DEBRE TABOR UNIVERSITY

College of Social Science and Humanities

Department of Special Needs and Inclusive

Education INCLUSIVENESS(Incl-1012)
Credit and Contact Hours: 2/3
 Definition of Inclusiveness

• Inclusiveness refers to the practice or policy of providing equal

access, opportunities, and treatment to all individuals, regardless
of their background, identity, or characteristics.

• It involves creating an environment or culture that values and

respects diversity, ensuring that everyone feels welcome, accepted,
and included.

• Inclusiveness goes beyond merely tolerating differences; it actively

seeks to embrace and celebrate diversity.

• It encompasses various aspects including, but not limited to race,

ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, religion, disability,
 Definition of Inclusiveness …

• In an inclusive environment, people are valued for their

unique perspectives, and efforts are made to
accommodate and appreciate the richness that diversity
brings.
• Promoting inclusiveness is important in various settings,
such as workplaces, educational institutions, and
communities as a whole.
• It fosters a sense of belonging, encourages collaboration,
and enhances overall well-being by acknowledging and
respecting the differences that make each individual
 Chapter One
1. Understanding Disability And Vulnerability
DEFINITIONS OF BASIC TERMS

IMPAIRMENT
 Refers to any loss or abnormality of physiological, psychological or

anatomical structure or function.

 It is the absence of particular body part or organ. It could also a condition

in which the body exists but doesn‘t function. Some children, for instance,
have impairments such as eyes that do not see well, arms and legs
that are deformed, or a brain not developing in a typical way etc.

e.g., Loss of limbs or loss of vision

 Disability
It refers to any restriction or lack of ability (resulting from
impairment) to perform an activity in a manner or within the
range considered normal for a human being.

It refers to the condition when impairment interferes with the

process of education or work affecting the performance of all
activities expected of individuals at their age and their social and
economic situation.
e.g., Difficulty walking or reading
 Handicap
It is a disadvantage for a given individual, resulting from an
impairment or disability, that limits and prevents the fulfillment of
a role that is normal, depending on age, sex, social, and cultural
factors for that individual.

WHO defines handicap as a social or economic disadvantage

resulting from impairment.

It is a function of the relationship between disabled persons and

their environment.
 To sum-up, a disease at its initial stage may result in some
kind of intellectual, language, sensory or motor impairment. The
impairment again can lead into lack of power or ability to act,
communicate or take care of one self, which is called disability.
As the result of the disability, a person can face problems in life,
such as dependency on others, neglect by others, low status and
feeling of inferiority or low self-esteem. This position of
becoming socially marginalized is called handicap.
e.g., lack of wheel chair /Ramp or eyeglasses
 Models of Disability

1. Traditional Model of Disability

 Disability should be regarded as a punishment from God for a

particular sin or sins that may have been committed by the
person with disability.

 People with disabilities are subject to charity.

 The individual who is disabled is excluded from different

participation and families are also excluded.
 Models of Disability …

2. Medical Approach

Disability is pathology (physiological, biological and intellectual).

Disability means functional limitations due to physical,

intellectual or psychic impairment, health or psychic disorders on
a person.

The medical definition views the disabled person as needing to

―fit in rather than thinking about how society itself should
change.
 Models of Disability …

3.The social Model

 Disability is a highly varied and complex condition with a range

of implications for social identity and behavior.

 Disability largely depends on the context and is a consequence of

discrimination, prejudice and exclusion.
 Difference b/n Medical and social model
Medical model Social model

 An individual is faulty An individual is valued

 Diagnosis and labeling Strengths and needs identified

 Impairment is focus of attention Barriers identified and solutions developed

 Segregation and alternative services Resources made available

 Re-entry if normal enough or Diversity welcomed; child is welcomed

Permanent Exclusion Society evolves

 Society remains unchanged

 CON…

A disability is any condition of the body or mind (Impairment) that

makes it more difficult for the person with the condition to do certain
activities (activity limitation) and interact with the world around them
(participation restrictions)
The full inclusion of people with impairments in society can be
inhibited by:
1. Attitudinal (societal barriers, such as stigma)
2. Physical barriers (environmental barriers, such as absence of stairs),
and
3. Policy barriers (systemic barriers)
If these problems /barriers addressed, impairment may not lead to
disability.
1.2. Causes of Disability
What do you think is the causes of disability?
Some people, especially in the past times, wrongly believe
that disability is a punishment from God. There are some
who still believe that disability is a form of personal
punishment for individual with disability, a kind of karma
for their past mistakes, which is totally unacceptable now
days.
Disability can be causes by the following
factors
Genetic Causes
 Abnormalities in genes and genetic inheritance can

cause intellectual disability in children. In some

countries, Down syndrome is the most common

genetic condition. Sometimes diseases, illnesses, and

over-exposure to x-rays can cause a genetic disorder.

 Environmental Causes
 Poverty and malnutrition in pregnant mothers can cause a deficiency in vital
minerals and result in deformation issues in the unborn child.

– After birth, poverty and malnutrition can also cause poor development of vital
organs in the child, which can eventually lead to disability.

 The use of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, the exposure to certain toxic chemicals and
illnesses by a pregnant mother can cause intellectual disability to the child.

 Childhood diseases such as a whooping cough and measles, may lead to

meningitis and encephalitis. This can cause damage to the brain of the child.

 Unfortunate life events such as drowning, automobile accidents, falls and so on

can result in people losing their sight, hearing, limbs and other vital parts
of their body and cause disability.
 Unknown Causes

The human body is a phenomenal thing. Scientists have still not

figured out what and how some things in the body, cells, brain, and
genes come about. Humans have still not found all the answers to all
the defects in the human body.
 Types of Disabilities

1. Persons with Visual impairment

 People with visual impairment includes those learners

whose sight is limited in any way to the extent that

special services are needed.

 Many of these persons have sight that is useful for

some purpose.

 Others are blind, or have profound visual impairment

 Visual impairment in general designates two sub-
classifications. These are blindness and low vision.

1. Blindness:
 Refers to vision loss that is not correctable with
eyeglasses or contact lenses.
2. low vision:
 Are those having significant visual problems but still

use their vision as their primary sense for learning.

 They may have a visual impairment that affects only

2. Peoples with Hearing Impairment

 Hearing impairment: a generic term indicating a continuum of hearing loss from mild
to profound, which includes the sub-classifications of the hard of hearing and deaf.

1. Hard of Hearing: individuals have hearing that is adequate for successful

processing of linguistic information through hearing with amplification.

2. Deaf: individuals have hearing impairment that precludes successful processing of

linguistic information through hearing with or without amplification. Those who have
difficulty understanding speech, even with hearing aids but can successfully communicate
in sign language.

Cultural definitions of deafness, emphasize an individual‘s various abilities,

use of sign language, and connections with the culturally deaf community.
3. Specific Learning Disability

A disorder in one or more of the basic

psychological processes involved in

understanding or in using language, spoken or

written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect

ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or

to do mathematical calculations.
Learning disabilities should not be confused with learning
problems which are primarily the result of
 visual
 Le
 hearing Di arni
sa n g
bi
 motor handicaps y li t
Le Vs
 intellectual disability Pr arn
ob in
lem g
 emotional disturbance s

 environmental
 cultural or economic disadvantages.
 CON…
People with learning disabilities are of average or above
average Intelligence.

There often appears to be a gap between the individual‘s
potential and actual achievement. This is why learning
disabilities are referred to as hidden disabilities
learning disability cannot be cured or fixed; it is a
lifelong challenge.
Types of Specific Learning
Disabilities

Dyscalculia 
Dyscalculia is a specific learning disability that
affects a person‘s ability to understand numbers
and learn math. Individuals may also have:
 have poor comprehension of math symbols
 may struggle with memorizing
 organizing numbers
 have difficulty telling time, or have trouble
with counting.
Dysgraphia

Affects a person‘s handwriting ability and fine

motor skills.
– Problems may includes:
 illegible handwriting
inconsistent spacing
poor spatial planning on paper
poor spelling and
difficulty composing writing as well as thinking
and writing at the same time.
Auditory processing Disorder;

Those person who have this disorder face the

following difficulties;
To recognize subtle differences between sounds in
words
To tell where sounds are coming from,
To make sense of the order of sounds, or
To block out competing background noises
Language Processing Disorder

It is difficulty attaching meaning to sound groups

that form words, sentences and stories.
It relates only to the processing of language
can affect expressive language and/or receptive
language
Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities

It is usually characterized by a significant

discrepancy between higher verbal skills and weaker
motor, visual-spatial and social skills.
has trouble interpreting nonverbal cues like facial
expressions or body language, and may have poor
coordination
Visual Perceptual/Visual Motor Deficit

It is a disorder that affects the understanding of

information that a person sees, or the ability to draw
or copy.
It can result in missing subtle differences in shapes
or printed letters, losing place frequently, struggles
with cutting, holding pencil too tightly, or poor
eye/hand coordination.
4. Persons with Communication Disorder (Speech and Language Impairment)

 It is disorder that adversely affects the child's ability to talk, understand, read, and write.

