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  • Essay / Normalization - 1207

    Normalization, as defined by Ashman & Elkins, (2008) is the “belief that disabled or disabled people should have the same rights, privileges, opportunities and access to services and facilities as those who have no deficiency.” In a country where diversity and equality are promoted within the national identity, the concept of “normalization” is one that should also come naturally to Australian societal behaviors. Standardization is a process that cannot work without appropriate support from the educational community and the wider community. This support exists through the integration and development of policies, principles, legislation and frameworks. Although it is clear that in modern society such policies, principles, legislation and frameworks are readily available for developmental use by educators, this has not always been so. This report will examine how past and present attitudes towards policies, principles, legislation and frameworks have had a significant impact on modern educational society. Policies, principles and frameworks function in the inclusive educational environment once they have been adopted by an individual or social group as a plan of action. These action plans aim to promote the external or internal prosperity and future success of students, whatever their specific learning needs. Policies, principles and frameworks constitute the fabric that underpins the educational society. Action plans are accompanied by positive and negative attitudes towards the influence that each person will exert on society. Historically, teachers have not been favorably disposed towards the policy of increased inclusion of children with special needs in mainstream classes. ......the educational society, but for now, it is the responsibility of each teacher to adapt their teaching to each student in their class. In modern society, these are policies, principles, legislation and frameworks such as the Disability Discrimination Act. , Declaration on Inclusive Education – (2005) and the Salamanca Declaration which have had a huge impact on the way students are educated – whether they have special learning needs or not. Teachers in mainstream modern society are now realizing that each student has specific learning strengths and weaknesses and, therefore, each classroom is universally diverse. As a pre-service teacher, it is important to recognize and understand these policies and frameworks (both negative and positive) in order to effectively implement them into teaching strategies for the development of future students..