Education is the key to a brighter future for all and it should be the
focus of every society to ensure that every individual has a fair and
equitable chance to reach their full potential. By expanding educational
opportunities for all students, inclusive education represents the
principles, ethos, and culture of an education system devoted to
excellence.
The goal of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 is to create an
inclusive knowledge society that values equity and vibrancy. This book
is a humble effort to collate the scholarly inputs of educators and
practitioners on policies and practices in inclusive education, with
special reference to India.
In Chapter 1, Dr. Geeta Rani, Venus Rawat, Dr. Kiran Joshi acquaint
the readers to the concept, principles, scope and target groups of
inclusive education. In Chapter 2, Dr. Pooja Verma throws light on the
Evolution of the Philosophy of Inclusive Education. In Chapter 3, Dr.
Anju Rani, Dr. Reena Agarwal provide an overview of various
dimensions of diversities and policies and practices implemented for
inclusive education in India. Ms. Alka Chaudhary and Dr. Neetu
Chawla, in Chapter 4, examine the constitutional provisions, policies
and legislation facilitating inclusive education.
In Chapter 5, Karishma Narang and Purva Chopra describe the concept
of Impairment, Disability and Handicap, and the Classification of
Disabilities based on ICF Models. Dr. Jugnu Khatter Bhatia, in Chapter
6, emphasizes School readiness as an approach that stimulates
continuous learning for the harmonious development of learners in an
inclusive learning environment. In Chapter 7, Dr. Rekha Kaushal
explains the various models of Inclusive Education. The characteristics
and educational needs of children with special needs are elucidated,
comprehensively in Chapter 8 by Dr. Neha Gupta. Curriculum and
Curricular Adaptations for Diverse Learners for Inclusion are explained
in Chapter 9 by Kanchan Khatreja, Manju Kundu and Dr. Shabia
Subuhi.
In Chapter 10, Dr. Apoorva Panshikar discusses Universal Design for
Learning (UDL), Individualized Education Plan (IEP) and Remedial
Teaching for Facilitating Learners’ Diversity. While in Chapter 11,
Hemalatha Srinivas Manchikanti and Dr. Neetu Guleria Kapoor give
insights on Planning and Management of Infrastructure for Inclusive
Classrooms; in Chapter 12, Dr. Jyoti Tiwari emphasizes the need for
Human Resource Planning and Management for Inclusive Classrooms.
Dr. Shalini Gupta and Ruchi Arora, explain in Chapter 13, Planning
and Management of Instructional Practices for Inclusive Classrooms.
In Chapter 14, Dr. Reena Uniyal Tiwari emphasizes the role of
Cooperative Learning in Inclusive Education. In Chapter 15, Yukti
Gupta gives her insights on Assistive and Adaptive Technology for
Diverse learners for Inclusion. Educational Evaluation Methods,
Techniques and Tools in Inclusive Education is explained in Chapter
16 by Ritu Sharma. Dr. Tania Gupta, in Chapter 17, discusses the
vision of NEP 2020 toward creating a more inclusive education system
and the efforts made thereafter its implementation. In Chapter 18, Dr.
Pratibha Garg throws light on various ways of collaboration among
parents, peers, experts, instructors, and community of children with
special needs leads to the greatest results.
In Chapter 19, K. Sunita Seshadri and Ravi Kumar examine the barriers
and facilitators of inclusive education. This is further discussed in
Chapter 20 by Dr. Arpitaben Tulsibhai Patel. In Chapter 21, Dr.
Siddharth Kumar Pokhriyal discusses the Current Status of Inclusive
Education in India. In Chapter 22, Dr. Tania Gupta, Dr. Sanjay Kumar
discuss the ethical issues of inclusive education. In Chapter 23, Dr.
Parvesh Lata, Dr. Pooja Chopra examine the research trends of
inclusive education in India.
Within this book, we hope the readers shall discover concepts worth
construing that are the outcome of a fervent, optimistic, common vision
and diligent efforts of educators with expertise. Through our writing,
we wish to re-create a brighter understanding of inclusive education
and its role in creating an equitable and just society.