Reflexive Re-storying of Inclusive Education: Evidence from India and South Africa

<p dir="ltr">Over the past few decades, inclusive education has become an integral part of the global discourse on education. This was most notable in the 1990s, with the adoption of the Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education (UNESCO 1994). This statement was very influential in shaping the vision of inclusive education as ‘the hallmark of service provision for children with disabilities’ internationally (Rao and Kalyanpur 2015: 11). It was unequivocal in calling on the international community to endorse the approach of inclusive schooling: ‘We call upon all governments and urge them to […] adopt as a matter of law or policy the principle of inclusive education, enrolling all children in regular schools, unless there are compelling reasons for doing otherwise’ (UNESCO 1994: ix). Over the years, inclusive education has been accorded great legitimacy across the world, setting in motion decades of deliberation and passionate debates reflecting on its theoretical underpinnings, practicality and perceived effectiveness (see for example Strogilos 2011; Lim and Thaver 2014). The Salamanca Statement itself was very powerful in equating inclusive schooling with visions of an inclusive society and with economic issues.</p><p dir="ltr">RLO</p><p dir="ltr">ES/M005445/1</p>