Improving inclusion by seeking the accounts of children with severe communication disability and their parents on education
Project Details
Funding partner
Australian Research Council (Discovery) (DP190100247)
Timeframe
September 2021 - December 2022
Publications
Publications will be posted here when available.
Team
DCI researchers
Anna Kopsaftis
Flinders University researchers
Professor Colin MacDougall
Professor Gerry Redmond (lead)
Research partners
Two Way Street - Dr Amelia Edwards
Summary
This project is part of a larger ARC project entitled: Social exclusion in adolescence: risks, assets, experiences & policy action.
It is the right of every child to attend their local government school. Parents of children with disability want to access this right for their child. Some local mainstream schools are welcoming while others are not. The aim of this study is to analyse the lived experience of children and parents to articulate barriers and enablers to inclusive education and outcomes for children who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The specific research questions are:
What are the accounts of children who attend mainstream school and use AAC regarding their experiences of school participation, benefits, and challenges?
What are the accounts of parents of children who attend mainstream school and use AAC on the inclusive education opportunities, practices, and the outcomes? What are the benefits and challenges?
What communication strategies are supportive and helpful in gathering the accounts of children who use AAC?
Impact
The findings may highlight the value of inclusive education for children who use AAC, and may also highlight the challenges experienced by children and identify strategies to address some of the challenges. These may be beneficial for policy makers, education sector staff, clinicians, parents, and children. By including children, themselves, we will be able to find out a variety of methods and strategies that can be utilised in including children who use AAC in future research.
Easy-read
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