 This disability category can be divided into two groups:

1) Speech Impairments

2) Language Impairments

1. Speech Impairments
 An impairment in the production of oral or spoken language.

 There are three basic types of speech impairments:

1) Articulation disorders

2) Fluency disorders

3) Voice disorders
A) Articulation disorders

 Abnormal (errors) in the production of speech sounds.

These disorders include:

 Omissions: (bo for boat)

 Substitutions: (wabbit for rabbit)

 Distortions: (shlip for sip)

 Addition ( fuhriend for friend)

B) Fluency Disorders

 Difficulties with the rhythm and timing of speech characterized by

hesitations, repetitions, or prolongations of sounds, syllables,
words, or phrases.

Common fluency disorders include:

1. Stuttering: is a disruption in the timing of speaking.

 Rapid-fire repetitions of consonant or vowel sounds especially

at the beginning of words, prolongations, hesitations,
interjections, and complete verbal blocks.

. Cluttering: is a running together in rapid, jumbled speaking of sounds,

words and phrases.

-Excessively fast and jerky speech Voice disorders are problems with the
C) Voice Disorders

 The absence or abnormal production of voice quality,

pitch, loudness, resonance, and/or duration.
 Voice disorders are problems with the quality or use of
one's voice resulting from disorders in the larynx.

2. Language Impairments
 Language disorders, which are impairments or a typical
development of a comprehension (understanding)
and/or use of spoken and/or written symbol.
There are five basic areas of language
impairments:

1) Phonological disorders
2) Morphological disorders
3) Semantic disorders
4) Syntactical deficits
5) Pragmatic difficulties.
 1. phonological disorders
Show to difficulty understand or as not saying the sounds correctly
Apraxia; is a specific Phonological disorders where the student may
want to speak but has difficulty planning what to say and the motor
movements to use.

2) Morphological disorders
Spoken language disorders that affect morphological awareness.
Morphological awareness refers to the understanding of how words
can be broken down into smaller units of meaning such as roots,
prefixes, and suffixes.
 Difficulties with word formation (morphology) can affect a child's
expressive language skills .
 3) Semantic disorders

Poor vocabulary development, inappropriate use of word

meanings, and/or inability to comprehend word meanings.

Demonstrate restrictions in word meanings, difficulty with

multiple word meanings, and excessive use of nonspecific terms.

4) Syntactic deficits

 Difficulty in acquiring the rules that govern word order and

others aspects of grammar such as subject-verb agreement.

Students produce shorter and less elaborate sentences with

fewer cohesive conjunctions than their peers.
 5) Pragmatic difficulties

Are characterized as problems in

understanding and using language in different
social contexts.
These students may lack an understanding of
the rules for making eye contact, respecting
personal space, requesting information, and
introducing topics.
5. Autism


 Autism means a developmental disability significantly affecting
verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction,
generally evident before age three that adversely affects a
child‘s educational performance.

Other Characteristics often associated with autism

 Engaging in repetitive activities
 Stereotyped movements
 Unusual responses to sensory experiences.
 6. Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
A condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over
a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects
educational performance. 
1) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual,
sensory, or health factors;

2) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal

relationships with peers and teachers;

3) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal

circumstances;

4) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression;

5) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated

with personal or school problems.
Kauffman (1993) conclude that emotion or behavioral
disorders fall into two broad classifications:
1). Externalizing Behavior: also called under controlled disorder,


include such problems disobedience, disruptiveness, fighting,
tempers tantrums, irresponsibility, jealous, anger, attention
seeking etc.
2) Internalizing Behavior: also known as over controlled disorders,
include such problems anxiety, immaturity, shyness, social
withdrawal, feeling of inadequacy (inferiority), guilt, depression
and worries a great deal.
 Causes of behavioral and emotional disorders
Behavioral and emotion disorders result from many causes,
these includes the following.

1. Biological- includes genetic disorders, brain damage, and
malnutrition, allergies, temperament and damage to the central
nervous system.
2. Family factors- include family interactions, family
influence, child abuse, neglect, and poor disciplinary practices
at home.
3. Cultural factors- include some traditional and cultural
negative practices, for example watching violence and
sexually oriented movies and TV programs.
4. Environmental factors- include peer pressure, living in
impoverished areas, and schooling practices that are
unresponsive to individual needs.
7. Intellectual Disability
Intellectual disability is a disability characterized
by significant limitations in both intellectual
functioning and in adaptive behavior, which covers
numerous everyday social and practical skills. This
disability originates before the age of 18.
An individual is considered to have an intellectual
disability based on the following three criteria:
1. Sub average intellectual functioning: it refers to general
mental capacity, such as learning, reasoning, problem solving, and
so on. One way to measure intellectual functioning is an IQ test.

2. Significant limitations exist in two or more adaptive skill

areas: it is the collection of conceptual, social, and practical skills
that are learned and performed by people in their everyday lives.

 Conceptual skills: language and literacy; money, time, and

number concepts; and self-direction.
 Social skills: interpersonal skills, social responsibility, self-esteem, gullibility,
innocence (i.e. Suspicion), social problem solving, and the ability to follow
rules/obey laws and to avoid being victimized.

 Practical skills: activities of daily living (personal care), occupational skills,

healthcare, travel/transportation, schedules/routines, safety, use of money, use of
the telephone.

3. Intellectual Disability originates before the age of 18

8. Physical disability/Orthopedic Impairment and Health
impairment

Physical disability: is a condition that interferes with the individual‘s ability

to use his or her body.

Health impairment is a condition that requires ongoing medical attention. It

includes asthma, heart defects, cancer, diabetes and HIV/AIDS, etc.
 Classification and Characteristics

Physical disabilities:- based on the impact of physical disability on

mobility and motor skills, it is divided into three. These are:-

1. Mild physical disability:- these individuals are able to walk

without aids and may make normal developmental progress.

2. Moderate physical disability:- individuals can walk with braces

and crutches and may have difficulty with fine-motor skills and
speech production.

3. Severe physical disability:-these are individuals who are wheel-

chair dependent and may need special help to achieve regular
development.
Vulnerability

 Vulnerable means being at risk or harmed. Everyone

can be harmed, so being vulnerable is part of being
human. In principle, everyone is vulnerable to some
adverse event or circumstance, but some people are more
vulnerable than others.
 For instance, people with disabilities are more likely as a
group to experience greater vulnerability. They are also
often more severely affected by the vulnerability they
Based on the existing literature, vulnerability can be
generally defined as a complex phenomenon that refers
to the following dimensions:
1. Economic difficulties/lack of financial resources: poverty, low living
standards, housing problems (e.g. too damp, too expensive, too cold or
difficult to heat) etc.;
2. Social exclusion: limited access to facilities such as transportation,
schools, libraries or medical services;
3. Lack of social support from social networks: no assistance from family
members, friends, neighbors or colleagues (referring to practical help as
well as emotional support) like highly gifted individuals;
4. Stigmatization: being a victim of stereotypes, being devalued, confronted
with disgraceful behavior because of belonging to a particular social or
ethnic group;
5. Health difficulties: disadvantages resulting from poor mental health,
physical health or disabilities;
 CON…

