Blog updated on August 30th, 2023
In this article, Teresa Carroll shares her thoughts on how to create a post-Covid world that celebrates more diversity and inclusion. Teresa is National Head for Inclusion at the Education and Training Foundation (ETF).
In the Further Education (FE) and Training sector, we believe in harnessing a person’s potential so that we can all achieve, no matter who we are.
However, we still have a long way to go in creating a world that is accessible and inclusive, especially for people with SEND (Special Educational Needs or Disabilities). When the ETF spoke to over 30 young people with SEND for our publication Tomorrow’s leaders: a world beyond disability, it became clear that they face many barriers. Sadly, the expectations and assumptions made by wider society are what often lead to challenges in the first place.
So how do we get to a world where we begin to see others as complete people, rather than particular characteristics? Well, it’s not going to be easy. Our reflexive brain is programmed to make swift judgements, based on the fight or flight principle.
To reduce negative assumptions, we have to re-programme our mind. The first step to change is becoming aware of your behaviour and the assumptions you make. The mind is developed by the habits, experiences, and information we choose to surround ourselves with, so we can change by making different choices. Strategies such as training on conscious inclusion training can also help to address this.
Another way forward is for us to listen and learn from people’s lived experience. Publications like Tomorrow’s leaders: a world beyond disability aim to do just that. By listening to the stories of people with SEND and their families, we as SEND professionals can challenge structures that might seem well-intended, but tend to reinforce inequalities within our society. Together, we can ensure the processes work for those they are supposed to serve.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, SEND professionals learnt many valuable lessons about learner care and provision. When lockdown was imposed and teaching was disrupted, many FE colleges had to adapt their teaching and move their learning online. At the ETF, our Centres for Excellence in SEND were key in highlighting the reality of home-life to FE providers, such as when learners didn’t have access to digital devices.
The pandemic has increased our understanding of the lived experience of learners and their families. It has resulted in stronger relationships and a better understanding of how to make SEND processes work. By listening to learners and their parents or carers, SEND professionals can work together to find solutions and inform change within the system.
Let’s bring what we’ve learned from the pandemic and use it to create a society that is more caring and inclusive to what we had before. The pandemic allowed us to pause long enough to recognise the different experiences within society, and see how we might create a world that serves and brings out the best in us all.
If you’d like to learn more about the experiences of people with SEND and their stories, read our publications: