Inclusive education : America and Saudi’s attempts at including students with intellectual disability in the classroom

Abstract EN

Inclusive education aims to have access for students with disabilities to have the same educational opportunities as other students without disabilities.

the USA is a well-known leader in the field of inclusive education for students with intellectual disability because of their long experience, approximately 50 years ago.

whereas Saudi Arabia has recently started to implement inclusive education in their school system.

thus, this paper aims to perform the following : (1) present the history of including students with intellectual disability in inclusive classroom settings in the USA and Saudi Arabia, (2) discuss main factors that have helped Americans improve their inclusive education practices, and how Saudi authorities can follow their steps, and (3) highlight some suggestions for authorities in the ministry of education in Saudi Arabia to improve practices of inclusive education for students with intellectual disability.

in conclusion, Saudi authorities need to focus on the following to enhance practices of inclusive education for students with intellectual disability : (1) improve laws and regulations by issuing new acts and adjusting some of the previous ones regarding inclusive education, (2) improve special education teacher preparation programs in universities by, for instance, adding courses about inclusive education, (3) improve collaboration and connection between general and special education teachers because collaboration between them is a significant factor for the success of inclusive education, (4) establish more disability organizations and research centers focus on producing and developing evidence-based research and practices toward inclusive education for students with intellectual disability.