Causes of Vulnerability
 Rapid population growth,

 Poverty and hunger,

 Poor health,

 Low levels of education,

 Gender inequality,

 Fragile and hazardous location, and

 Lack of access to resources and services, including

 Knowledge and technological means,

 Chapter Two
Concept of Inclusion

Learning Objectives
After the students have studied this chapter, they will be able to:
Define inclusion
Discuss the concept of inclusion in education
Identify reason regarding shift from special education and integrated
education inclusion
Differentiate the major rationales for inclusion
List factors that influenced development of inclusion
Identify benefits of inclusion to students, teachers‘ parents and society
Name major characteristics of inclusive school and inclusive classroom
environments
Point out strategies to implement inclusion in teaching and learning
processes
Differentiate the major barriers to inclusion.
 Definition of Inclusion
 Inclusion in education/service delivery refers to an ongoing process aimed at
offering quality education/services for all while respecting diversity and the

different needs and abilities, characteristics and learning expectations of the
students and communities and eliminating all forms of discrimination.
Inclusion is seen as a process of addressing and responding to the diversity of
needs of all learners through increasing participation in learning, employment,
services, cultures and communities, and reducing eliminating all forms of
discrimination.
Involves changes and modifications in:
Contents
Approaches
 Structures and strategies, with a common vision which covers all children
of the appropriate age range.
 The process of systematically bringing together all children with
or without disabilities regardless of the nature and severity of
disability in natural setting (environment) where children learn
and play.
 It acknowledges that learning begins at birth and continues
throughout life, and includes learning in the home, the
community, and in formal, informal and non-formal situations.
 It seeks to enable communities, systems and structures
in all cultures and contexts to combat discrimination,
celebrate diversity, promote participation and overcome
barriers to learning and participation for all people.
 It is part of a wider strategy promoting inclusive
development, with the goal of creating a world where
there is peace, tolerance, and sustainable use of
resources, social justice, and where the basic needs and
rights of all are met.
The underlying philosophy embedded in the above definition is that
1) Concepts about children
Education is a fundamental human right for all people
Learning begins at birth and continues throughout life
All children have a right to education within their own
community
Everyone can learn, and any child can experience difficulties in
learning
2) Concepts about systems including schools
• It is broader than formal schooling
• it is flexible, responsive educational systems
• It creates enabling and welcoming educational environments
• It promotes school improvement-makes effective schools
• It involves whole school approach and collaboration between
partners.
3) Concepts about diversity and discrimination
• It promotes combating discrimination and exclusionary pressures
at any social sectors
• It enables responding to diversity as a resource not as a problem
• It prepares learners for an inclusive society that respects and
values difference.
4) Concepts about processes to promote
inclusion
• It helps to identifying and overcoming barriers to participation
and exclusionary pressures
• It increases real participation and collaboration between all
stakeholders.
• It promotes participatory methodology, action research,
collaborative enquiry and other related activities
5) Concepts about resources
• Promotes unlocking and fully using local
resources redistributing existing resources.
• It helps to perceive people (children,
parents, teachers, members of marginalized
groups, etc.) as key resources.
• It helps to use appropriate resources and
support within schools and at local levels
for the needs of different children, e.g.
mother tongue tuition, Braille, assistive
devices.
McLeskey and Waldron (2000) have identified
inclusion and non-inclusive practices .
Inclusion mean Inclusion does not mean
  Placing students with disabilities into general
Students with disabilities and vulnerability attend
their neighborhood schools education classrooms without careful planning
and adequate support.
 Each student is in an age-appropriate general
 Placing all students who have disabilities or who
education classroom
are at risk in one or a few designated classrooms.
 Every student is accepted and regarded as a full and
 Teachers spending a disproportionate amount of
valued member of the class and the school
community. time teaching or adapting the curriculum for
students with disabilities.
 Special education supports are provided to each
 Isolating students with disabilities socially,
student with a disability within the context of the
general education classroom. physically, or academically within the general
education school or classroom.
 All students receive an education that addresses their
 Endangering the achievement of general
individual needs
education students through slower instruction or
 No student is excluded based on type or degree of
a less challenging curriculum.
disability.
 Relegating special education teachers to the role
 All members of the school (e.g., administration, staff,
of assistants in the general education classroom.
students, and parents) promote
 Requiring general and special education
cooperative/collaborative teaching arrangements
teachers to team together without careful
 There is school-based planning, problem-solving,
planning and well-defined responsibilities.
and ownership of all students and programs
 Employed according to their capacities without
discriminations
 Principles of Inclusion
 The fundamental principle of inclusion is that all persons should
learn, work and live together wherever possible, regardless of any
difficulties or differences they may have.
 Inclusion begins with the premise that all persons have unique
characteristics, interests, abilities and particular learning needs and,
further, that all persons have equal access to education, employment and
services.
UNESCO (2005) has provided four major inclusion principles
that support inclusive practice
1. Inclusion is a process
 inclusion has to be seen as a never-ending search to find better ways of
responding to diversity.
It is about learning how to live with difference and learning how to learn
from difference. Differences come to be seen more positively as a stimulus
 2. Inclusion is concerned with the identification and
removal of barriers that hinders the development of
persons with disabilities.


 It involves collecting, organizing and evaluating information
from a wide variety of sources in order to plan for
improvements in policy and practice.
 It is about using evidence of various kinds to stimulate
creativity and problem - solving.
3. Inclusion is about the presence, participation and
achievement of all persons.
 Presence: is concerned with where persons are provided and

how reliably and punctually they attend;
 Participation: relates to the quality of their experiences and
must incorporate the views of learners/and or workers
 Achievement: is about the outcomes of learning across the
curriculum, not just test and exam results.
4. Inclusion invokes a particular emphasis on those
who may be at risk of marginalization, exclusion or
underachievement.
 This indicates the moral responsibility to ensure that those ‘at
risk’ are carefully monitored, and that steps are taken to ensure
their presence, participation and achievement.
Rationales for inclusion and their respective descriptions
Educational Foundations
 Children do better academically, psychologically and socially in
inclusive settings.

 A more efficient use of education resources.

 Decreases dropouts and repetitions

 Teachers competency ( knowledge, skills, collaboration, satisfaction.

Social Foundation
 All individuals need an education that will help them develop relationships
and prepare them for life in the wider community.

 Inclusion has the potential to reduce fear and to build friendship, respect and
understanding.
 Legal Foundations

 All individuals have the right to learn and live together.

 Human being shouldn‘t be devalued or discriminated against
by being excluded or sent away because of their disability.
 There are no legitimate reasons to separate children for their
education

Foundations for Building Inclusive Society

 Formation of mutual understanding and appreciation of diversity

 Building up empathy, tolerance and cooperation

 Promotion of sustainable development

 Economic Foundation

 Inclusive education has economic benefit, both for individual and for

society.

 Inclusive education is more cost-effective than the creation of special

schools across the country.

 Children with disabilities go to local schools

 Reduce wastage of repetition and dropout

 Children with disabilities live with their family use community

infrastructure

 Better employment and job creation opportunities for people with

 Factors that Influenced Development of
Inclusion:
Inclusive education is facilitated by many influencing actors. Some
of the major drivers include:

 Communities

 Activists and advocates

 The quality education and school improvement movement

 Special educational needs movement

 Involvement of International agencies:

 Involvement of NGOs movements, networks and campaigns:

 CON…

 Other factors: the current world situation and practical

experiences in education.

The current world situation presents challenges such as:

 the spread of HIV/AIDS

 political instability

 trends in resource distribution

 diversity of population, and social inclusion.

This necessitates implementation of inclusion to solve the problems.

 Benefits of Inclusion

 It is now understood that inclusion benefits communities,

families, teachers, and students by:

 ensuring that children with disabilities attend school with their

peers.

 providing them with adequate support to succeed both

academically and socially.
 1. Benefits for Students with Disability

In inclusive settings people will develop:

 Appropriate models of behavior. They can observe and imitate socially
acceptable behaviors of the students without special need
 Improved friendships with the social environment
 Increased social initiations, interactions, relationships and networks.
 Gain peer role models for academic, social and behavior skills
 Increased achievement of individualized educational program (IEP) goals
 Greater access to general curriculum
 Improved academic achievement
 Improved school staff collaboration to meet these students‘ needs and ability
differences.
 Enhanced families integration into the community
 2. Benefits for persons without Disability
Students without special educational needs will:

 Have a variety of opportunities for interacting with their age

peers who experience SEN in inclusive school settings.

 serve as peer tutors during instructional activities

 Play the role of a special friend during lunch, in the bus or

playground.

 Gain knowledge of a good deal about tolerance, individual

difference, and human exceptionality.

 Learn that students with SEN have many positive characteristics

and abilities.
 Have chance to learn about many of the human service
profession such as speech therapy, physical therapy, recreation
therapy, and vocational rehabilitation. For some, exposure to
these areas may lead to career choices.

