Inclusive Education

SELB has now become the Centre for Inclusive Education (C4IE).

For all enquiries, please visit research.qut.edu.au/c4ie

Inclusive education is the right of all students, including students with any and all forms of disability regardless of severity. It is underpinned by international human rights law through the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) and national legislation, specifically the 1992 Disability Discrimination Act and the Disability Standards for Education 2005.

The philosophy of inclusive education is informed by the social and human rights models of disability and the recognition that attitudinal, environmental, financial, pedagogical and physical barriers affect students’ access, participation and achievement.

Achievement of an inclusive education system requires a fundamental shift in the conceptualisation and delivery of education to move from a mainstream + parallel special education model to one comprehensive system based on full and effective participation, distributed expertise, universal access, reasonable adjustments, respect for human dignity, and consultation with students and caregivers.

Researchers in the SELB Inclusive Education strand focus on:

  • Access and participation of students with disability to education
  • Educational experiences and outcomes of students with disability
  • Inclusive education philosophy and theory
  • Parent-school partnerships
  • Reasonable adjustments and adherence to the Disability Standards for Education
  • School culture and ethical school leadership
  • Special education funding and allocation methods, including NCCD
  • Student-teacher relationships
  • Teacher education and professional development for inclusive education
  • Universal approaches to curriculum, pedagogy and assessment

Current Projects

Recent publications

In search of a middle ground: The dangers and affordances of diagnosis in relation to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Developmental Language Disorder

Graham, Linda, Tancredi, Haley (2019) In search of a middle ground: The dangers and affordances of diagnosis in relation to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Developmental Language Disorder Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties, 24 (3), pp.287-300.
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Why do we know so little about the factors associated with gifted underachievement?

Sonia L.J. White, Linda J Graham, Sabrina Blaas (2018) Why do we know so little about the factors associated with gifted underachievement? A systematic literature review. Educational Research Review.

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Designing out barriers to student access and participation in secondary school assessment

Linda J. Graham, Haley Tancredi, Jill Willis, Kelli McGraw (2018) Designing out barriers to student access and participation in secondary school assessment. The Australian Educational Researcher.

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Promoting equity in schools

Inclusive Education strand leaders