Volume 7 : Issue 2 (2020)

Understanding Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in School from the Eyes of Parents’ of Children without Disabilities

Schools reflect the attitudes, stereotypes, cultural and social practices prevalent in the society at large. As a miniature society, school may be perceived as representing what exists or may be lacking in the larger society. As a learning community, school has students, parents, educational administrators, teachers, non-teaching staff and local significant adults as its members. The most active and contributing members of this learning community i.e. school are everyone listed earlier, except the parents and the local significant adults. The parents are rarely asked their opinion about the practices and policies adopted in the school, despite them being the major financial contributors, in school, except for government run schools, complying RTE Act 2009. Within the communities of parents and students, the students with disabilities and their parents were the most marginalized. The parents of children without disabilities may or may not be aware of the situations faced by them. In an inclusive society, distribution of resources and opportunities should be equity based and each member should be active partner and collaborator in the progress of the other members. With this background the present paper studies the perception of parents of children without disabilities towards the inclusive schools and their willingness to make their child attend the same class as the child with disabilities. The data was collected through survey and parents opinion with respect to inclusion of children with disabilities in the school, was studied keeping in mind their educational status, gender and profession. The findings indicated that more mothers as compared to fathers were involved in the education of children, majority of the responding parents were in favor of inclusive schools, a small percentage of parents opined that they will drop the idea of getting their child admitted to nearby inclusive school and majority of the respondents were found to be aware that special needs may arise due to disabilities as well as disadvantages.

Children with Disabilities, Children without Disabilities, perception of parents

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