Research Team Facilitates Inclusive Education in Canada

A research project at the University of Prince Edward Island will help educators and parents across Canada to identify the most successful ways to include children with special needs within regular classrooms.

The Canadian Council of Learning has awarded $70,000 to Vianne Timmons, UPEI Vice-President of Academic Development, and Kim Critchley, UPEI Dean of Nursing, along with collaborators from across the country. Their proposal to identify the inclusive strategies that have the most positive impact on the health and well-being of children with disabilities was one of ten chosen from a total of 44 under the theme of Health and Learning.

"Research shows that including children with disabilities in the regular classroom positively impacts their academic achievement, social adjustment and interactions, and overall health," explains Dr. Timmons. "Studies have also shown that teachers are sometimes overwhelmed by the diversity in their classrooms and would like further knowledge and training on inclusive practices."

The funding award from the Canadian Council of Learning will allow the UPEI research team to carry out an analysis of Statistics Canada's Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS). This analysis will increase their knowledge about the most successful applications of inclusive education in the country.

Dr. Critchley explains that once the research team has gathered information about the best inclusive practices that are in place in Canada, it hopes to move on to the second phase of the project to provide this important information to the parents, administrators, and educators who need it. This is what is known as "knowledge transfer."

"The key issue here is that known effective practices on inclusive education are frequently not in the hands of teachers, parents and other service providers," she points out.

"It is appropriate for this project to be led by UPEI because Prince Edward Island is considered a Canadian leader in this area," says Dr. Timmons who sits on a national task force looking at research in inclusive practices. "Many of the best practices in inclusive education are evident in our PEI school system." She adds that the quality of Canada's educational system can be judged by the quality of education provided for the most vulnerable children.