Inclusive Education and Learners with Special Needs
Posted by Magali von Blottnitz on 10 January 2020 1:25 PM CAT

Inclusive Education recognises the right of ALL children to feel welcomed into a supportive educational environment in their own community.
What sounds simple, masks many complexities when it comes to the capacity of ordinary local schools to respond to the needs of ALL learners, including those requiring extra support because of learning or physical disability, social disadvantage, cultural difference or other barriers to learning. In the past, these learners have often been accommodated in so-called "Special Needs schools", with specialised staff. Increasingly, the government's policy is to equip schools to support all learners, regardless of their specific circumstances.
Grappling with Inclusive Education and the specific needs of a variety of learners is increasingly becoming the task of all school principals.
Luckily, IESA (Inclusive Education South Africa) provides loads of resources to guide principals and educators to navigate the legislation and put in place the right kind of practices to support learners adequately.
Please check http://www.included.org.za/factsheets/ for their fact sheets on:
* Using Learners as a Resource for Learning Support
* Understanding SIAS – The Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support Policy
* Setting Up Professional Learning Communities
* Including Learners With Hearing Impairments in a mainstream setting
* Including Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder in a mainstream setting
* Including Learners with Epilepsy in a mainstream setting
* Including Learners with ADHD in a mainstream setting
* Including Learners with Visual Impairment in a mainstream setting
* Including Learners with Down Syndrome in a mainstream setting
* Including Learners with Cerebral Palsy in a mainstream setting
and many other fact sheets!
Some of these and other resources can be found in our documents section: https://a-better-africa.com/show/basic-information-on-public-education/folder/15577