 Have increased appreciation, acceptance and respect of

individual differences among human beings Get greater
opportunities to master activities by practicing and teaching
others

 Have increased academic outcomes

 Have opportunity to learn to communicate, and deal effectively

with a wide range of individuals; this prepares them to fully
participate in society when they are adults that make them build
an inclusive society
 3. Benefits for Teachers and Parents/Family

 Benefit to teachers includes:

 developing their knowledge and skills that meet diverse
students‘ needs.
 ability differences to enhancing their skills to work with
their stakeholders.
 gaining satisfaction in their profession and other aspects.
 Parents/family benefit from inclusive education.
For example:
 Develop their positive attitude towards their children‘s
education
 positive feeling toward their participation
 appreciation to differences among humankinds and so on.
 4. Benefits for Society

 Helps the society to break down barriers and prejudice that

prevail in the society towards persons with disability.
 Communities become more accepting of difference, and everyone
benefits from a friendlier, open environment that values and
appreciates differences in human beings.

Ultimate Goal of Inclusion

– The goal of inclusive education is to create schools
where everyone belongs.
– By creating inclusive schools, we ensure that there‘s a
welcoming place in the community for everyone after
their school year‘s end.
 Inclusive society

• is a necessary precondition for inclusive growth

 is a society which does not exclude or discriminate against its
citizens on the basis of disability, background, race, gender, family
or community
 a society which levels the playing field for investment‘ and leaves
no one behind.

Features of Inclusive Environment

 An inclusive environment is an environment that welcomes all
people, regardless of their disability and other vulnerabilities.

 It recognizes and uses their skills and strengthens their abilities.

 An inclusive environment includes individuals with disabilities and

It has the following major characteristics:

– it ensures the respect and dignity of individuals with disabilities

– it meets current accessibility standards to the greatest extent
possible to all people with special needs
– provides accommodations willingly and proactively
– Persons with disabilities are welcomed and are valued for their
contributions as individuals.
Inclusive Environments
An inclusive environment is a place that is adjusted to
individuals‘ needs and not vice versa (that individuals are
adjusted to the environmental needs).
It acknowledges that individual differences among individuals
are a source of richness and diversity, and not a problem.
 CON…

An inclusive environment is also directed:

 towards developing culture, policy and practice which meet pupils’ diversities
 towards identifying and removing obstacles in learning and participating
 towards developing a suitable provisions and supporting individuals.

Successful environment has the following

characteristics
 It develops whole-school/environment processes

 It recognizes and responds to the diverse needs of their individuals

 Ensuring quality provisions for all through appropriate accommodations,

organizational arrangements, resource use and partnerships with their
community. It provides services and facilities equally accessible to all people.
 CON…

 It is committed to serve all individuals together regardless of

differences.
 It involves restructuring environment, culture, policy, and practice.
 It promoting pro-social activities
 It involves mobilizing resources within the community
 uses a range of multi-skilled personnel to assist people in their
learning and working environment. It strives to create strong links
with, clinicians, caregivers, disability services providers and
relevant support agencies within the wider community.
 It develops social relationships as an equal member of the class.
 Barriers to Inclusion
The major barriers include:
 Negative attitude towards students with disability and
vulnerabilities.
 Economic factors- this is mainly related with poverty of family,
community and society at large
 Lack of taking measures to ensure conformity of
implementation of inclusion practice with policies
 Lack of stakeholders taking responsibility in their
cooperation as well as collaboration for inclusion
 Conservative traditions among the community
members about inclusion.
 Lack of knowledge and skills among teachers regarding
inclusive education.
 Rigid curricula, teaching method and examination systems that

do not consider students with divers needs and ability differences.

 Fragile democratic institutions that could not promote inclusion

 Inadequate resources

 Inaccessibility of social and physical environments

 Large class sizes that make teachers and stakeholders meet

students‘ diverse needs

 Using inclusive models that may be imported from other countries.

 Chapter Three
Identification and Differentiated services
Learning Outcomes

At the end of this chapter, you are expected to:

 Discuss the impact of disability and vulnerability on daily life of persons with
disabilities and vulnerabilities.

 Depict needs of persons with disabilities and vulnerabilities

 describe the effects of environment on the life of persons with disabilities and
vulnerabilities.

 Describe intervention and rehabilitation approaches for disabilities and vulnerabilities.

 describe the role technologies in the life of persons with disabilities

 relate the concept of inclusiveness to their specific profession

 Evaluate inclusiveness of services provision in their specific fields of studies

Impact of Disability and Vulnerability on Daily life
Factors related to the person
 People respond to disabilities in different ways. Some
react negatively and thus their quality of life is negatively
affected. Others choose to focus on their abilities as
opposed to their disabilities and continue to live a
productive life.
The following are often considered the most significant
factors in determining a disability's impact on an
individual.
1. The Nature of the Disability
Disability can be acquired (a result of an accident, or acquired
disease) or congenital (present at birth).

If the disability is acquired, it is more likely to cause a negative

reaction than a congenital disability. Congenital disabilities are
disabilities that have always been present, thus requiring less of an
adjustment than an acquired disability.
2. The Individual’s Personality
The individual personality can be typically positive or negative,
dependent or independent, goal-oriented or laissez-faire.

Someone with a positive outlook is more likely to embrace a

disability than someone with a negative outlook.

Someone who is independent will continue to be independent.

someone who is goal- oriented will continue to set and pursue goals.

3. The Meaning of the Disability to the Individual

– Does the individual define himself/herself by his/her looks or

physical characteristics? If so, he/she is more likely to feel defined

by his/her disability and thus it will have a negative impact.

4.The Individual’s Current Life Circumstances
 The individual‘s independence or dependence on others
(parents).
 The economic status of the individual or the individual's
caregivers, the individual's education level.
 If the individual is happy with their current life circumstance,
they are more likely to embrace their disability, whereas if they are
not happy with their circumstances, they often blame their
disability.

5. The Individual's Support System

The individual‘s support from family, a significant other, friends,
or social groups.
If so, he/she will have an easier time coping with a disability and
thus will not be affected negatively by their disability.
Common effects of a disability may include but not
limited to
• Health conditions of the person
• Mental health issues including anxiety and depression;
• Loss of freedom and independence
• Frustration and anger at having to rely on other people
• practical problems including transport, choice of activities,
accessing buildings; unemployment;
• problems with learning and academic study; loss of
self-esteem and confidence, especially in social
situations. But all these negative effects are due to
restricted environments, not due to impairments.
Disability and vulnerabilities can limit or restrict
one or more Activities of Daily Living , including
• Moving from one place to another (e.g., navigation, locomotion,
transfer),
• Maintaining a position ((e.g., standing, sitting, sleeping))
• Interacting with the environment (e.g., controlling systems,
gripping objects)
• Communicating (e.g., speaking, writing, hand gestures),)
• Feeding (chewing, swallowing, etc.) and
• Perceiving the external world (by movement of the eyes, the head,
etc.) , due to inaccessibility environment.
 CON…
 Many older persons face one or more impairments.
Their situation is often similar to that of people with
disabilities. Their needs are similar to those people with
multiple disabilities with a decrease in the muscular,
vision, hearing and cognitive capacities
Economic Factors and Disability
• people with few economic assets are more likely to
acquire pathologies that may be disabling.
• Economic status affects whether pathology will proceed to
impairment.
• a lack of resources can adversely affect the ability of an individual
to function with a disabling condition.
• Economic resources can limit the options and
abilities of someone who requires personal
assistance services or certain physical
accommodations.
• The individual also may not be able to access the
appropriate rehabilitation services to reduce the
degree of potential disability either because they
cannot afford the services themselves or cannot
afford the cost of specialized transportation
services.
 CON…
• Community can be defined in terms of the micro system (the local

area of the person with the disabling conditions),

• the meso system (the area beyond the immediate

neighborhood, perhaps encompassing the town), and

• the macro system (a region or nation). Clearly, the economic

status of the region or nation as a whole may play a more

important role than the immediate microenvironment for certain

kinds of disabling conditions. For example, access to employment

among people with disabling conditions is determined by a

combination of the national and regional labor markets.

CON…
 Political Factors and Disability

• Designing public policy, can and does have a profound

impact on the extent to which impairments and other

potentially disabling conditions will result in disability.

• It will profoundly improve the prospects of people with

disabling conditions for achieving a much fuller

participation in society,

• Can reduce the font of disability in work and every other

domain of human activity.

