Inclusion

The perceptions of primary school teachers towards inclusive education was investigated in mainstream government schools of Islamabad capital territory where inclusive education was being supported by Sight savers and other international organizations. The study was carried out involving 54 teachers in six randomly selected primary schools. The sampled group comprised both, teachers trained in inclusive education and teachers working in same schools, but not trained in inclusive education. Purposive sampling method was used to select the teachers. Structured questionnaire (Likert Scale) and structured interview method was used for data collection. The results of the study revealed that inclusive education is considered to be a desirable practice. The teachers believed that all learners regardless of their disabilities should be in regular classrooms and

This paper examines the critical components of successful inclusion for students with severe disabilities. This review sets out to provide an overview of literature regarding effective practices for inclusion with a focus on critical components of successful inclusion that assist in preparing the stakeholders worldwide to work and engage effectively with students with disabilities in inclusive schools. The methodology used to conduct this review was to systematically search internet resources, abstracts and databases. The descriptors used include: students with severe disabilities/significant disabilities/ intellectual disabilities, inclusion, modification, adaptations, assistive technology, collaboration, instructional strategies, typically developing peers, and family support. This was followed by the application of two sets of criteria: (1) the article consists of subjects with inclusion/inclusive/general education setting/public schools and (2) the article examines critical comp...

A focus on anything other than instruction undercuts the legal and moral rights of students with disabilities to an appropriate education and fails to produce substantive social justice. Differences among differences must be recognized to guarantee the civil educational rights to which people with disabilities are entitled. Instructionally-relevant differences include many disabilities, but they do not include such differences as skin hue, parentage, sexual orientation, national origin, and many other kinds of diversity. If special education's focus is inclusion rather than effective instruction of students with disabilities or if all differences are assumed to be equal and have the same remedy, then special education will one day be looked upon as having gone through a period of shameful neglect of students' needs.

As organizational climate represents the culture of an organization, similarly diversity climate represents the 'culture' of diversity and inclusion of an organization. Every best practice in diversity management and diversity initiatives and programs are essentially implemented in order to improve the overall organizational diversity climate. Various models exist in literature which illustrates how diversity climate of a company impacts various employee and organizational measures. Over the years, several measurement scales have been developed in order to capture the true picture of an organization's diversity climate. An attempt has been made in this paper to capture some of these models as well as measurement scales.

Teaching Exceptional Children
Teaching Exceptional Children is ideal for introductory courses in early childhood special education at the graduate and undergraduate level. Bayat’s clear and accessible writing, a visually appealing design, and focused pedagogy in each chapter help make it possible to cover a significant amount of material. This powerful text identifies specific behavioral characteristics and presents theoretical information grounded in neuroscience and child development research for a wide range of disabilities. Research-based best practices for effectively working with children with various disabilities in inclusive classrooms are provided in each chapter. The second edition has been fully updated based on the DSM-5 and includes new sections on contemporary issues in inclusion of children with disabilities in early childhood classrooms, such as challenging behaviors, using technology, at-risk children, promoting mental health, and family issues.
A robust pedagogical program, along with online resources for instructors and students, provides full support, including:
• Chapter Objectives and Key Terms help frame each chapter
• Discussion, Critical Thinking, Essay, Short Answer, and Review Questions at the beginning, throughout, and concluding chapters prompt students to fully engage with the material
• Homework/Field Assignments provide opportunities for students to apply their knowledge to real-world situations
• Real-Life Vignettes illustrate concepts in action
• Color Photos, Figures, and Tables clarify concepts in a visually engaging way
• Recommended Resources and References offer guidance for further study
• www.routledge.com/cw/bayat provides additional resources for students and instructors to support learning and teaching
Mojdeh Bayat is Associate Professor of Education at DePaul University, USA. She has a BA in Law and Society from The American University, an MA in Early Childhood Special Education from Northeastern Illinois University, and a PhD in Child Development from Erikson Institute in Chicago.

