2.

2 Physical Barriers
Common physical barriers in the classroom include desks and chairs that are arranged in ways
that restrict movement or limit access to instructional materials, lab tables and equipment that are
not accessible to students who use wheelchairs, and doors that are difficult to open. Some recent
studies have used geographic information systems (GIS) and global positioning system (GPS)
technology to map the locations of students and the physical barriers in their classrooms. These
studies have found that the locations of physical barriers can have a significant impact on the
inclusive learning opportunities available to students with disabilities. For example, one study
found that students who used wheelchairs were often excluded from science and computer labs
because the labs were located in parts of the building that were not wheelchair accessible.
Results from another study suggest that the location of students with disabilities in relation to the
location of physical barriers may act as a mediator in teachers' decisions about classroom
composition and the relative placement of students with and without disabilities. By identifying
and analyzing the locations of physical barriers, these studies have the potential to inform the
development of universal design guidelines for the physical configuration of inclusive
classrooms. By adhering to these guidelines, teachers and school administrators may be able to
create physical environments that are more conducive to the needs of all students and more
supportive of inclusive learning practices.

The physical structure of a classroom can create a barrier for students with disabilities. For
example, students with physical disabilities may have difficulty accessing a classroom on the
second floor of a building if an elevator is not available. In a study that explored teachers'
perspectives on inclusion, some teachers reported that physical barriers - such as stairs, furniture,
and equipment arranged in ways that limit student interaction, and doors that are difficult to open
- made it challenging to effectively include students with physical disabilities in general
education classrooms. More recent studies have also found that the presence of physical barriers
in the classroom creates challenges for the successful implementation of inclusive education
models. One of these studies found that physical barriers in the classroom created a kind of
'apartheid of learning' in which students without disabilities were typically found in "normalized"
spaces, while students with disabilities were often found in "specialized" spaces. This may have
the effect of isolating students with disabilities and limiting opportunities for interaction with
their peers.

2.3 Curriculum Barriers

Many schools use a standard and rigid curriculum, which can create barriers for students with
disabilities. Students with disabilities may not be able to access the general education curriculum
because the curriculum is written and/or administered without considering the individual
learning styles, abilities, and multiple intelligences of students and without allowing for
flexibility and adaptation based on student needs. In some cases, the curriculum itself may
present barriers that are prohibitive to a student's ability to learn and progress in the general
curriculum. Research indicates that teachers and schools may achieve a better outcome if the
educational curriculum is designed to be inclusive, flexible, and reflective of the needs of all
students. One broad category of curriculum barriers is that the structural formatting and design
choices of the curriculum itself may create barriers to access and progress, particularly for
students who use assistive technology. For example, students with print disabilities that require
them to use screen reading technology may have difficulties in mastering content where a
curriculum is dense and uses text that has idiosyncratic formatting that is not compatible with
screen reading software. In another example, students who are deaf or hard-of-hearing may have
difficulty following the content if, for instance, multimedia components, videos, or other
auditory materials are used without captioning or visual alternatives being provided. Such
barriers inhibit progress and success, not only because of the lack of access and effective
utilization of instructional materials, but also because teachers and schools must then devote
significant efforts to creating and providing alternative materials to the student.

2.4 Instructional Barriers

Instructional barriers to inclusive education are of fundamental importance. These barriers refer
to those challenges that arise because of the nature of instruction and the need for all children to
be catered for in the teaching. The first major challenge is in the form of inadequate training.
Research shows that general education teachers feel ill-prepared to teach students with
exceptionalities and it is reported that in many colleges general education teachers are not
required to take a single course that addresses the needs of exceptional students. The second key
issue is in the curriculum. Research has shown that the curriculum is too often driven by the need
to complete academic material rather than by the needs of individual students. This is like a one-
size-fits-all approach and it is not suitable for students, no matter whether they have disabilities
or not. The third major issue in the area of instruction comes from the lack of appropriate
materials and resources to meet the needs of diverse learners. It is not just that students with
exceptionalities are not effectively provided for; in many cases, teachers are not able to provide a
suitable curriculum and resources that can cater to the needs of the full range of students in their
class. Heider (2001) discusses the cultural factors that affect the opinions and practices of many
professionals who work in schools. The first of these that he identifies, under the heading of
'deficit perspectives,' points out that teachers, to a large extent, are influenced by societal
attitudes toward 'disability.' He suggests that traditional cultural perspectives view students with
'disabilities' as broken or incomplete and hence in need of fixing, separating these individuals
from the concept of normality and perpetuating the notion of an 'us and them' situation. His
argument is that these cultural attitudes perpetuate a medicalized identity for students with
'disabilities,' leading to low teacher expectations and decisions about practice being influenced
by the nature of identified student inadequacies. The second of Heider's cultural factors is
'logistical and practical concerns' and it recognizes that time and resources are legitimately and
commonly cited in educational debates and decision-making processes. However, Heider appears
to make the point here that such arguments come from a standpoint that is characterized by a
lack of critical discourse about integrating students with exceptionalities. He suggests that
teachers tend to latch onto such practical difficulties as a way of justifying the segregation of
students with exceptionalities from the mainstream educational experience.

2.5 Policy Barriers

One of the main types of barriers is policy barriers. These can include the lack of essential
resources, such as funding, which can have a major impact on the quality of inclusive education
that is available. Furthermore, whether or not inclusion is successful often depends on the
attitudes of the school's governors and senior management, as there is a risk that decisions are
made based on financial savings, rather than what is best for the children. Additionally, some
current policies may encourage initiatives that promote the social exclusion of some pupils by
singling them out as needing 'special' treatment. For example, some pupils with sensory or
physical needs may be placed in separate provision rather than being included in a mainstream
classroom, as it may be seen as the most cost-effective solution. However, this may not be in the
best interests of the pupil or even in compliance with current legislation. More specifically,
children with special educational needs are currently forced to fit into a system that does not
meet their needs and which expects them to adapt to outdated and often incorrect conditions that
were made before the implementation of the Equality Act 2010, the Children and Families Act
2014 and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This
limitation of choice is a significant barrier to disabled children, those with long-term health
conditions and those that may suffer mild to moderate learning difficulties. The legal duty of
schools to help every child, including those with disabilities or learning difficulties, reach their
full potential in education means that existing practices and funding must be reviewed and
refusal to change is not an option. In contrast to these barriers, there is also a strong social and
moral argument for inclusion, as inclusive education is an essential property of ethical
educational practices. Advocates for inclusion argue that placing children with special
educational needs into mainstream schools, alongside children who do not have special needs,
allows for a recognition and acceptance of individual differences, providing a more tolerant and
open-minded society as a whole. Moreover, those with severe disabilities that require a
substantial level of specialist provision can also benefit from inclusive education, as unnecessary
social exclusion can be all but eradicated and a true sense of the local community can be
fostered.