Parental perceptions of inclusive education for children with disabilities in mainstream schools

Abstract

Academic inclusion promised equal access, inclusion, and dignity to children with disabilities, yet parents gauged it by the actual quality of school practice. This research involved the study of how parents view inclusive education of children with disabilities in normal schools. It explored parental perceptions of inclusion, their attachment to inclusion benefits, and how their anxieties affected their attitudes toward or reservations about mainstream placement. It was a qualitative method. The data collection of 24 semi-structured interviews with parents and primary caregivers of children with various disabilities attending normal mainstream schools were used. Thematic analysis presented in the interview data was used to find meanings, concerns, and patterns that were repetitive yet present in all the participants. Parents used to support the idea of inclusive education though they usually were conditional. They appreciated peer contact, confidence, equality, and social engagement. Nevertheless, they also voiced serious concerns regarding training of teachers, accessibility of classes, learning facilities, school bullying, emotional safety, transportation strains, and poor school-family communication. The researchers concluded that parental reluctance to inclusion should not be considered a rejection. Rather, it was practical deficiencies related to practice largely due to the failure of mainstream schools to offer support, safety, respect, and individualized learning opportunities in the ordinary classroom experiences as well as school-family relations, both over time