Being "global souls"-seeing ourselves as members of a world community , knowing that we share the future with others-requires powerful intercultural competence. Being effective domestically-seeking social justice, assuring privilege is shared-requires equally complicated skills. Such competence embraces the paradox of globalization and seeks to reconcile the competing commitments to self and others, with the knowledge that this reconciliation is profoundly difficult. It is grounded in the certainty that we cannot neglect either side of the equation, domestic or international.

People with disabilities are most vulnerable and deprived segment of the population in Bangladesh having limited opportunities of education, training and employment. Most of them are isolated from mainstream society, stigmatized, mistreated and marginalized. However, inclusion of people from all segment of the society including people with disability in the mainstream development activities is necessary for achieving sustainable development and minimizing inequalities. Appropriate employment opportunities can minimize marginalization, expedite the inclusion process and enhance mainstreaming of people with disabilities. In Bangladesh, public sector is the larger provider of employment opportunity. People with disabilities encounter difficulties to access to the public sector employment although 10 percent quota for third and fourth grade and 1 percent quota for first and second grade jobs are reserved for them. In addition, there is a constitutional and legal obligation to ensure equal opportunities and participation in health education and employment for persons with disabilities. However, share of persons with disabilities in the public sector employment in Bangladesh is less than 1 percent although they represent more than 10 percent of the total population. The present study examines the causes why are persons with disabilities in Bangladesh not enjoying equal access to public sector employment in Bangladesh. The paper argues that Bangladesh could not ensure equal opportunity for disabled people in the public sector employment because of the negative perception of Bangladeshi elites towards disadvantaged and marginalized communities including disabled people, lack of political commitment, negative attitude of community people, misunderstanding of employers about the capacity and skills of disabled persons and absence of inclusive education, although the country adopted UN convention and enacted laws for creating equal opportunity in all aspects of life including employment.

Early Intervention has the potential to alter children's developmental trajectory significantly.  However, many EI services risk devaluing families' contribution to children's learning and development and children's varying strengths and competencies.  This research identified key characteristics of relationship-based EI services that place families at the centre of intervention.  The research is funded by a Winston Churchill Fellowship.

The use of technology and specifically digital environments in training and education in both formal and non-formal contexts is becoming increasingly more common. These types of technical-pedagogical solutions, however, may not always provide a sense of belonging to trainees, which may eventually lead to non-participation or even dropping out. Although some studies have identified possible reasons for this type of lack of association and abandonment, there are still areas that require further research, such as the configuration of these digital environments as pedagogical-differentiation devices (Cortesao & Stoers, 1999) or assessments of their social-inclusion potential. This paper proposes a classification of the social-inclusion potential of digital environments, which was the validated result of data gathered from a query submitted to 20 e-learning experts and a literature review. Qualitative analysis of the data (Bowen, 2009) led to the identification of four potential levels o...

Per parlare di pedagogia speciale e di ricerca scientifica in educazione speciale nel contesto anglosassone, è necessario fare una premessa di tipo terminologico: tale approfondimento renderà più immediata al lettore la comprensione del linguaggio specifico di questo settore di studi e più agevole l'introduzione nei meandri del testo che segue. Passeremo, quindi, in rassegna alcuni termini chiave della disciplina in oggetto (pedagogy, education; integration, inclusion) operando le dovute distinzioni.

This paper explores the inclusion of children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder in mainstream primary schools in England, drawing on existing research. Following a discussion on the nature and importance of Autistic Spectrum Disorder, the paper goes on to explore two main themes: theory and policy, and the impact of inclusion on practice. The section on theory and policy considers the history of inclusive education and the importance of inclusive practice, and goes on to define and analyse the barriers to inclusion. Finally, this section analyses the specific inclusion of children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. The section on the impact of inclusion on practice is further split into educational inclusion and social inclusion, paying particular attention to the different support and barriers affecting these issues. This paper has found that children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder are not fully included in mainstream primary schools; they experience higher rates of exclusion, lower attainment and higher rates of bullying. In order to increase the inclusion of children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder in mainstream primary schools, teachers need to address the complexity and individuality of these children and adapt their strategies accordingly. This paper concludes that the main barriers to educational and social inclusion are a lack of financial support and autism specific training for teachers.

