Education Team

People with disabilities have historically experienced barriers in the educational environment. Although different approaches have been taken to integrate people with cognitive disabilities into the mainstream system, there have been varying degrees of success in inclusive education policies and gaps still exist that leave these citizens vulnerable. Effective interventions in education will seek to develop educational environments and curriculum for people with disabilities based on best practices from multi-jurisdictional research. This includes focusing on the preparation given to new teachers and teaching assistants that will facilitate better classroom outcomes.

Scope of Research:

The education team will use its national network of educators and policy makers to examine the standard of inclusive education across Canada and develop standards for measuring consensus in best practices and areas for growth in each province. Insights gained in the initial literature review and policy analysis will form the basis for subsequent PDSA action cycles and interventions. A particular focus will be placed on barriers to effective inclusive education, including the various "out-clauses" in Provincial education acts. The education team will work with partners in the Council of Ministers of Education of Canada (CMEC) and the National Inclusion Research Team to assess Provincial policies, address problem areas, and suggest steps for improvement in the format of a national inclusive education report card.

Current Research

Cross-Jurisdictional Scan of Inclusive Education Policies

A detailed policy analysis is currently being performed as the basic building block for the work of the Education team over the next 5 years. Relevant policies of many Canadian jurisdictions relating to inclusive education will analyzed and best practices documented. Based on the results, criteria for evaluating best practices in inclusive education will be developed and applied to key policies. Suggestions will be made for altering or deleting "out-clauses" which may lower standards of inclusive education and for other areas needing improvement. A manuscript will be generated for publication in a scholarly journal and opportunities for future research will be identified.

For more details about the research plans of this team, please see the CDPA Five Year Program of Research document on the research page.

Completed Research

To view completed research of the CDPA, that is currently available, please click here

Members:

The education team consists of:

Vianne Timmons (Academic co-lead)

In addition to serving as President of the University of Regina, Dr. Timmons maintains an active research program, with particular emphasis on inclusive education, family literacy, and their roles in establishing healthy, vibrant communities. Dr. Timmons is active in the academic community regionally, nationally and internationally. During the course of her career, she has authored or edited nine books, written 11 book chapters, and authored more than 40 peer-reviewed articles in leading academic journals. She has been either the principal investigator or a co-investigator on more than 30 funded research projects, and has also presented more than 150 invited lectures about her work.

Gordon Porter (Community partner co-lead)

Gordon L. Porter is a consultant, trainer, researcher and teacher. He was instrumental in developing an inclusive approach to education in schools in New Brunswick, recognized as an example of good practice by UNESCO and the OECD among others. He retired in 2006 as a professor of Education at the University of Maine at Presque Isle, in the USA. He has also taught at the University of Prince Edward Island, the University of Calgary, McGill University and Ryerson University. Dr. Porter is Director of Inclusive Education Canada, an initiative of the Canadian Association for Community Living and is active in supporting inclusive education in Canada.

Scott Thompson

Dr. S. A. Thompson teaches in the Faculty of Education at the University of Regina where he works in the field of inclusive education (http://education.uregina.ca/index.php?id=20&type;=faculty&uid;=63). He is broadly interested in inclusive practice and teacher education from Disability Studies in Education (DSE) perspective. Currently, he is investigating the "autism culture" as well as self-advocacy and their implications for teacher education through SSHRC-funded research with Dr. Lynn Aylward from Acadia University. From this research, Dr. Thompson has an article in press in the International Journal of Inclusive Education entitled, "Thrice Disabling Disability: Enabling Inclusive, Socially Just Teacher Education." He is pleased to be part of this CURA investigating policy, disability and education.

Wanda Lyons

Wanda Lyons is an Assistant Professor with Faculty of Education at the University of Regina. Wanda comes to the University with 25 years of experience as a teacher, consultant and administrator in the Saskatchewan Education system. She currently teaches courses in the area of Educational Psychology and Inclusive/Special Education in the Elementary and Secondary programs as well as the Certificate of Extended Studies in Inclusive Education. Wanda's current research interests include the link between provincial/territorial policy and practice in inclusive education, the role of paraprofessionals in inclusive classrooms/schools, teacher education, and pre-service education for principal leadership in inclusive schools.

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