Inclusive Education as a Systemic and Culturally Responsive Construct

Inclusive education has received broad support and recognition both theoretically and empirically, yet its definition and implementation have been multifarious and context-dependent. Typically, inclusive education has been defined and measured by placement-based indicators that focus narrowly on physical access to general education environments without adequate consideration of instructional quality, cultural responsiveness, and learner belongingness. This conceptual paper argues that these narrow definitions and implementations of inclusive education limit research and practice by failing to capture the systemic and relational aspects of inclusion. This paper, which draws upon both the Social Model of Disability and culturally responsive teaching theories, critically examines literature from across the world, including the U.S. and Kenya, to redefine inclusive education as a systemic, instructional, and cultural construct. This paper critically examines the intersections between disability, culture, language, and identity. It highlights the limitations of compliance-based approaches to inclusive education. It offers a different and more viable definition and implementation of inclusive education based upon (a) the elimination of systemic barriers, (b) the promotion of learner identity, and (c) mutual instructional responsibility.