This research paper introduces the concept of children with disabilities within the education system and the need to use an inclusive approach to learning to accommodate every need of students. Special needs children can learn better when placed in an inclusive education system, but such a system should have supportive frameworks to guarantee inclusivity of every learner needs.
Often, inclusive systems offer general learning which hinders equal representation and performance outcome for special need students while favoring general learners. An appropriate inclusive system should target students learning capability, appropriate course design, the student examination system, and emphasis on values within the learning framework.
Various themes emerge from this literature which includes “Children with disability”—this frames all conditions that should be covered while educating children with special needs in an inclusive system. Another theme is “Inclusive education services for children and youth with disabilities”—the theme emphasizes on the need to provide a value system that would promote high-ethic learning conditions that promote the interest of all learners. The topic was opined by Poon-McBrayer and Wong (2013), who suggested that values must be tested before deciding on implementation in an inclusive system.
The third theme is, “Beginning a dialogue on conceptual foundations”. As suggested by Danforth and Naraian (2015), the theme discusses conceptual issues that pertains the implementation of inclusive education protocols and what the foundations of these protocols should be. Lastly, the theme of “Accommodating students with disabilities on large-scale tests” encourages inclusive learning institutions to recognize capabilities of each learner and design an assessment program that would suit the need of every individual student. Tindal, Heath, Hollenbeck, Almond, and Harniss (1998) suggested that as opposed to using a general evaluation, each learner has special learning needs and capabilities that make them unique, and this calls for the need of a unique evaluation program designed for every learner.
The study informs on the best theory that supports an inclusive system of learning that incorporates every learner needs. While people are yet to come to a conclusion on the precise approach of teaching special students (Ballard, 2016), Transformative Learning Theory would suffice to advise on the best approaches to providing education for students with a disability. The theory finds its roots from Jack Mezirow, the proponent, who proposes on the need to consider subjective aspects of every learner (Taylor, 2017). The Transformative Learning Theory was first experimented on South American pedagogical system which aimed at finding best approaches for providing education for adults.
However, inclusivity and reliability of this theory implies that children can also be taught using its perspectives (Ferguson, 2017). This theory finds a connection of adult learning with special needs children. The similarity comes in with the selection of special content and the need to select and emphasize on engaging course materials to make the course relevant for learners. This approach is referred to as the perspective transformation. This theory informs on the best way to achieve this by deeply analyzing learning material to ensure that it suits every learner from all perspectives. For this respect, it encourages on developing a curriculum that is tailored towards proving guidance to learners.
Moreover, the theory recommends on appropriate evaluation style. It encourages the development of a more adaptable way for learner needs. Using this approach, every learner should be approached based on his/her competence and level of disability. In this regard, the theory proposes the use of evaluation because such approaches provide a more engaging way to recognize each competence. It allows instructors to learn and assess the performance rate of every student.
The study has focused more on student learning and competence, but less is talked about framing the curriculum design and course material tailored for learner needs. An appropriate system should come with a special course program that targets special need students. Other than a course system, much should be talked about the teacher competence on teaching students with special needs. Since children in a special school end up given a general course, the probability of having trained instructors is low. Future literature should inform on teacher competencies for special learning students.
