School inclusion

For too long the treatment of individuals with disabilities was influenced by prejudices, sometimes held by the very people who were responsible for their care. This brought about the notion that it was necessary to isolate individuals with impairments and disabilities to protect oneself against them. Recently a new ideological and social awareness, supported by progress in medical, psychological and social disciplines, has reduced these prejudices and has convinced specialist and other that, under certain conditions, improvement and inclusion would also be possible for individuals showing clear forms of impairment and disability. In this chapter we will consider the “conditions” that might be assumed to be necessary to make inclusion possible. Inclusion requires competent specialists who are specially trained. It is necessary for education and social and health service providers not only master the techniques necessary to promote effective educational activities but also to be capable of transforming the school environment into an environment capable of integrating the different circumstances that can arise in a class, and setting up efficient and effective peer collaboration there that could provide students with the support necessary for successful inclusion.