What is inclusive education?
Our students all benefit from living in a diverse and inclusive society, and from receiving a diversified, decolonised and inclusive education. Our students are also the leaders of tomorrow, so the values we demonstrate and embed through our approach to education will be those that they will take into society.
Being inclusive means that all students are given an equal opportunity to succeed, independent of their background or demographic characteristics. This framework has been developed to help staff and students understand the breadth and depth of what inclusive practice means within Higher Education.
This framework adopts a broad definition of inclusivity. It moves away from a culture of reasonable adjustments for individual students, but instead considers the needs of a diverse student body. Inclusive universities consider the needs of commuter students, working class students, international students, students with caring responsibilities, and other aspects of student life that might impact on student success. Throughout the framework we have included specific examples of inclusive practice and how these can have a positive impact on all our students.
Being inclusive does not mean compromising on academic standards or quality processes. Inclusion does not require grade inflation or ‘dumbing down’ - inclusive programmes can and should be academically rigorous and give authentic training in knowledge, skills and behaviours appropriate to the discipline. Adopting an inclusive approach recognises that some students are systematically disadvantaged by exclusive practices, and to proactively ensure that all students have equal opportunities to succeed.
Legally, the Equality Act (2010) establishes that individuals with protected characteristics are protected from discrimination (protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation). As such, inclusive educational practices are essential for ensuring that students from different backgrounds have equivalent outcomes for retention, degree classifications awarded and progression to future study and employment.
We adopt an intersectional approach to inclusion, recognising that individual students might belong to multiple historically disadvantaged groups. Inclusive education also recognises that students are individuals, not just members of a demographic ‘group’. Two students from the same ‘group’ might have very different experiences, so we must take care not to fall back on stereotypes or generalisations about what a particular group of student needs.
We also note the difference between ‘accessibility’ and ‘inclusion’. For example, ‘accessible’ might mean a wheelchair user can physically get into a space, whereas ‘inclusive’ would have furniture and other students arranged so that the wheelchair user can interact with their peers on an equal basis.
The framework demonstrates that there is no ‘single solution’ to inclusivity, and that it is everyone’s responsibility. It requires students, academic and professional services staff to work together to build the most inclusive environment possible. Being inclusive is also a journey – our understanding of inclusive practice and the needs of students is constantly evolving, and we will sometimes get it wrong. We hope that the framework helps all members of the university community to think more broadly about inclusive practice, and to take appropriate action to ensure equality of opportunity for all students.
The framework has been developed for use within the University of Hull. However, we hope that the framework has value beyond our institution and is a useful tool for creating inclusive cultures across the sector.