Ziel dieses Artikels ist es zum einen, mit dem Begriff der diskursiven Exklusion eine Konzeptualisierung von Exklusion zu unterbreiten, welche den theoretischen Anforderungen an einen soziologisch-analytischen Begriff gewachsen ist und zum anderen, methodische Hinweise zur Erforschung von Exklusionsprozessen zu bieten. Ich werde hierzu die drei emergenten Forschungsperspektiven der Diskursanalyse "nach dem Strukturalismus", der Dispositivanalyse, und der wissenssoziologischen Diskursanalyse vorstellen und jeweils danach fragen, welches Analysepotenzial von ihnen ausgeht, um soziale Exklusion soziologisch zu fassen. Dabei wird sich zeigen, dass jede dieser Perspektiven bestimmte Aspekte in den Vordergrund ruckt, dabei aber wiederum andere vernachlassigt. Am Ende des Artikels werden Moglichkeiten einer Kombination der Ansatze diskutiert. URN: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs1302199

Municipalities must take steps towards an "educational action" that welcomes children into environments that estimulate their involvement and participation in issues that mean something to them. Professionals working directly with children in the municipal sphere must strengthen the development of their active and committed citizenship (SDG no. 4), relating to them as citizens capable of transforming their environment. Children's participation requires adults who recognise them as interlocutors and establish relationships of trust and mutual respect with them. Municipalities need to create opportunities for children to be included in the co-production of local projects and to take a leading role in public policies. This article aims to offer elements that can nurture professionals' readiness and "capacity building" to facilitate children's participation. These elements are formed in the context of a pedagogical practice (the "coffee meetings") and emerge through a systematisation of experiences (

The quotation above is adapted from the remarks of a recent graduate of the master’s program at Gallaudet University, who began teaching students who were deaf and had an additional disability in a public school—and who was astounded at the attitudes and practices she confronted there. She was simply not prepared for the low expectations communicated by the principal or the exclusionary practices she and her students faced in the school community.

This article reflects on how the diversity discourse in an undergraduate classroom can be enhanced by paying
attention to particularities such as the location and mission of the educational institution, the identity of the teacher,
and the demographic profile of students. In particular, the author develops two distinctive points about teaching
diversity in higher education: (a) diversity discourse in classrooms can be enhanced by deep reflections on
geographical location, institutional contexts, student demographics, and the professor’s situated identities; and b)
diversity conversations need to move beyond celebrating common ground. Although the article employs examples from
one specific course in religious studies, the pedagogical insights and strategies offered here can be employed
universally in the fields of humanities and social sciences.

Der vorliegende Beitrag befasst sich mit der Minderheitenpolitik in Estland unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Kultur. Dabei wird der Nationale Aktionsplan ausgewertet und der Einfluss der Kulturpolitik auf die Inklusion ethnischer Minderheiten untersucht. Die Studie legt einen Schwerpunkt auf die Bereiche Bildung, Medien und Partizipation. Die Studie kommt zu dem Ergebnis, dass ethnische Minderheiten in weiten Bereichen unterrepräsentiert sind, und gibt Handlungsoptionen zur Verbesserung der Situation. (ICD

The inclusion complexes between three cycloalkanols (cyclopentanol, cyclohexanol and cycloheptanol) and bcyclodextrin (b-CD) have been studied by NMR experiments, and by molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Complexes present medium to small association constants. All experimental data show the equatorial conformer as the most stable after complexation because no changes were detected in the coupling constants of the H1 protons. Intermolecular ROE experiments suggest that while cyclopentanol is deeply included into the b-CD cavity, cyclohexanol and cycloheptanol occupy mainly the wider entrance. The MD simulations agree with the experimental data (equatorial conformers are always the most stable), and average geometries coincide with those deduced from the ROE experiments.