 The Family and Disability

 The family can be either an enabling or a disabling factor for a person with a
disabling condition.
 family relationships often are most central and families often provide the main
sources of support.
 This support may be instrumental, informational (providing advice or
referrals), or emotional (giving love and support).
 provide services of housekeeping and transportation
 provide personal assistance in activities of daily living.
 provide economic support to help with the purchase of assistive
technologies and to pay for personal assistance
 provide emotional support
that families may also be disabling. Some families promote dependency.
 the person with the potentially disabling condition is not allowed to
develop to his or her fullest potential.
 Families may also not provide needed environmental services and
Needs of PwDs and Vulnerabilities

 People with disabilities do not all share a single experience, even

of the same impairment; likewise, professionals in the same
discipline (sector)do not follow a single approach or hold the
same values.
 Analyzing the human beings, Maslow has identified five
categories of needs, with different priority levels.
CON…
The following list but not last are basic needs of persons
with disabilities and vulnerabilities to ensure equality for
all within our society.
a) Full access to the Environment (towns, countryside & buildings)
b) An accessible Transport system
c) Technical aids and equipment
d) Accessible/adapted housing
e) Personal Assistance and support
f) Inclusive Education and Training
g) An adequate Income
h) Equal opportunities for Employment
i) Appropriate and accessible Information
j) Advocacy (towards self-advocacy)
k) Counseling
l) Appropriate and Accessible Health Care
 Social Needs of Persons with Disabilities and
Vulnerabilities
 Social protection plays a key role in realizing the rights of
persons with disabilities and vulnerabilities of all ages,

 providing them with an adequate standard of living,
 a basic level of income security; thus reducing levels of poverty
and vulnerability.
 have a major role in promoting their independence and inclusion.
Social protection measures may include
Poverty reduction schemes
 Cash transfer programs
 Social and health insurance
 Public work programs
 Housing programs
 Disability pensions and mobility grants.
 Gender and Disability
what impact does rural living have on women with disabilities?
 The importance of work and the daily activities required of

living in the country are paramount in considering gender.
For the male and female with disabilities and vulnerable
groups, work is universally seen as important, whether paid
work or voluntary.
 Women with disabilities experience double discrimination,
which places them at higher risk of gender-based violence,
sexual abuse, neglect, maltreatment and exploitation
 Girls and women of all ages with any form of disability are
among the more vulnerable and marginalized of society.
 Identity and Disability
 People with disabilities are not primarily clients or service
users but rather are known members of their communities


with a shared and, at times, intergenerational history.
 The formality of the service system is counterpointed by
the relationships people formed with those who share a
rural life.
 Disability as part of an individual‘s identity is seen by
some as a struggle. This is often twofold: internally to
individuals and their sense of self and, too often, in the way
they are perceived and constructed by those around them.
 An acquired disability is experienced as challenging the
nature of one‘s internal pre-established identity and as a
struggle to change the perceptions and attitudes of others
 Belongingness and Disability
 Belonging is a complex concept involving an attachment to place,
relationships with others, a sense of safety, common values and a

shared and/or developing history.
 Belonging is also an internal sense of being at home in one‘s own
body and mind. Persons with disabilities and vulnerable groups
have struggled to come to terms with a body and mind which
seem unfamiliar to them, in which they have to make adjustments
or accommodations both for themselves and in terms of their
relationships with others.
The Health Care Needs of Persons with Disabilities
and Vulnerabilities
 People with disabilities report seeking more health care than people without
disabilities and have greater unmet needs.
 People with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to deficiencies in health care
services.
Depending on the group and setting, persons with disabilities may experience greater
vulnerability to
A. Secondary conditions: conditions occur in addition to (and are related to) a primary
health condition, and are both predictable and therefore preventable.
B. Co-morbid conditions: conditions occur in addition to (and are unrelated to) a
primary health condition associated with disability.
C. Age-related conditions: The ageing process for some groups of people with
disabilities begins earlier than usual.
D. Engaging in health risk behaviors: Some studies have indicated that people with
disabilities have higher rates of risky behaviors such as smoking, poor diet and
 Barriers to Health Care for Persons with
Disabilities and Vulnerable Groups
People with disabilities encounter a range of barriers when they

attempt to access health care including the following:

a) Prohibitive costs:
 Affordability of health services and transportation are two main
reasons why people with disabilities do not receive needed health
care in low-income countries.

b) Limited availability of services:

The lack of appropriate services for people with disabilities is a
significant barrier to health care.
For example, lack of services especially in the rural area is the
 c) Physical barriers:
Uneven access to buildings (hospitals, health centers)
inaccessible medical equipment
poor signage
narrow doorways
internal steps
inadequate bathroom facilities
inaccessible parking areas create barriers to health care
facilities.
d) Inadequate skills and knowledge of health workers:

Health care provider skills are inadequate to meet

people with disabilities needs, being treated badly

and being denied care.
Addressing for Inclusive Barriers to Health Care
Governments and professionals can improve health
outcomes for people with disabilities by:
 improving access to quality
 Providing affordable health care services, which make the best use
of available resources.
 improving all health care system.

A. Policy and legislation

Assess existing policies and services, identify priorities to reduce
health inequalities and plan improvements for access and
inclusion.
Establish health care standards related to care of persons with
disabilities with enforcement mechanisms.
B. Financing
Where private health insurance dominates health care financing,

ensure that people with disabilities are covered and consider

measures to make the premiums affordable.
Ensure that people with disabilities benefit equally from public

health care programs.

Use financial incentives to encourage health-care providers.

Consider options for reducing or removing out-of-pocket

payments for people with disabilities who do not have other means
of financing health care services.
C) Service Delivery
Provide a broad range of modifications and adjustments
(reasonable accommodation) to facilitate access to health care
services. For example changing the physical layout of clinics to
provide access for people with mobility difficulties or communicating
health information in accessible formats such as Braille
Empower people with disabilities to maximize their health by
providing information, training, and peer support.
Promote CBR to facilitate access for disabled people to existing

services.
Identify groups that require alternative service delivery models to

improve access to health care.

D) Human resources
Integrate disability inclusion education into
undergraduate and continuing education for all health-
care professionals.
Train community workers so that they can play a role in

preventive health care services.

Provide evidence-based guidelines for assessment and

treatment.
Inclusive Job Opportunities and Employment
The right to work is fundamental to being a full and

equal member of society, and it applies to all

persons, regardless of whether or not they have a
disability.
It also enables people to build
self-esteem
form social relationships
to gain skills and knowledge.
 Barriers of Employment
Prevented from working due to:
 Inaccessible transportation services
 lack of accessible information and
communications services.
 preference of employers for candidates without
disabilities.
 Legal stipulations that prevent individuals with
particular impairments from working in certain
fields.
 discouragement of family and community
members.
Major types of barriers
A) Attitudes and Discrimination
Employers may be reluctant to hire persons

with disabilities based on the perception that

they are less productive or less capable of
carrying out their jobs than others.
Colleagues of persons with disabilities may

also hold prejudicial attitudes.

Social attitudes
B) Inaccessibility
 A lack of physical
features such as ramps
and elevators can prevent
persons with mobility
disabilities from being
able to work.
 The lack of accessible information
and communication infrastructure
in workplaces such as:
 clear signage
 computers equipped with
software such as
• screen-readers
• devices such as Braille displays
can prevent persons with print
and intellectual disabilities from
being able to gain employment.
Lack of access to sign language interpretation can
hinder the employment of deaf people.
 informational and physical

design of the workplace itself

inaccessibility of public
environments and crucially,
transport can prevent persons
with disabilities from being
able to travel to work, receive
information about job
opportunities, and
communicate with employers.
 C) Restricted access to education and training
Have disproportionately restricted access to education and

training. This severely limits their job opportunities due to a lack

of skills and knowledge that are relevant to find or retain a job.
They are less likely to attend school, and when they do they are

less likely to stay in school.

They are often prevented from being able to acquire the

human capital necessary to effectively compete for jobs.

D) More limited Social Networks
Barrier to employment for persons with disabilities

can be their more limited social networks.

Lack of social networks greatly bounds process of

searching for work and options.

These limited networks are part of the broader

cultural and attitudinal barriers that inhibit

participation in social, leisure, civic, and religious
activities.
E) Prejudices towards Women Disabilities
In many developing countries including Ethiopia, as a
result of continued prejudices both towards women and
surrounding disability, women with disabilities are
doubly discriminated against in the labor market.
Encounter worse working conditions and lower pay as
compared with other women, as well as men with
disabilities.
Women with disabilities are also less likely to receive
education and vocational training.
F) Legal Barriers
In some countries, people must be considered physically
and mentally healthy ‘sound’ to represent oneself in a
court of law, to occupy official positions, or to use
certain public services.
G) Inflexible Work Arrangements
In some cases, persons with disabilities might prove to be
competent and productive employees, but are nonetheless unable
to perform certain tasks. E.g.
scheduling the work day.
may have particular transportation issues or other needs that
require a slightly different work day.
H. The Benefit Trap
Ironically be imposed by social protection schemes ultimately
designed to support them.
These schemes can encourage individuals to stay out of the labor
force if they are structured in such a way as to make the receipt of
benefits contingent on the inability to work. Therefore, even if
persons with disabilities believe that they can work, they may
choose not to in order to continue receiving disability benefits.
Strategies to Improve Employment for
Persons with Disabilities and Vulnerabilities
There a number of strategies that is available to

governments in respective sector as they work to improve

the employment prospects of persons with disabilities,
vulnerable and marginalized groups.

