Abstract
This chapter examines the inclusion of students with additional educational needs in language education opportunities in English-medium, Irish-medium, and Gaeltacht schools in Ireland, with a particular focus on the latter two school types. The commitment to inclusive education as demonstrated by policy and in law is analysed, and the extent to which implementation aligns with this commitment is examined. This chapter demonstrates that there are ideological, policy-related, and resource-related challenges to inclusion in language education in the Irish context, and that these challenges are shared with other bilingual contexts. There has, however, been substantial progress towards inclusion in Irish-medium and Gaeltacht schools in recent years, driven largely by Irish-medium and Gaeltacht teachers, researchers, and Irish-speaking communities.
TopDefining Inclusive Education
The term ‘inclusive education’ is hazy and imprecise, which leads to very varied interpretations in different contexts. It has been referred to as a ‘semantic chameleon’ (Liasidou, 2005; Merrigan & Senior, 2021) as its definition changes both over space and time. While at its inception, the term inclusive education was disruptive and intended to challenge the status quo in education, it has since devolved into a benign, often overused, term (Graham & Slee, 2008). Further criticism of the term ‘inclusive’ arises due to its presupposing of an existing and accepted ‘centre’, which already includes those who are in adherence with existing norms (Graham & Slee, 2008). The goal of moving towards this centre is questionable, as it is the place from which exclusion derives. Achieving inclusive education necessitates a divorce from the concept of the centre and the ‘norm’, and a radical reimagining of the educational space. This is reflected in the United Nationals Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCPRD, 2016) definition of inclusion as involving the systematic reform of the educational environment in terms of content, teaching methods and strategies, and the development of an equitable and participatory learning environment that responds to their requirements and preferences of a diversity of learners.
Key Terms in this Chapter
Inclusion: All students having the opportunity to attend their local school, and to learn and spend time with other students of their own age with and without additional educational needs. All students having the opportunity to fully participate in school life and feel a sense of belonging in the space they are in.
Additional Educational Needs (AEN): A disability or learning difference for which a student receives support in school.
Irish Immersion Schools: Schools outside of Gaeltacht areas in which students learn all of their school subjects (except English) through the medium of Irish. Students typically speak English or another language at home.
Irish Exemptions: An exemption which means that students do not participate in Irish language education or take Irish language examinations. Irish is usually a mandatory school subject, and exemptions are primarily provided to those with additional learning needs.
Polasaí don Oideachas Gaeltachta [Policy for Gaeltacht Education]: The first policy for Irish-medium Gaeltacht education. Of relevance to the current chapter is that it sets out priorities to support students with additional educational needs.
Education of Persons With Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act: An act intended to provide for inclusive education in Ireland. It provides that students with educational needs should take place in an inclusive environment with children who do not have such needs, insofar as possible.
Gaeltacht Schools: Schools in areas where Irish has historically been the language of the community. Students in Gaeltacht schools often speak Irish at home.