a unique set of daily challenges. Her research interests lie with qualitative research, sociology, educational inclusion and issues concerning diversity and social justice. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0195-188X.

Emer Smyth is a Research Professor at the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) and an Adjunct Professor at Trinity College Dublin. She has a long-standing interest in educational inequality and has published widely on social differentiation in educational processes and outcomes from early years to higher education.

Athena Vongalis-Macrow has recently retired after over 20 years of higher education research and teaching undertaken in Australian and international universities. She has over 60 publications, has led research centres and led research in fields of education inclusive of education policy, sociology, leadership and sustainability. The research on disability and inclusion drew on her expertise in policymaking and systemic analyses of higher education.

Series Editor Preface

The adoption internationally of inclusive practice as the most equitable and all-encompassing approach to education and its relation to compliance with various international Declarations and Conventions underpins the importance of this series for people working at all levels of education and schooling in both developed and less developed countries. There is little doubt that inclusive education is complex and diverse and that there are enormous disparities in understanding and application at both inter- and intra-country levels. A broad perspective on inclusive education throughout this series is taken, encompassing a wide range of contemporary viewpoints, ideas and research for enabling the development of more inclusive schools, education systems and communities.

Volumes in this series on International Perspectives on Inclusive Education contribute to the academic and professional discourse by providing a collection of philosophies and practices that can be reviewed by considering local, contextual and cultural situations to assist governments, educators, peripatetic staffs and other professionals to provide the best education for all children. Each volume in this series focuses on a key aspect of inclusive education and provides critical chapters by contributing leaders in the field who discuss theoretical positions, quality research and impacts on school and classroom practice. Different volumes address issues relating to the diversity of student need within heterogeneous classrooms and the preparation of teachers and other staffs to work in inclusive schools. Systemic changes and practice in schools encompass a wide perspective of learners to provide ideas on reframing education to ensure that it is inclusive of all. Evidence-based research practices underpin a plethora of suggestions for decision-makers and practitioners, incorporating current ways of thinking about and implementing inclusive education.

While many barriers have been identified that may potentially constrain the implementation of effective inclusive practices, this series aims to identify such key concerns and offer practical and best practice approaches to overcoming them. Adopting a thematic approach for each volume, readers will be able to quickly locate a collection of research and practice related to a topic of interest. By transforming schools into inclusive communities of practice all children can have the opportunity to access and participate in quality and equitable education to enable them to obtain the skills to become contributory global citizens. This series, therefore, is highly recommended to support education decision-makers, practitioners, researchers and academics, who have a professional interest in the inclusion of children and youth who are potentially marginalising in inclusive schools and classrooms.

Volume 23 in the International Perspectives on Inclusive Education series adopts a critical stance by focusing directly on people from marginalised communities whose lives have been affected by the challenges faced to achieve equity in education while endeavouring to avoid exclusion. Issues of human rights are addressed through consideration of the practical actions associated with inclusive practices. Detailed examination of the successes by marginalised peoples and the exclusionary practices they have experienced provide an incredible insight into the reality of inclusive practices for those who are the receivers.

Extensive research and debate about inclusive education has occurred over the past three decades, although so little of this is focused on the voices for whom inclusive policies and subsequent practices are intended. This volume is unique in which every chapter discusses inclusion from the perspectives of those identified as marginalised. The authors take a highly respectful approach when interviewing and reporting upon people's experiences. This leads to an incredibly insightful and in-depth understanding of the realities of how policy operates.

As so rightly highlighted by the editors there is a complex and potentially power unbalanced relationship between researchers and their subjects. This concern has, however, been addressed in all chapters. Throughout the chapters there is strong evidence of an ongoing commitment to develop genuine partnerships in the process of obtaining and interpreting data. Such equitable partnerships are seen as significantly important regarding the establishment of a more inclusive approach to research.

The editors of Volume 23 have sought out chapter authors who have either been marginalised themselves, or who have worked in close partnership with a marginalised person(s) to co-publish their stories. In all instances a very close partnership was established between authors and marginalised communities and individuals where the research took place. Such an exceptional approach is extremely rare for producing a whole book and provides exemplary evidence of how authors have put into practice the volume's philosophy of developing genuine and collaborative research partnerships. This clearly demonstrates a comprehensive dedication to listening to the voices of marginalised peoples and in making shared reflections.

The outcome of this approach is a deep understanding of policy in practice, from the perspective of those for whom the policy was developed to support. This goes beyond a tokenistic approach as it has the potential to inform better decision-making and improved inclusive practice in all regions. A range of best practice models emerge from these genuine firsthand accounts of practice that can help facilitate greater equity, belonging and community involvement.

This is an extremely important volume (23) in the International Perspectives on Inclusive Education series. It provides a detailed and insightful review of the impact of inclusive policy from the perspective of those who have experienced marginalisation and challenges in obtaining equity in their lives. This volume will appeal to not only academics systemic authorities and policymakers, but especially those who consider how important it is to have their voices heard and the supportive groups that work tirelessly to help them to achieve this.

Chris Forlin

Series Editor

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Jennifer Banks, Research Coordinator at Trinity Centre for People with Intellectual Disabilities, Trinity College Dublin, for her contributions towards this volume.