A) Anti-Discrimination Legislation
These laws make it illegal to discriminate against an individual

on the basis of disability in a range of areas including:

employment; education; access to public buildings; the
provision of goods and services, and political processes.
 CON…
It protect persons with disabilities from discriminatory actions in hiring

and termination of contracts.

affirm the right of persons with disabilities to access employment on an

equal basis with others.

B) Vocational Education and Training

Technical vocational education and training (TVET) programs can

help to ensure that the workforce has the skills and knowledge
necessary to obtain and retain a job.
improving access to employment.
Provide training programs that the content of such training
C) Wage Subsidies
Wage subsidies cover a portion of employees’ wages,

usually for a limited period of time, as a way to lessen the

risk perceived by employers of hiring persons with
disabilities.
Since wage subsidies directly target the recruitment

process of private firms, they enable employers to

overcome their reservations about hiring employees with
disabilities.
D) Supported Employment
These programs integrate persons with disabilities into the open
labor market by providing direct, on-the-job support to employees
with disabilities.
One common type of support is a job coach. Job coaches provide
on- site, individually tailored assistance to help persons with
disabilities perform their jobs.
Coaches also help persons with disabilities adjust to their working
environment, and assist in determining which accessibility
accommodations are necessary.
Supported employment requires employers to be open to having
such services on site, and to be willing to work cooperatively with
job coaches and other service providers.
Employment support services and job coaches require special
training.
E) Workplace Accommodation Schemes
This schemes reduce the costs to employers of making

workplaces more accessible to persons with disabilities.

workplace accommodation schemes seek to minimize

employer reluctance to hire persons with disabilities.

There are two ways government programs can
decrease or even eliminate those costs.
1.Offering tax breaks

2. Tax credits for expenditures undertaken to make

such adjustments.
F) Workers’ Compensation
These programs are designed to address the issue of

occupational injuries and illnesses.

They provide cash and medical benefits to employees

whose disability is acquired in the workplace.

G) Quota Systems
 Quota systems mandate that firms hire at minimum a certain percentage of

persons with disabilities.

 Quotas can prove difficult to both monitor and enforce.

 By obliging employers to hire a specific number of persons with disabilities,

H) Sheltered Workshops

These programs only hire persons with disabilities, and structure

jobs around the perceived abilities of each employee.

 The program serve as a training ground for the eventual

transition of employees to the open labor market.

Their work are seen as charitable enterprises and are funded.

governments can serve their citizens with disabilities better by

removing barriers towards their employment in the open labor

market.
I) Private Sector Initiatives

 In addition to government-driven
strategies, a number of private-sector
initiatives also serve to illustrate the need
for action to be taken not only by
governments, but by employers
themselves.
J) Employer Networks
The main activities of employer organizations include:
Raising awareness and building capacity on disability inclusion.

Providing information and tools on disability and employment.

Influencing policy on the employment and training of persons with

disabilities.
Providing career development opportunities and organizing

vocational training.
Linking jobseekers with disabilities and employers.
K) Support Disability-Inclusive Business
It is recommended that governments:

A. Introduce programs to raise awareness among

private employers of the business case for hiring
persons with disabilities.
B. Support employers‘ organizations and networks to
share inclusion practices and build their
capacities to harness the potential of employees
with disabilities.
L) Social Enterprises

Social enterprises are businesses that seek to advance a

social cause whilst being financially self-sustainable.
Aimed to maximize social impact.

Consciously seek to hire persons with disabilities.

Address issues and barriers affecting the lives of persons

with disabilities
M) Support Persons with Disabilities in the
Workplace
It is recommended that governments:
A. Promote flexible working arrangements to ensure that qualified, productive
individuals are not unnecessarily prevented from doing certain jobs.
B. Provide funding support and tax incentives to start ups and social enterprise
initiatives
C. Provide subsidies or tax incentives that support the inclusion of persons with
disabilities in the workplace.
D. Develop job coach accreditation and training standards
E. Provide job coaching services to enable persons with disabilities to do their
jobs effectively and productively.
N) Building a More Inclusive Society
It is recommended that governments:
A. Develop and implement accessibility standards for the physical
environment in line with universal design, including public
buildings and transport services,
B. Promote and provide knowledge, information and
communication services in accessible formats, in line with
universal design,
C. Foster greater social inclusion by establishing links with disabled
persons‘ organizations,
O) Boost Education and Training Opportunities
It is recommended that governments:
A. Make education systems more inclusive, both to make schools
more accessible to children with disabilities, and to modify
instruction to meet the needs of all children.
B. Mainstream disability inclusion into technical vocational
education and training (TVET) programs, to support persons
with disabilities to acquire knowledge and skills necessary to
find and retain decent work.
C. must ensure that persons with disabilities are able to access
education and training on an equal basis with others.
P) Break Down Attitudinal Barriers and
Challenge Discrimination
For governments to better understand and challenge attitudinal
barriers, it is essential to:
A. Undertake research to examine the causes and
manifestations of discriminatory attitudes towards persons
with disabilities across society.
B. Launch public awareness campaigns and programs to promote
the rights of persons with disabilities.
C. Conduct disability awareness training such as Disability
Equality Training for public employees at the national and local
levels.
 Chapter Four
Promoting Inclusive Culture
Definition of Inclusive Culture

Inclusion is a sense of belonging, connection and community at
work.
 Inclusive organizations help people feel welcomed, known,
valued and encouraged to bring their whole, unique selves to
work.
 Culture is the ideas, customs, and social behavior of a particular
people or society.
 Culture plays a huge role in shifting the diversity need and
forming truly inclusive environments.
 Inclusive Culture
 Involves the full and successful integration of diverse people into
a workplace or industry.

 Extend beyond basic or token presence of workers who have
disabilities.
 Encompass both formal and informal policies and practices,
and involve several core values:
A.Representation
B.Receptivity
C.Fairness
 Dimensions of Inclusive culture
There are three dimensions/ elements of an inclusive culture:

1. Universal Design

2. Recruitment, Training and Advancement Opportunities
3. Workplace Accommodations and Accessibility: Policy &
Practice
1. Universal Design
Refers to the construction of structures, spaces, services,
communications and resources that are organically accessible
to a range of people with and without disabilities, without
further need for modification or accommodation.
A few examples of ways universal design
practices may apply in the workplace include:
 Providing manuals, materials and forms to all employees
in a variety of digital formats.
 Building workspaces accessible to people who use
wheelchairs or other assistive devices.
 Providing employees with a variety of flexible schedule
and work options.
2. Recruitment, Training, & Advancement
Opportunities
A. Recruitment: 
Effective recruitment of people with
disabilities involves two components:
I. Accessible outreach and hiring practices.
II. Targeted recruitment of workers with
disabilities.
I) Accessible outreach and hiring practices
 Essentially entail making sure that outreach materials, networking and
recruitment sites, communications, and application processes all include a


range of accessible options, or are free of barriers that might inhibit people
with disabilities from participating.

 Outreach and hiring resources generally should be equally accessible to

workers with and without disabilities.

II) Targeted recruitment of workers with disabilities.

 Targeted recruitment involves specific outreach to people with
disabilities.

 Enables employers to reach and interview qualified people with

disabilities.
B. Training:
Training plays a dual role in the creation of inclusive workplace
culture.

1) Involves the degree to which people with disabilities have

equitable access to training sites, events, and materials.

2) The training of managers, particularly middle management, and

human resources staff, to work effectively with all people.

The consequences of inadequate training are:

 reduce job satisfaction

 negative consequences for productivity and retention.

