Conceptions about disability and inclusion in an inclusive education institution

Abstract

Disability and inclusion are terms that have evolved and been transformed over the years, identifying several models from which they have been addressed at different times. In the approach to inclusive education, it is necessary to know from which paradigm the educational practices are being carried out; thus, the goal of this research was to identify the conceptions around disability and inclusion that teachers and workers of an inclusive educational institution in Cali- Colombia have. A descriptive study with a qualitative approach was carried out, with a non-experimental and cross-sectional design, and a semi-structured interview was used as technique. In the results it was found that, in a large part of participants’ responses underlie individual models of approach to disability; these are based on a theory of personal tragedy, in which disability is located in the subject from organic deficiencies and limitations, while, in the conceptions of inclusion, it is evident that the majority of participants do manage to identify that the necessary adjustments for inclusion to occur successfully must be made in the environment, that is to say that they manage to place disability outside the subject. In conclusion, results are a sample of the heterogeneity that exists around the approach to disability and inclusion in educational institutions and therefore the need for these issues to be worked extensively in these contexts.