Inclusion and Integration On Special Education

Abstract

Today, nearly 25 years after shifting from integration to inclusion in the theoretical approach in special education, we postulate two questions: what is exactly meant by integration and inclusion? And, still more important: how do they differ in practice? We seek to answer them from the relational sociology (by Donati) taking into consideration the social consequences that result from each approach. By the appliance of the AGIL scheme as a heuristic for the observation and analysis of relationships, we emphasize on the significance of “education for all”, “equality” and “difference”. Our conclusion is that there is a semantic confusion between “inclusion” and “integration” which makes us consider necessary to recover their original meaning since integration is the approach that best suits the purposes of special education.