ABSTRACT
The different cultural, social and historical contexts are explored in this chapter when assessing the implementation of inclusion for SEND in a wide range of countries around the world. Concerns about improving overall standards while adopting greater measures of inclusion expose similarities and differences between them. Such tensions are magnified by regional and school differences in their ability to identify and resource adequate provision for different types and degrees of SEND in children and young people. In this chapter we show how in many countries, implementation of national policies following ratification of the Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (2006) has proven to be far from unproblematic and has raised many questions about the practical implications of full inclusion. The challenge of the United Nations to the autonomy of individual nations to prioritise policies towards full inclusion over developing well-resourced and effective systems of special education is highlighted. The chapter draws attention to the increasing need for evidence-based policies at European and international levels, and for developing stronger connections between research, policies and school practices.
