ABSTRACT
Models of disability have evolved from traditional medicalized approaches based on the presence of discrete diagnostic categories, to social conceptualizations, where society is seen as the source of disability for not accommodating to the range of individual variability. In the transition to the 21st century, a functioning-based, biopsychosocial approach to disability has become the gold standard, highlighting the complex interaction between the individual and the environment, over time. The International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF) materializes such an approach and provides a taxonomy for functioning. Various countries have adopted the biopsychosocial discourse in their policies for special educational needs and disabilities provision, although not always adopting the ICF system by law. Using the English context and the challenges faced by recent policy changes in this country as a setting scene, this chapter provides insights on how to translate policy with a biopsychosocial ideology into effective inclusive practice in educational settings, using the ICF as a supporting device in several steps of the process. Specific strategies and resources are suggested as ways of incorporating the ICF in the statutory process of documenting children’s needs, strengths, outcomes and provision, and to translate that provision into everyday classroom practice.
