Working towards an ideal inclusive education model for refugee background people with disabilities in New Zealand

<p>New Zealand accepts up to 750 refugees per annum, with a category for refugees with disabilities, as part of its quota obligation under the United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (1957) (Immigration New Zealand, 2016). Immigration New Zealand’s Refugee Resettlement Strategy states that education is one of the main priorities with helping refugees resettle in New Zealand (Immigration New Zealand, 2013) Although there is some literature available on refugee background people and education in New Zealand, there is little focus on refugee background people with disabilities in education. This research explores how inclusive education spaces for refugee background people with disabilities could be implemented, and perceptions surrounding disability and inclusion. In order to gain insights into the perceptions of people involved in policy or practice with refugee background people with disabilities, I used a feminist, qualitative methodology, and conducted semi-structured interviews with 11 participants who worked in education provision, non-government or government organisations that worked with refugee background people. These participants were interviewed in Auckland (n = 4), Wellington (n = 3) and Melbourne, Australia (n = 4). The Australian participants were interviewed in order to provide an alternative view to their New Zealand counterparts, although the primary focus was on New Zealand. My findings suggest that participant perceptions of disability and inclusion generally followed social and medical models of disability, but rarely ecological. Participants who have direct experience with disability of refugee background people had more carefully constructed ideas. Based on participant answers, I developed an ideal inclusive education model encompassing physical, relational and pedagogical spaces, which could be applicable to refugee background people with disabilities. The thesis findings informs existing theoretical models and understanding of inclusive education spaces, and encourages greater inclusion of refugee background people with disabilities in education in New Zealand.</p>

Working towards an ideal inclusive education model for refugee background people with disabilities in New Zealand

<p>New Zealand accepts up to 750 refugees per annum, with a category for refugees with disabilities, as part of its quota obligation under the United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (1957) (Immigration New Zealand, 2016). Immigration New Zealand’s Refugee Resettlement Strategy states that education is one of the main priorities with helping refugees resettle in New Zealand (Immigration New Zealand, 2013) Although there is some literature available on refugee background people and education in New Zealand, there is little focus on refugee background people with disabilities in education. This research explores how inclusive education spaces for refugee background people with disabilities could be implemented, and perceptions surrounding disability and inclusion. In order to gain insights into the perceptions of people involved in policy or practice with refugee background people with disabilities, I used a feminist, qualitative methodology, and conducted semi-structured interviews with 11 participants who worked in education provision, non-government or government organisations that worked with refugee background people. These participants were interviewed in Auckland (n = 4), Wellington (n = 3) and Melbourne, Australia (n = 4). The Australian participants were interviewed in order to provide an alternative view to their New Zealand counterparts, although the primary focus was on New Zealand. My findings suggest that participant perceptions of disability and inclusion generally followed social and medical models of disability, but rarely ecological. Participants who have direct experience with disability of refugee background people had more carefully constructed ideas. Based on participant answers, I developed an ideal inclusive education model encompassing physical, relational and pedagogical spaces, which could be applicable to refugee background people with disabilities. The thesis findings informs existing theoretical models and understanding of inclusive education spaces, and encourages greater inclusion of refugee background people with disabilities in education in New Zealand.</p>

RETHINKING VISIBILITY, PERSONALIZATION AND REPRESENTATION: DISABILITY ACTIVISM IN SOCIAL MEDIA

Social media enable marginalized activists to create alternative narratives that challenge mainstream discourse through personal storytelling, a performance that emphasizes personalization and visibility. Disabled activists, however, struggle in creating their online counter-narrative due to inability to conform with able-bodied notions of activism. These notions mark online disability activism as separated from able-bodied activism, ignoring the individual considerations of disabled activists. This paper addresses these gaps by presenting the individual decision-making process of users with concealable communicative disabilities regarding activist performance of disability in social media. The three stages of this process were raised during a thematic analysis of 31 in-depth interviews with autistics, stutterers and hard of hearing users, of whom seven also kept social media diaries. First, interviewees had different perceptions of disability activism in social media. These perceptions mirror the inseparable connection between a person’s self-perception as dis/abled, and one's perceived risk of performing a disabled identity in public, which differed between experienced activists and other interviewees. Second, the interviewees' motivations manifested their risk-benefit calculations regarding public disability exposure for the potential benefit of other disabled people, and the different forms of 'private' disability activism in social media. Third, the design of the activist performances was influenced by interviewees' constant awareness of the presence of their offline acquaintances on social media, and by seeing disability as a social, rather than political, issue. This three-staged process demonstrates personalization, visibility and representation not only as essential to social media activism, but also as conflictual for activists with concealable communicative disabilities.

