Attitude towards inclusive education: understanding parental perspectives

Disability stands out as a significant barrier to education globally, particularly affecting children who are among the most vulnerable groups. Despite sharing the same aspirations for quality education and career opportunities as their peers, children with disabilities often encounter various systemic obstacles that impede their educational access. These hurdles range from inaccessible school infrastructure to a lack of trained educators and appropriate learning resources. Moreover, societal biases and misunderstandings about disabilities can further marginalize these children, curtailing their social interactions and developmental prospects. In response to these challenges, inclusive education has emerged as the preferred approach to educating children with special needs, reflecting the belief that every child deserves equitable access to education and learning opportunities. Inclusive education entails providing all students, including those with special educational needs, with equal opportunities to learn and participate in mainstream classrooms alongside their typically developing counterparts. The success of inclusion mainly depends upon the attitude of parents towards it. This conceptual paper focuses on delving into the attitude of parents of typically developing children as well as the parents of children with special needs towards inclusive education.