C. Advancement
In order to have equitable opportunities for promotion and
professional development, like most employees, workers with
disabilities typically require access to mentoring.
 Existing mentoring programs are advertised, implemented and
maintained with attention to inclusion of workers with
disabilities.
 Targeted mentoring and coaching programs specifically
assist employees with disabilities. These may include:
 the creation of explicit disability affirmative action policies
related to promotion, targeted professional networking
opportunities.
 the establishment of disability affinity networks and related
supports to encourage full integration into the workplace
culture.
 3. Workplace Accommodations and
Accessibility: Policy & Practice
 Workplace policies need to carefully plan for the

provision of reasonable accommodations.
 Policy plays a critical role in generating
meaningful inclusion of people with disabilities.
When assessing the effectiveness of existing
accommodations policies, employee experiences
can be described based on two measures of equity.
1. Procedural justice

meaning that employees with disabilities perceive
the accommodations policy as fair, accessible and
functional.
2. Interactional justice
refers to the experience of feeling that the
managers or colleagues with whom one is
interacting are behaving fairly, reasonably and
respectfully.
The Benefits of Inclusive cultures for employees
with disabilities
 Reduce expenses corresponding to reduced employee turn-over
 Increase worker commitment 
 Improve employee health and well-being
 Improve productivity
 Increase employee investment in work performance
 Reduce perception of discrimination and inequity
 Improve cooperation and collaboration between co-workers, and
between employees and management.
Some of the benefits of an Inclusive organization
that needs to be considered:
 Higher Job Satisfaction
 Lower Turnover.

 Higher Productivity
 Higher Employee Morale
 Improve Creativity and Innovation
 Improve Problem-Solving
 Increase Organizational Flexibility.
Building Inclusive Community
 Respect all its citizens, gives them full access to resources, and
promotes equal treatment and opportunity.
 Works to eliminate all forms of discrimination.

 Engages all its citizens in decision-making processes that affect
their lives.
 Values diversity.
 Responds quickly to racist and other discriminating incidents.
 An inclusive society aims at empowering and promoting the
social, economic, and political inclusion of all, irrespective of age,
sex, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion, economic, or other
status.
 It is a society that leaves no one behind.
 Works to ensure that societies are open and inclusive to all.
Here are things an organization can do to
create a more inclusive workplace
A more appealing place to work:
 Appropriately Connect with Employees

 Interact with Different People
 Create Employee Resource Groups
 Place Importance on Inclusion
 Hold Better Meetings
 Invest in Diversity Training
Why is building an inclusive community important?
 Acts of exclusion and injustice based on group identity and other
factors should not be allowed to occur and/or continue.
 All people have the right to be part of decisions that affect their
lives and the groups they belong to.
 Diversity enriches our lives, so it is worth our while to value our
community's diversity.
It is important to consider the motivation behind an
individual, a group, or a community's desire to build an
inclusive community because the motivation affects the
following:

 Types and sequence of strategies selected
 Resources available: more resources could be mobilized if the motivation
came from a large institution or a local foundation.
 Amount of support and obstruction: if the dominant group in the community
is just as motivated as any other group, there is likely to be more support. If, it
is vise versa, there are likely to be more barriers.
 Rate of progress: if the major leaders and groups support the effort, progress
is likely to be faster.
 Expected outcomes: if the goal is to raise awareness, everyone involved is
likely to be satisfied if they learned new things about other groups.
Characteristics of an Inclusive Community
 Integrative and cooperative: inclusive communities
bring people together and are places where people and

organizations work together.
 Interactive: inclusive communities have accessible
community spaces that support social interaction.
 Invested
 Diverse: welcome and incorporate diverse people and
cultures into the structures, processes and functions of
daily community life.
 Equitable: make sure that everyone has the means to
live in decent conditions (i.e. income supports,
employment, good housing)
 Accessible and Sensitive: have an array of readily
available and accessible supports and services for the
social, health, and developmental needs of their
populations and provide such supports in culturally
sensitive and appropriate ways.
 Participatory: encourage and support the involvement
of all their members in the planning and decision-
making that affects community conditions and
development.
 Safe: ensure both individual and broad community
safety and security so that no one feels at risk in their
homes or moving around the neighborhood and city.
 Chapter Five
Legal and Policy Frameworks Considering
People with Disabilities

 There are several regional and international
declarations, conventions, world conferences’
conclusions and recommendations about the rights of
persons with disabilities for education.
 International legal Documents
A. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR)
 This declaration ensures three important rights;

 Right to education (fundamental human rights; rights that are universal,
indivisible, interconnected and interdependent)
 Right to equalization of opportunities

 Right to participate in society

B. Convention on the Rights of the Child

 States the rights of all children to basic quality primary education

 Make primary education compulsory and available free to all.

 It assures the rights of the child to education based on his or her needs,
abilities and pace of effective learning.
C. Convention against Discrimination in
Education
 To combat discriminatory treatment in education


 promote the opportunity of addressing their learning needs,

 children in disadvantaged situations or who experience conditions of risk,

disability have the right to education of the same quality and standard

D. World Declaration on Education for All

(EFA)
 This declaration confirms that every human being including
children, youth, adults, females, street children, immigrants,
children with disability,… have right to quality and equity in
E. UN Standard Rules of Equalization of
Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities
Every individual has equal opportunity for
 participation 
 Accessibility
 Education
 Employment
 Income maintenance and social security
 Family life and personal integrity (marriage, parenthood, sexual relationship)
 Culture
 Recreation and sports
 Religion
F. Salamanca Frame Work for Action
It was declared in an international conference on special needs
education held in Salamanca, Spain in 1994. The conference

emphasized the following principles:
 The right of children including those with temporary and
permanent special education needs to attend school.
 The right of all children to attend school in their home
community
 The right of children to participate in a child-centered education
meeting individual needs
 The right of all children to participate in quality education that is
meaningful for each child.
G. UN Convention of the right of person with
disabilities (UNCRPDS)
Article 24/1&2


“States Parties shall, recognize the right of persons with
disabilities to education, … realizing this right without
discrimination and on the basis of equal opportunity,…
ensure an inclusive education system at all levels… can
access an inclusive, quality and free primary and secondary
education on an equal basis with others in the community”.
 In this convention, all persons with all types of disabilities
must enjoy all human rights and functional freedoms.
H. UN Millennium Development Goals
(MDGS)
 It encourages collaborative action to address development


problems that impacts lives of the poor and marginalized sections
of the society, by reducing poverty, improving health, increasing
educational opportunities and addressing environmental concern.
2. National Legal Instruments
A. The Ethiopian Constitution
 The Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

(FDRE) under article 41 sub-articles no.3 and no.9 clearly
stipulates:
 The rights of citizens to equal access to publicly funded services
 The State shall, within available means, allocate resources to
provide rehabilitation and assistance to the physically and
mentally disabled, the aged, and to children who are left without
parents and guardians.
 Under article 9 (4), it is also indicated that all international
agreements ratified by Ethiopia are an integral part of the law of
the land. Not only that, article 13 elaborates that all legislative,
executive and judicial organs have the responsibility to respect
and enforce what is embodied under that section, which should be
done in conformity with human rights considerations.
B) The Education and Training Policy(1994)
 under its specific objectives sub-item, 2.2.3 unequivocally states that
persons with disabilities and the gifted learn in accordance to their
potential and needs. 
 under sub-items 3.2.9, 3.4.11 and 3.7.6 underlines that there will be
special education and training for persons with special needs, teacher
training for special education will be provided in regular teacher
training programs and special attention will be given in the preparation
and utilization of support input for special education respectively
 According to the Higher Education Proclamation No.650/2009 article
40 item one, states that institutions shall make, to extent possible, their
facilities and programs amenable to use with relative ease by physically
challenged students.
C. Educational structure no. 2 2.3
Confirms that efforts will be made to enable
people with special needs /both with

disability and the Gifted/ learn in accordance
with their potential and needs.

