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During last week's webinar our panelists unpacked Inclusive Education: before, during and after Covid-19. We explored the impact of the Covid-19 crisis on children with intellectual disabilities, the challenges faced by families, the strategies they can use to support their children during the pandemic and how we can take advantage of the current crisis to promote future inclusion. 

Live polls helped to frame the discussions by investigating our participants perspectives on parents support needs and their level of concern regarding potential new barriers following the pandemic.

Almost half of attendees described support provided remotely by education professionals as the most important support need from parents of children with intellectual disabilities right now. 65% of participants agreed that they expect reduced individual support while schools are closed or for when they reopen. 

 
Read Diane's Presentation

Diane Richler, Expert Advisor of the Catalyst for Inclusive Education, moderated the webinar. During her introduction she highlighted how this pandemic is bringing to light all of societies  existing inequalities. It is important to use this spotlighting as an opportunity to call for change. Even before Covid-19 we were experiencing a learner crisis. Many children with intellectual disabilities already could not access education and those going to school did not enjoy quality learning on an equal basis with others. We need to focus our efforts to make sure this is not further exacerbated by the pandemic.

 
Read Marie's Presentation

Marie Schoeman, Programme Technical Lead on Inclusive Education at Leonard Cheshire, presented strategies for families while schools are closed, including tips such as: setting up a dedicated physical space for schoolwork, keeping a structured routine with a visual timetable, making a record of progress and approaching each day anew. 

She outlined the role of parents and how it differentiates from substitute teachers, both before the pandemic and now.

 

Marie encouraged us to work towards a zero-rejection entrance policy, regardless of degree of disability.  Being a parent of an adult with intellectual disability, she explained the value of inclusive education from a personal perspective and how it really shaped the future of her child to become included in all the aspects of society. 

She also provided good examples of effective home support for parents, invited participants to complete a survey on the situation of persons with disabilities during COVID-19 and presented a useful list of resources which can be found at the end of her presentation.

 
Read Paula's Presentation

Paula Frederica Hunt, Director & Principal Consultant at Disability, Education & Development, reiterated that we should take advantage of this crisis to promote future inclusion and on the need to transform the education system. She reminded us that inclusive practices and inclusive schools do not make an inclusive system. Sometimes we advocate for teachers to include inclusive practices and sometimes we advocate for schools to be more inclusive of children with specific disabilities, but we need to advocate for the systems themselves to become inclusive.

 

Paula also explained that during Covid-19, the concept of Universal Education has proved to not be a reality. In many places, access to education has not worked because of the related costs (electricity, internet, computers, etc.).

Given the continued failure of the education systems to become inclusive, inclusive education (in its broadest sense) is the only possible response to the learner crisis. The existing systems have not been able to respond to this unexpected and unpredictable pandemic. 

 
Watch the webinar here
 
 
 
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If you are an organisation or individual member of Inclusion International and would like to have your news or events featured in our bi-monthly newsletter, please email us at info@inclusion-international.org.

 
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