Social Supports Available to Persons with Disabilities in Nigeria

Disability entails more than the mere physical deformity such as stroke; however, a disability could manifest in different forms; mental, emotional, sensory and intellectual disability among others. People with disability are faced with a lot of challenges and they experience depression, isolation and social exclusion which were explained in studies from the natural and behavioral sciences. Also, Social workers and Psychologists alike have often discussed the importance of social inclusion and social support for people living with a disability. Social support helps to reduce psychological stress, enhance the quality of life and achieve social inclusion. Lack of social support increases the risk of depression, social exclusion, maladaptive behaviors and mortality. In this paper, we will give a thorough explanation of Social support and its forms. We emphasized the influence of neurobiology, personality features, social system and perception on who gets social support and to what extent. The paper also discussed Nigeria’s perceptions of disability and the social support networks in Nigeria, using vast literature. From literature, social supports are of different kinds however, this paper emphasized the need for functional social support which entails changing negative perceptions about disability. In other words, social support should not be just assisting the individual to access their immediate needs but should entail involving them in decision making – social inclusion.

Is A Partnership Possible? A Comparison Of Elementary Teachers' And Early Childhood Educators' Perceptions Of Disability And Inclusion

Education literature presents diverse perceptions of disability and inclusion by educators and scholars. Past research has shown that educators' beliefs influence their practice. The Full-Day Early Learning Program will commence in Ontario schools in September 2010, which will involve teacher and early childhood educator teaching teams. This qualitative research study presents two elementary teachers' and two early childhood educators' perceptions of disability and inclusion. Using a grounded theory strategy of inquiry, two interviews were conducted with each participant. A poststructural lens was used to analyze and interpret data. Key findings show distinct understandings of disability and inclusion between the two educator groups, which relate to their pedagogical beliefs and views of the purpose of education. This study draws on attribution theory and a social relational model of disability to explore the implications of participants' perceptions for children's education. Recommendations for future research and practice and identified and briefly explored.

Is A Partnership Possible? A Comparison Of Elementary Teachers' And Early Childhood Educators' Perceptions Of Disability And Inclusion

Education literature presents diverse perceptions of disability and inclusion by educators and scholars. Past research has shown that educators' beliefs influence their practice. The Full-Day Early Learning Program will commence in Ontario schools in September 2010, which will involve teacher and early childhood educator teaching teams. This qualitative research study presents two elementary teachers' and two early childhood educators' perceptions of disability and inclusion. Using a grounded theory strategy of inquiry, two interviews were conducted with each participant. A poststructural lens was used to analyze and interpret data. Key findings show distinct understandings of disability and inclusion between the two educator groups, which relate to their pedagogical beliefs and views of the purpose of education. This study draws on attribution theory and a social relational model of disability to explore the implications of participants' perceptions for children's education. Recommendations for future research and practice and identified and briefly explored.

Is a partnership possible? : a comparison of elementary teachers' and early childhood educators' perceptions of disability and inclusion

Education literature presents diverse perceptions of disability and inclusion by educators and scholars. Past research has shown that educators' beliefs influence their practice. The Full-Day Early Learning Program will commence in Ontario schools in September 2010, which will involve teacher and early childhood educator teaching teams. This qualitative research study presents two elementary teachers' and two early childhood educators' perceptions of disability and inclusion. Using a grounded theory strategy of inquiry, two interviews were conducted with each participant. A poststructural lens was used to analyze and interpret data. Key findings show distinct understandings of disability and inclusion between the two educator groups, which relate to their pedagogical beliefs and views of the purpose of education. This study draws on attribution theory and a social relational model of disability to explore the implications of participants' perceptions for children's education. Recommendations for future research and practice and identified and briefly explored.

Is a partnership possible? : a comparison of elementary teachers' and early childhood educators' perceptions of disability and inclusion

Education literature presents diverse perceptions of disability and inclusion by educators and scholars. Past research has shown that educators' beliefs influence their practice. The Full-Day Early Learning Program will commence in Ontario schools in September 2010, which will involve teacher and early childhood educator teaching teams. This qualitative research study presents two elementary teachers' and two early childhood educators' perceptions of disability and inclusion. Using a grounded theory strategy of inquiry, two interviews were conducted with each participant. A poststructural lens was used to analyze and interpret data. Key findings show distinct understandings of disability and inclusion between the two educator groups, which relate to their pedagogical beliefs and views of the purpose of education. This study draws on attribution theory and a social relational model of disability to explore the implications of participants' perceptions for children's education. Recommendations for future research and practice and identified and briefly explored.