Issues of inclusion in everyday contexts, Social participation

Social inclusion is about including everyone in society, ensuring that everyone is able to live a full life with all the opportunities and facilities. Inclusion covers all aspects of human life including education, healthcare, social security, adequate housing, and stable livelihoods in multiple dimension and multi-sectoral fields, including economic, social and political contexts

Q1, What do we mean by social inclusion in everyday life for persons with learning disabilities?

Social inclusion for persons with LD

People with learning disabilities usually faced poor living opportunities, mainly as a result of social exclusion. Many of them face the problem of poverty, unemployment or low income, housing problems and becoming housebound and isolated due to their disability. Being as a human, people who have LD have their right to have equal opportunity for all of the facilities in the society. They have the right to be included in society.

Inclusion associated with the concept of

• · Fairness

• · Equality of opportunities

• · Human rights

• · Accessibility

• · Social Participation

Children with learning disabilities have their right to grow up and live with their family, being respected by others, supported with facilities, information and support services

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Q2, Why is accessibility a key concept in promoting inclusion for PWLDs?

Accessibility

Accessibility refers to the ‘ability to access” and benefit from some system or entity. In this context, it refers to the possibility of people with disabilities with or without problems of mobility to access to public facilities/ building, to service and free from obstacles. For example, they able to

• · Access to public transportation facilities

• · have inclusion in the education system and duty on the educational provider to provide reasonable accommodation suitable with requirements of PWD.

• · Have the right of access to employment on an equal basis. Requires an employer to protect of PWD to just and favourable conditions of work

• · provide PWD with right of access to information, communication and technology.

• · provides PWD right of access to cultural life and to develop artistic potential.

• · right to participate in recreational, leisure and sporting activities.

Accessibility is a key concept in promoting inclusion for Person with Learning Disabilities (PWLs) so that to create a safe environment where everyone can access it and free from being abused and exploited.

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Q3, What are the barriers faced by PWLDs in accessing social, health and educational facilities?

Barriers

Despite the facilities, education provided by the government and NGOs, there still many obstacles to its implementation. For example, barriers faced by PWLD

• · Less access to health care

• · Lower income: Hard or limited work for them

• · Lack of ‘reasonable adjustments’: environment unfriendly to them

• · Literacy and communication difficulties

• · Disability attitudes among service providers/ human service/ workers/ health care professional

• · Attitude of community: prejudices against those with differences can lead to discrimination

• · Physical barrier: Do not have facilities to properly accommodate people with social needs and local governments lack either the funds or the resolve to provide financial help

• · Untrained teacher: Untrained and unenthusiastic about teaching students with learning disabilities.

In conclusion, to overcome the barriers to inclusive education and accessibility, additional funding is needed, but more importantly, reform of old and outdated attitudes of family, community and society are the roots of overall.

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Reference

Guest Blogger. (2015). The biggest barriers to inclusive education. Retrieved from https://www.thinkinclusive.us/barriers-to-inclusive-education/