An Analysis of the Move to Inclusive Education in Canada. What Works

Abstract

Canada often is regarded as a leading nation in the area of inclusive education and disability. As Andreas Hinz (2006) of Germany writes, Canada “has made inclusion a hallmark of its educational systems”. This view is valid regarding four of the 13 provincial and territorial jurisdictions in Canada. Following the advent of Inclusive Education as a more socially just approach to education and students with disabilities, different understandings have developed across the nation. Nine governments consider Inclusive Education to be a value system that does not mandate education in the same classrooms for all students. These governments maintain the Special Education Model for those students considered unable to benefit from education in the same classrooms as their typical peers. The three northern Territories and the Atlantic province of New Brunswick also believe inclusive education to be a value system. However, these jurisdictions have moved beyond the Special Education Model and its dependency on various levels of segregation for many students with disabilities. On the basis of social justice and stronger academic and social education, these four education systems are developing and employing organizational and pedagogical strategies that support inclusion of all students in regular classroom settings.