The ongoing professional development of general education and special education teachers is vital to the success of students with disabilities. As more classrooms transition to a co-teaching model, the professional development that teachers engage in must transition to meet the needs of both groups of professionals. This study used a qualitative approach to examine the practical foundations of a pedagogical style that amalgamates co-teaching and embedded professional development within two inclusive classrooms to theorize the Co-teaching Professional Development (CoPD) Approach. The research findings indicate that within the context of two general education social studies classrooms CoPD offers a suitable approach to supporting teachers and students with disabilities. This piece also points to the existence of reciprocity of content knowledge gains of the special educator and the corresponding gains to the pedagogical repertoire of general educators are presented.

Employer-sponsored family-friendly events are designed to boost engagement and encourage retention by building family members’ identification with the organization. These events are usually targeted at employees with dependent children, but LinkedIn’s more inclusive “Bring in Your Parents” (BIYP) initiative aims to introduce employees’ parents to the daily work of their adult children. This study evaluates the impact of BIYP on the attitudes and behavioral intentions of participating employees and their parents. Repeated-measures surveys were conducted among participating employees and parents in six organizations in six countries (UK, Ireland, France, Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia). These were followed by in-person interviews with participating employees (UK), and phone interviews with HR managers (Brazil, Canada, France, Spain, UK, USA). Participation in BIYP increases employee engagement and parents’ instrumental and affective support for their children and for their children’s employers. Hosting BIYP is perceived to enhance corporate reputation among both internal and external stakeholders. BIYP serves the dual function of building employee engagement and creating new parental brand ambassadors for participating organizations. BIYP can be an effective tool for employers to engage members of staff not traditionally included in organizational family-friendly events and may be particularly useful for firms with a high proportion of younger workers in tech-savvy jobs. This evaluation of a new workplace initiative demonstrates measurable effects on important employee attitudes and behavioral intentions.

Esta comunicación se basa en la investigación realizada a partir de una beca de entrenamiento (CIC), en el marco del proyecto "concepciones de docentes de nivel inicial sobre su rol de mediadores sociales en la inclusión de niños con necesidades educativas derivadas de las discapacidades", programa de incentivos a docentes universitarios (UNLP 2009(UNLP -2011. Allí se exploran las concepciones, creencias, conocimientos y formación, sobre la inclusión de niños con necesidades educativas derivadas de discapacidades (NEDD) que poseen diversos actores de educación inicial en la escolaridad común. Se sostiene que los conocimientos y los roles que juegan los diferentes actores son decisivos para lograr que la integración escolar se lleve a cabo de manera efectiva. Continuando con la investigación acerca de los conocimientos que acreditan estudiantes universitarios de grado de ciencias sociales y humanas, anteriormente realizado por el equipo (Talou et al., 2005a(Talou et al., , 2006, este trabajo extiende tales exploraciones al ámbito específico de la formación de grado de los psicólogos, en la universidad nacional de la plata. El objetivo es indagar sobre los conocimientos, experiencias y formación de dichos estudiantes, respecto de las nuevas concepciones sobre la discapacidad y la inclusión de niños con NEDD, en ámbito escolar. Considerando que los psicólogos en formación son un conjunto preponderante de actores potenciales en las prácticas educativas formales, este trabajo intenta explorar también específicamente los conocimientos, experiencias y opiniones de los estudiantes avanzados de psicología, en lo referido al tema de la inclusión de niños con necesidades educativas derivadas de la discapacidad (NEDD) en nivel inicial. Se entiende que la acreditación de estos saberes se traduce a la práctica de los profesionales en ámbitos donde participan sujetos niños con NEDD conjuntamente con otros sujetos sin trastornos. En este sentido, la formación de grado resulta indispensable para llevar adelante un saber-hacer apropiado, como mediadores activos en el proceso de integración social. Los sujetos examinados fueron 52 estudiantes que se encuentran cursando el último año de la carrera de licenciado en psicología (U.N.L.P.) Se diseño un instrumento específico para implementar la técnica de la encuesta: un cuestionario constituido por 21 ítems que indaga sobre tres áreas temáticas: datos sociodemográficos, conocimientos temáticos y operativos logrados durante la formación y experiencias personales con sujetos "discapacitados". Entre los resultados obtenidos se destaca que la mitad de los encuestados aspira a desempeñarse profesionalmente en instituciones educativas. No obstante, muy pocos estudiantes (33%) conocen el trabajo que realizan los profesionales que intervienen con niños discapacitados (y los que conocen lo han hecho a partir de fuentes bibliográficas) y sólo una parte de los alumnos (38%) afirma conocer sobre procedimientos y estrategias posibles para desarrollar prácticas de inclusión. Además, la gran mayoría de los estudiantes (84%) desconocen los aspectos más importantes de la legislatura vigente sobre las personas con discapacidades en ámbitos educativos y pocos (34%) conocen los derechos de las personas con discapacidades. Respecto de cómo ponderan los propios alumnos la formación recibida durante las asignaturas del grado, se obtuvo que mitad (53%) acuerda en que los contenidos necesarios existen en el plan de estudios. Por otro lado, la evaluación que hacen los alumnos respecto de todas las materias que aporten a su formación sobre el tema es desalentadora: la gran mayoría (80,7%) destaca insuficiencias en la formación

