Inclusive educational practices for students with disabilities within the European Union

This study is an exploration of inclusive educational practices for students with disabilities within the European Union (EU), and more specifically in selected regions in France (an E.U. member state) and Malta (a candidate state at the time of data collection that has since become a member state). Educational practices are comprised of the environment in which education takes place, the activities in which teachers and students participate, and the interactions among teachers, students with and without disabilities, and other stakeholders. I conducted on-site observations in French and Maltese schools and classrooms. I carried out semi-structured interviews with professionals who were involved in inclusive schools, ministerial offices of education, universities and pedagogical institutes, and other governmental and nongovernmental organizations. I collected published and unpublished documents about inclusive education in France and Malta. Observation notes, transcribed and hand-written interviews, field notes, published and unpublished documents were analyzed using the qualitative-analysis software NVivo.;I organized data under the triptych environment-activities-interactions. I constructed composite grounded narratives of educational practices in inclusive educational settings where students with disabilities were educated alongside peers without disabilities. I identified critical issues that characterize inclusive education in France and Malta: (a) the participants' understanding of inclusion, (b) characteristics of the professional exchange, (c) teacher preparation and professional development, (d) curriculum adaptations as they relate to the content of learning, (e) instructional approaches, (f) the development and implementation of Individual(ized) Education(al) Program(mes) (IEP), and (g) inclusive education as a process of systemic change.;As part of the discussion of the findings, I situate this local study within the European context of inclusive education. After a summary of the results, I reflect upon the development and the use of the triptych environment-activities-interactions. I discuss implications for teacher preparation and professional development so that educators are prepared to implement inclusive educational practices. I elaborate on inclusive education as a continuous process. I conclude the chapter by discussing the professional responsibility of "importers" and "exporters" of inclusive educational practices particularly in the European context.