Abstract

SILVA, Franscisco Vaz da  and  MILAGAIA, Cristina. Inclusion seen by mothers of children and youngsters with special. Invest. Práticas [online]. 2018, vol.8, n.1, pp.42-61. ISSN 2182-1372.  https://doi.org/10.25757/invep.v8i1.134.

In this study six mothers of children or young people with special needs were interviewed following a focus group technique with the aim of: i) to know their views on the concept and processes of inclusion, ii) to identify indicators of success most valued, and iii) identify factors they considered facilitators and those considered barriers. Results show that this small group of mothers has a very favourable position towards inclusion and consider it as an Human rights issue. In their perspective, the experiences of successful inclusion, involving participation in activities with others and the sense of belonging, are associated with feelings of satisfaction experienced by all those involved (children or young people, professionals and parents), pointing out the emotional dimension of inclusion that seems to be specific to parents. They identify as indicators of success the welcoming characteristics of the environment, participation in activities with others, the attitudes of others (professionals, parents of other children and children themselves), as well as the satisfaction and joy expressed by everyone involved. The heterogeneity of the group, awareness and community involvement, as well as the adequacy of teachers ' educational practices are identified as facilitators of inclusion. On the contrary, the lack support for inclusion after compulsory education, prejudice and low expectations, and inadequate teaching practices are considered barriers. Mothers also make reference to difficulties in family-teachers cooperation and in the building of true partnerships. Results are discussed by confrontation with those of other studies and potential contributions for the understanding of the concept of inclusion are explored.

Keywords : Inclusion; Parents perspectives.

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