The inclusion of stakeholders in participatory evaluation in highly diverse, culturally complex settings remains a challenge, given issues of inequity, power, voice, capacity and skill. These challenges are well documented, but there is a relative absence of papers devoted to addressing them based on examples and evidence. In this paper, we report our review of 51 empirical studies of participatory evaluations conducted in the international domain, focusing on the methods of inclusion used in the evaluations. Our findings address "the who" (which stakeholders are included and which excluded), "the why" (rationales for participation) and "the how" (by what means and in what manner) of inclusion. We were struck by the scale of some development programs, geographically and in terms of the number of diverse program sponsors and stakeholders, and how this necessitated highly creative, innovative participatory techniques to ensure that anyone (and in some cas...

This observational cross-sectional study presents methods employed in designing and undertaking a suite of eight health assessments, purposely named The Health Fair, as part of Wave 2 (2014) of the Intellectual Disability Supplement to the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (IDS-TILDA) study. Overall, 604 persons of all levels of intellectual disability, aged 40 years and above and in different living circumstances, participated. The Health Fair process was mobile and overcame barriers such as communication challenges or access that people with intellectual disability face. This protocol could support researchers and practitioners in clinical practice to guide and improve the health assessment of people with intellectual disability to facilitate a better understanding of their health pathways and improve health care delivery and services.

The International Campaign for Cures of Spinal Cord Injury Paralysis established a panel tasked with reviewing the methodology for clinical trials for spinal cord injury (SCI), and making recommendations on the conduct of future trials. This is the third of four papers. It examines inclusion and exclusion criteria that can influence the design and analysis of clinical trials in SCI, together with confounding variables and ethical considerations. Inclusion and exclusion criteria for clinical trials should consider several factors. Among these are (1) the enrollment of subjects at appropriate stages after SCI, where there is supporting data from animal models or previous human studies; (2) the severity, level, type, or size of the cord injury, which can influence spontaneous recovery rate and likelihood that an experimental treatment will clinically benefit the subject; and (3) the confounding effects of various independent variables such as pre-existing or concomitant medical conditions, other medications, surgical interventions, and rehabilitation regimens. An issue of substantial importance in the design of clinical trials for SCI is the inclusion of blinded assessments and sham surgery controls: every effort should be made to address these major issues prospectively and carefully, if clear and objective information is to be gained from a clinical trial. The highest ethical standards must be respected in the performance of clinical trials, including the adequacy and clarity of informed consent.

