Beyond Accommodation: Reimagining Education Through Justice and Participation
On March 21st, in the very first hours of the Persian New Year, I had the honor of being invited to one of the schools to engage in a conversation about Nowruz with the students. In this class, two students who require physical and mobility supports participated actively in the process of play and learning, just like their other classmates. For me, as an external observer, this experience was not just a human one, but a tangible sign of a transformation in educational and social approaches based on democracy and social justice.
In today’s world, education is moving toward approaches that are comprehensive and responsive to individual differences. Among these approaches are “inclusive education” and “collaborative learning,” concepts that, based on human rights principles, require the presence and participation of all students in the learning process.
Inclusive Education: A Fundamental Right, not a Privilege of the Educational System
Inclusive education means providing a shared learning environment for all children, regardless of their abilities or specific needs. This model is not an option or an educational advantage but a fundamental right that emphasizes social and educational justice. In this class, two students with mobility needs participated fully in class activities and had healthy and constructive social interactions with their peers. This experience not only represents equality in access to learning opportunities but also shows how educational justice in practice can create an enriched, empathetic, and learning-oriented environment for everyone.Social and Emotional Learning: From All for All
In such a learning environment, skills such as empathy, participation, responsibility, and conflict resolution are developed through the educational experience. The active and inclusive presence of diverse students enriches the classroom, fostering collaboration and mutual understanding. This situation is not the result of the school’s “kindness,” but rather the result of respecting differences and the educational system’s social responsibility towards all students. In such an environment, social and emotional growth occurs for all members of the class, as everyone learns how to live more humanely and responsibly in a diverse society.Ability-Based Learning: Focusing on Capabilities, Not Limitations
Modern educational approaches focus on identifying and strengthening the individual capabilities of students, rather than concentrating on their deficiencies. In today’s class experience, students with disabilities also played an active role in shaping the learning environment, relying on their abilities in various areas of play, learning, and social interaction. This shows that with the right design of learning environments, all students can be recognized as effective, valuable, and active individuals within the educational community.Equal Opportunities for Growth: A Shared Responsibility Educational System
Inclusive education is not only a platform for achieving justice within the school but also a cornerstone for a balanced and equitable society. In classrooms where growth and flourishing opportunities are equally available to everyone, children learn that differences do not hinder learning or collaboration. They practice citizenship in a democratic environment and learn that in society, the active and meaningful presence of all individuals is an inalienable right.
Overall, what was experienced in today’s Nowruz class was an example of parts of educational justice being realized in practice; something that should happen daily across all sections of the educational system and society, in every school, and for every child.
However, despite such examples, it is important to remember that the realization of educational justice is a process that is neither complete nor without challenges. These experiences demonstrate positive and systematic steps toward equality, but there is still a need for constant review, critical evaluation, and ongoing reform. We are still facing hidden or structural inequalities, and real inclusion will only be achieved through continued critique and reform. Educational justice is a dynamic and evolving concept that can only be more fully realized in the light of dialogue, participation, and collective commitment to lasting change. of educational justice being realized in practice; something that should happen daily across all sections of the educational system and society, in every school, and for every child.