Conversations for moving forward: stories of inclusion

Abstract

The practice of inclusion has traditionally been concerned with the education of students with special needs. However, there has been a shift by the Ministry of Education in British Columbia to explore the ideas of diversity and removing barriers to learning for all students. This has sparked discussion amongst Resource Teachers about their roles and responsibilities to create inclusive environments within their schools. The purpose of this narrative study was to explore the experiences of elementary Resource Teachers with inclusion, how those experiences influenced their definition of inclusion and how their definitions impacted their support of inclusive practices within their schools. Qualitative research data was gathered through interactive interviews with five Resource teachers and four themes emerged: the role of the Resource teacher, the definition of inclusion, responsibilities of the Resource teacher to inclusion and roadblocks to inclusion. The findings were then blended into four short stories. By linking the stories and current research on the topic of inclusion, this study has shown the importance of time and space for collaborative dialogue about how to move forward in our effort to create more inclusive classrooms in our schools. Discussion regarding the implications of this research for Resource Teachers, classroom teachers and school/District leaders is included.