Current Limitations in Inclusive Education Policy and Practice

                                                                                               Critical Reflection

Despite ongoing advancements in inclusive education policy in Canada, significant limitations persist in translating policy into equitable, lived practice within K–12 schools. Through the lens of my own five years of teaching experience, I have often witnessed how well-intentioned policy frameworks fall short in implementation, especially for students with exceptional learning needs. This course (EDUC 5130) has allowed me to re-examine those patterns using a broader ecological and rights-based perspective.

One of the most evident limitations lies in the dominance of the deficit model in everyday school practices. While policies may promote inclusion, their implementation often continues to focus on what students cannot do, labeling them as “problems” to be managed. This aligns with the critique from Week 7: Limitations of Current Practices – The Weight of Deficit Model Approaches, which emphasized how systemic ableism persists beneath the surface of inclusive policy discourse.

                                                                           Connection to Course Readings and Themes

In Week 4: Current Policy and Funding Models, we explored how funding systems are still largely medical-model oriented. Schools receive additional resources only after a formal diagnosis, which delays support for students and reinforces the view that disability must be proven and pathologized before help is offered. This contradicts the Human Rights Model of disability introduced in Week 2, which advocates for unconditional accessibility, regardless of medical labels.

Additionally, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, discussed in Week 5, affirms every student’s right to equitable education. However, our readings highlighted how this right is inconsistently enforced, particularly for Indigenous, racialized, and neurodiverse students. These contradictions are not merely oversights—they reveal a policy system that lacks accountability structures and inter-agency coordination, as elaborated in Week 6: Multidisciplinary Approaches to Intervention.

                                                                                  My Experience as a Physics Teacher

In my classroom in India, and more recently through practicum exposure in Canada, I observed how inclusion was often reduced to mere physical placement in mainstream classrooms. Resource teachers were under-supported, and general educators received minimal professional development in differentiation. This insight aligned deeply with Week 11: Issues with Pre-service and In-service Training, which confirmed that without sustained professional learning, educators cannot actualize inclusive values, regardless of policy mandates.

                                                                                            Ecological Perspective

From a broader systems lens, these gaps highlight the failure to engage with Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model, which emphasizes the interaction of multiple systems—home, school, community, and policy. Our Week 1 and Week 3 discussions on complexity and interdependence in inclusive systems made it clear that inclusive practice must be collaborative and cross-sectoral. When these networks are weak or siloed, students fall through the cracks.

                                                                                                 Moving Forward

 

This course has helped me see that genuine inclusion requires more than compliance with legislation. It demands:

• Deconstructing deficit thinking at all levels of schooling

• Building sustained and culturally responsive professional development

• Advocating for funding models that are proactive, not reactive

• Centering student voices in policy feedback and planning

 

As I prepare to return to the classroom, I intend to embody the critical pedagogy discussed in Week 3, continuously questioning the status quo and pushing for structural changes that uphold the dignity and rights of all learners.