D. Higher Education Proclamation No.650/2009

Article 40, item1 states that institutions shall make, to the
extent possible, their facilities and programs are easy to
use by physically challenged students.
 CON…
E. The Special Needs Education Program
Strategy (2006) 
The key elements of the strategy are:
Favorable policy environment
Duties & responsibilities in education system
Using strengthening national expertise
Allocation and use of funds
Cooperation and partners
School management
Teacher education
Design establishment and functioning of support
systems.
F. Education Sector Development /ESDP IV/
Expected program outcomes
 Enrollment of children with special educational needs increased
at all levels of education and due attention will be given to girls
with special needs 
 Number of trained teachers in SNE/ inclusive education increased
 Capacity of schools in addressing the academic and social needs
of children with special educational needs improved
 Ethiopia has adopted and implemented a number of laws, policies
and standards pertaining to people with disabilities, including
their right to productive and decent work.
G. Building Code (Article) 624/2009
 Even if the code was declared for the convenient of physical
accessibilities in architectural activities still the problem is not
minimized.
H. Proclamation on the rights of disabled
persons to employment
 Proclamation No. 101/1994 states about the right of PWD to
appropriate training, employment opportunities, salary, selection

criteria, grievance procedure…
 PWD have the right to employment. It was considered as any law,
practice, custom, attitude or other discriminatory situations that
impair the equal opportunities of employment of a disabled
person are illegal.
 It also requires employers to provide appropriate working and
training conditions; take all reasonable accommodation measures
and affirm active actions, particularly when employing women
with disabilities; and assign an assistant to enable a person with
disability to perform their work or follow training.
I. Thefederal civil servant proclamation no.
515/2007 (የመንግስት ሠራተኞች አዋጅ)
In this proclamation of article 13.1 and 13.3b,

people with disabilities are the one to be given
preference during recruitment, promotion and
deployment; and shall be no discrimination
among job seekers or civil servants in filling
vacancies because of their disabilities.
 Chapter Six
Resources Management for Inclusion
Provisions of Resources

 The resource should be considered for people with disabilities in
workplaces, social gatherings, recreational and in schools that help
them to feel comfortable, secure and work at their independent and
team activities.
 Available resources those meet their needs can help persons with
disabilities move towards success.

Resources for school children

 All concerned bodies should be inclusive in their planning,
budgeting and taking action for the education of persons with
disabilities.

 School Based Resource Room
 The resource room is a classroom where a special education program can be delivered to a
student with a disability and learning difficulty.


 It is for those students who belong to a regular class but need some special instructions in an
individualized or small group setting for a portion of the day.
 It is typically a large room in the main school building with lots of facilities for children with
special needs.

Human resources in schools

• Sign language interpreter

• Braille specialist

• Mobility and orientation expert

• Special needs educators

• Speech and language therapist

• Physiotherapist
School based material resources
 LCD and/or Smart Board
 E – Chart
 Various magnifying lenses


Slate and styles
Perkins Braille writer

 White Cane
 Blind folder
 Tuning fork
 Audiometer
 Hearing aids (various type)
 Sign language books and videos
 Various instructional videos related this unit
 Braille atlases
 Molded plastic, dissected and un-dissected relief maps
 Relief globs
 Abacus
 Raised clock faces
 Geometric area and volume aids
 Braille rulers
 Raised-line check books
 Signature guide
 Script letter – sheets and boards
 Talking calculator
 Closed-circuit television
 Computer software for various students with special needs
 Orthosis
 Prosthesis
Environmental Accessibilities
 Ramps
 Elevators

 Wheel chairs

Accommodations
Accommodations are adjustments that teachers and school
personnel make to maximize learning and social well-being
for individual students.
Instructional accommodation checklist
 Use a multisensory approach.
 Use a highly structured format for presentations.


 Use graphic organizers.
 Present material in small, sequential steps.
 Teach specific strategies (e.g. taking notes, reading comprehension).
 Review key points frequently.
 Assign a buddy reader or note taker.
 Provide students with outline of notes.
 Use color coding to match materials and concepts.
 Reduce visual distractions.
 Seat student close to board, teacher, or student helper, away from door or window.
 Provide a quiet work area.
 Allow students to move if needed.
 Use visual reminders as memory aids.
 Use teacher-initiated signals for redirecting attention.
 Provide tape recording of lecture or required texts.
 Give oral and written directions.
 Speak slowly and clearly.
 Allow for longer response time.
 Organization and Task Completion
 Keep work area clear.
 Post assignments and work completed in a consistent spot.
 Assist student with notebook organization.
 Use assignment notebook.
 Extend time to complete assignments.
 Shorten or chunk assignments.
 Give timeline for longer projects.
 Give specific feedback.
 Provide peer tutoring.
 Use cooperative learning groups.
 Provide structured daily activities.
 Explain changes in routine.
Evaluation
• Explain grading and give rubric.
• Give specific feedback.
• Preview before test; give frequent quizzes; give sample questions.
• 
Orient student to test format.
• Use a clear, uncluttered copy; enlarge print.
• Make test directions simple and clear.
• Provide ample space for answers on test.
• Allow alternate test response (oral, computer).
• Read test aloud to student. Give open-note or take-home tests.
• Use alternate forms of evaluation (oral report, group projects,
debate).
• Reduce required assignments.
• Provide proofreading checklist.
• Accept print or cursive writing
Resources for work/social environment
Human Resources
• Special needs educator at every organization to create
inclusive environment.
• Sign language interpreter. 
• Sighted guide.
Material Resources
Various magnifying lenses
• Slate and styles
• Perkins Braille writer
• White Cane
• Hearing aids
• Sign language books and videos
• Braille atlases
• Braille rulers
• Signature guide
• Talking calculator
• Talking mobile
• Closed-circuit television
• Computer software for various students with special needs; for
example Jaws for blind and sign language software for deaf
• Orthosis
• Prosthesis
• Environmental accessibilities
Ramps
Elevators
Wheel chairs
 Chapter Seven
Collaborative (Cooperative) Partnerships with
stakeholders

Definition of collaboration, partnership and stack holder
 The act of working together to produce or create something
according to the capacities and abilities of individuals. Each
individual‘s collaboration is based on his/her knowledge and
skills.
 Collaboration means to work with another person or group in
order to achieve accomplish intended goals.
 Collaboration provides every team member with equal
opportunities to participate and communicate their ideas.
 Collaboration in the workplace is when two or more people
(often groups) work together through idea sharing and thinking
to accomplish a common goal.
Key elements of successful collaboration
The relationship includes a commitment to:

• Mutual relationships and goals.

• 
A jointly developed structure and shared responsibility.

• Mutual authority and accountability for success.

• Sharing of resources and rewards.

Four most important elements of teamwork to help you build a

team that will lead your company to success.

 Respect

 Communication

 Delegation
Here are a few qualities that a successful
team possesses.
1. They communicate well with each other.
2.

They focus on goals and results.
3. Everyone contributes their fair share.
4. They offer each other support.
5. Team members are diverse.
6. Good leadership.
7. They're organized.
8. They have fun.
General principles of collaboration
 Establish clear common goals for the collaboration.
 Define your respective roles and who is accountable for what
 Take a problem-solving approach
 
Establish an atmosphere of trust and mutual respect for each
other’s expertise.
 Aim for consensus decision-making.
 Give credit to others for their ideas and accomplishments.
 Develop procedures for resolving conflicts and manage these
processes skillfully.
 Better still, anticipate possible conflicts and take steps to
avoid them as far as possible.
 Arrange periodic meetings to review progress in the collaborative
arrangements.
What are the advantages of collaboration?
• Higher employee productivity

• The advantages of collaboration can also be seen in terms of individual

output. 
• Creating a sense of teamwork and building bonds encourages team

members to work for the collective rather than just themselves.

Benefits of collaboration
 Greater efficiency and less duplicated effort.

 Access to additional resources or lower costs through sharing resources

such as office space, administration

 Improved service coordination across agencies, with better pathways or

Challenges to Team Collaboration
 Indecisive decision-makers.

 "E-fail" This is a little term used for when email straight up fails. ...

 Mis (sing) communication. 

 Process sinking vs. process syncing.

 Too many cooks.

 Negative Nancy.

Cooperativeness
 Describes working together agreeably for a common purpose or
goal as in cooperative play or cooperative employee.
 A cooperative is a jointly- owned business or enterprise where
members pool their resources to purchase, do work, and/or
Cooperativeness helps individuals to willing learn from each other.
Learners work together in small groups, helping each other to carry
out individual and group tasks. Interdependence: all group members
seek to achieve a group goal and help each other’s’ achievement;
Individual accountability: each member of the group is held
responsible for his or her own learning, which in turn contributes to
the group goal; Cooperation: the learners discuss, problem-solve and
collaborate with each other; Face to face interaction and establish
consensus; and Evaluation: members of the group review and
evaluate how they worked together and make changes as needed.
Forms of interdependence, which can help to
create inclusiveness:
1. Goal interdependence: the group has a single goal.

2. Reward interdependence: the whole group receives
acknowledgement for achieving the goal
3. Resource interdependence: each group member has different
resources (knowledge or materials) that must be combined to
complete a task
4. Role interdependence: each group member is assigned a different
role (e.g., leader, reporter, time-keeper)
steps to work effectively together
1. Have clear objectives


2. At each stage you should try to agree on goals
3. Set ground rules
4. Communicate efficiently
5. Build consensus
6. Define roles
7. Clarify your plans, process and achievements all the time
8. Keep good records
9. Stick to the plan