Hearing loss causes major challenges in individuals' lives. If educators are able to understand the implications of hearing loss on educational opportunities, we could learn how to appropriately intervene in learning contents. This article presents considerations about the benefits of intervention, technology, and inclusion strategies in the deaf and hard of hearing community. Becoming familiar with these techniques and strategies will enable educators, coaches, and facilitators of opportunities to offer greater opportunities for individuals who are deaf.

True to the field of Cultural Disability Studies in Education (CDSE), this project adopts an explicitly interdisciplinary approach in order to explore representations of disability and the related social attitudes and experiences. Disability studies and radio studies are brought together to predicate and inform the analysis of a sample of education-centred discussions featured in In Touch, a long-running BBC Radio 4 programme made for, and by, people who have visual impairments. Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is applied to the sub-themes of mainstream-special schooling and social interaction, which are organised in accordance with the tripartite model of disability in order to avoid one-dimensional readings. The project cuts across the mainstream-special binary and reveals the epistemological value of non-normative community in both preparing for, and succeeding in, 21st-century academia.

This was the presentation for my talk in a symposium on 'Mental Health at Workplace and Social Work Profession' at the WORLD CONGRESS ON MENTAL HEALTH, Delhi (3rd November 2017).
I discussed about creating inclusive workplaces using mental health perspectives and emphasized upon the idea that the processes for promoting mental health and creating inclusive environments not only contribute to each other but are also necessary for each other. According to me, an inclusive workplace has following characteristics:

• It draws diverse people in
• It creates space for diversity
• It celebrates diversity (instead of tolerating it)
• It nurtures and protects mental health of each person
• It promotes meaningful participation of each person
• It does not push people out because of disability, gender, religion,
        sexuality, choice of spouse (e.g. someone in inter-faith marriage),
        caste, and other characteristics that are part of human diversity
• It ensures that the environment is not a barrier for people’s contribution
• It motivates people to contribute
• It has caring and respecting environments
• It has mechanisms in place for self-care and support - which are not
        seen as favours.

In this article, Brahm Norwich, Professor of Education at the University of Exeter, examines the roles that special schools can play within inclusive educational systems. He notes that the percentage of young people in special schools in England has remained broadly stable over a number of years, despite inclusive policy initiatives. Brahm Norwich suggests that policy makers and practitioners have found it hard to understand how a broad and shifting notion like inclusion should be operationalised, especially when valued positions, such as meeting individual needs and providing a sense of belonging and participation, can appear to generate such tensions and contradictions. Brahm Norwich summarises findings on teachers' attitudes towards this crucial 'dilemma of difference' from three countries and argues that it is time to develop more sophisticated ways of thinking about provision. Rather than insisting on locating 'mainstream' and 'special' at opposite ends of a one-dimensional placement continuum, Brahm Norwich puts forward a multidimensional model in which a number of attributes can be considered when analysing provision. The 'flexible interacting continua' provided in this model concern identification, participation, placement, curriculum and teaching and governance and Brahm Norwich shows how schools, whether mainstream or special, need to strive towards commonality in terms of all five dimensions rather than simply in terms of placement. Policy makers as well as staff in both mainstream and special schools will be interested in exploring the implications of these ideas.

The intent of this book is to serve as a guide for teachers, teachers in training, and other service providers to engage in understanding and analyzing inclusion to help prepare them for how they can best teach and serve all students, including those with a disability. These case studies provide a guide for analyzing real life situations and will help readers to become a better teacher and service provider. Too often the inclusion planning process only looks at a few areas and not a comprehensive analysis of skill and support needs. This book provides the framework for analyzing these areas.

