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Cited by 11Hearing Impairment and CommunicationInclusive Education and DiversityDisability Rights and Representation

The illusion of choice in inclusive education

De Meulder, Maartje, Murray, Joseph J.·2024·International Journal of Inclusive Education
DOI 10.1080/13603116.2021.1956607
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Abstract

The inclusive education debate is often framed as a choice between outmoded special schools and progressive inclusive general education schools. However, the rhetoric of ‘choice’ hides what is in reality a context of restricted resources, both in general education and in special congregated settings. We interview three deaf-parented families with a total of six deaf children enrolled in different educational settings in Belgium. We explore the educational choices parents made for their children and how these choices are influenced (1) by their own knowledge of and lived experience with the educational choices available and (2) actually existing resources. Our study shows a clear contrast between the capital parents bring to their children’s educational experiences and the choices available. Parents want to send their children to congregated settings to give them an education in sign language but are hindered from doing so because of the schools’ lack of adherence to educational standards. Instead they are pushed into a general education system that tasks their time and energy, as well as their child’s bodies. The paucity of options for these parents calls for a rethinking of the parameters of the inclusive education debate, moving beyond placement to a holistic focus on deaf children’s linguistic, educational, and social development.

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  • In deaf communities, debates over signed versus oral education have persisted for decades.

    “For example, in deaf communities, debates over signed versus oral education have persisted for decades [21, 64].”

    From Access in the Shadow of Ableism: An Autoethnography of a Blind Student's Higher Education Experience in China (2026) · cites this paper as [21]

  • When considered in broader contexts, access is far more complex than a simple binary of 'accessible' versus 'inaccessible.'

    “As such, when considered in broader contexts, access is far more complex than a simple binary of 'accessible' versus 'inaccessible.' [21]”

    From Access in the Shadow of Ableism: An Autoethnography of a Blind Student's Higher Education Experience in China (2026) · cites this paper as [21]

  • Desired forms of access may shift depending on a person's trajectory of disability, such as when they transition into disability, and the resources available.

    “Additionally, desired forms of access may shift depending on a person's trajectory of disability, such as when they transition into disability [27], and the resources available [21].”

    From Access in the Shadow of Ableism: An Autoethnography of a Blind Student's Higher Education Experience in China (2026) · cites this paper as [21]

  • Disabled students or their families often face trade-offs across different systems, and may find it hard to determine what is 'better' in the lack of adequate support and under pressure to conform to mainstream norms.

    “Disabled students or their families often face trade-offs across different systems, who may find it hard to determine what is 'better' in the lack of adequate support and under pressure to conform to mainstream norms [21, 53].”

    From Access in the Shadow of Ableism: An Autoethnography of a Blind Student's Higher Education Experience in China (2026) · cites this paper as [21]

  • Inclusive education provides an 'illusion of choice' for deaf families, highlighting pressures that push families toward hearing education due to a gap between the desire for signing education and the lack of adequate institutional resources.

    “In a different yet similar context, De Meulder and Murray emphasized that inclusive education provides an 'illusion of choice' for deaf families, highlighting the pressures that push families toward hearing education due to a gap between the desire for signing education and the lack of adequate institutional resources [21].”

    From Access in the Shadow of Ableism: An Autoethnography of a Blind Student's Higher Education Experience in China (2026) · cites this paper as [21]

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Authors
De Meulder, M., & Murray, J. J.
Affiliations
  • Faculty of Healthy and Sustainable Living, University of Applied Sciences Utrecht, Utrecht, Netherlands
  • Gallaudet University (US)
ORCID
Venue
International Journal of Inclusive Education
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2021-08-20
Volume
28
Issue
6
Pages
753-767
ISSN
  • 1360-3116 (ISSN-L)
  • 1464-5173
DOI
10.1080/13603116.2021.1956607
OpenAlex
W3196099479
Cited by
10
References
41
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 3 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2
FWCI
1.47
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • International Journal of Inclusive Education (publishedVersion)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Hearing Impairment and Communication
  • Social Sciences › Education › Inclusive Education and Diversity
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Disability Rights and Representation
Keywords
inclusive education, deaf children, deaf parents, special schools, general education, sign language education, educational placement, teaching materials, educational standards, language development, Belgium

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