The journal "Minority Reports. Cultural Disability Studies" purports to devote the monographic issue 13 / II 2021 to the topic of school and educational inclusion of the students with disability, as it is declined, both in conceptual and operational terms, in the different European countries.

The mission of The George Washington University Center for Equity and Excellence in Education (GW-CEEE) is to advance education reform so all students achieve to high standards. GW-CEEE conducts policy and applied research, designs and implements program evaluations, and provides professional development and technical assistance. GW-CEEE's clients include state education agencies, school districts, schools, foundations, and federal agencies. For over a decade, GW-CEEE has conducted research on the inclusion and accommodation of English language learners (ELLs) in high stakes testing, including periodic reviews of state assessment policies for ELLs. GW-CEEE is currently conducting an applied research project with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to study the academic language demands of ELLs in middle and high schools. GW-CEEE also provides technical assistance and conducts professional development for clients in states, districts, and schools. With funding from the U.S. Department of Education, GW-CEEE operates the Mid-Atlantic Comprehensive Center which provides technical assistance to state education agencies in the Mid-Atlantic region. GW-CEEE also operates the Mid-Atlantic Equity Assistance Center which provides trainings and technical assistance to districts and schools in Delaware,

CHAPTER 2-LITERATURE REVIEW Though your balance-sheet's a model of what a balance-sheet should be, Typed and ruled with great precision in a type that all can see; Though the grouping of the assets is commendable and clear, And the details which are given more than usually appear; Though investments have been valued at the sale price of the day, And the auditor's certificate shows everything O.K.; One asset is omitted-and its worth I want to know, The asset is the value of the men who run the show.-Archibald Bowman, 1938 2.1 Introduction This study is conducted in the field of Organisational Behaviour and relevant literature has been reviewed which pertains to the issues related to the research problem, objectives and questions. The focus of the literature review is to: 1 Provide background information regarding the principles of valuing Human Capital and how this relates to organisational behaviour in order to have a clear understanding of the concepts and techniques currently applied (if any); 2 Provide information and define what is meant by the "value" of Human Capital within growth organisations, within South Africa. 3 Provide information regarding the application of employee relations and employee value in growth-focused companies to identify the key levers for ensuring a return on investment in Human Capital in the knowledge-based 21 st century. U Un ni iv ve er rs si it ty y o of f P Pr re et to or ri ia a e et td d-K Ka as ss se el lm ma an n, , R R (

The principal gave me the list of my students' names and the location of my classroom and then 'washed his hands' of me. He did not require me to submit weekly plans like other teachers, and my students and I were not invited to Field Day or even to assemblies. From the beginning it was clear: I'd 'only' be teaching in sign language, and I was on my own." 46 ODYSSEY 2014

The article first introduces the special issue on the topic of Linguistic Dimensions of Inclusion in Educational and Multilingual Contexts. Key aspects of inclusive education are outlined and applied to the realm of language, communication and language learning. The concept "linguistic barrier," a collective term for linguistic practices and communicative aspects that may pose obstacles to language learning, communicative success or a successful integration of individuals in multilingual contexts, is discussed. Focal points of the individual contributions to the special issue are briefly outlined. In the second part, the article hones in on non-nativeness as a dimension of inclusion in foreign language teaching. Processes of exclusion and inclusion are illustrated through a multimodal critical discourse analysis of representational practices in units from the German EFL textbook series Navi Englisch. The main focus of analysis lies on verbal and visual cultural indexes that allow for conclusions on the representation of native and non-native social actors as well as ENL, ESL and EFL cultures. Based on the finding that the material shows a strong predominance of native language user representation , it is argued that a mainstreaming of second language identities and English as an international lingua franca in ELT can foster higher levels of inclusion that are likely to have positive, empowering effects for learners of English and non-native English language teachers alike. KEYWORDS critical discourse studies, EFL textbooks, English as a lingua franca, foreign language teaching, inclusion, language learning, linguistic barrier, non-nativeness