1. Workshop No. 5 Inclusive Education Practical Collaboration Across Disciplines Republic of Cuba Ministry of Education

2. Is it possible to achieve effective inclusion in schools without practical collaboration across disciplines?

3. The whole family’s cooperation A school that welcomes diversity Political and social will Building the capacity of teachers Ensuring access to the environment and to information The development of socialisation and participation skills Key elements to achieving an effective process towards inclusion A prepared community

4. The Family Social Security Health Culture Sport Assistive Devices Influencial sectors The Government Referral Centres Mainstream education Teacher Training Colleges Practical Collaboration across Disciplines Special education Education

5. Accepting that the types of development we experience and contexts within which we live can be very different Recognising that people have different motives, interests, attitudes and expectations towards the goal of achievement Realising that there are different starting points from which the learning process begins related to attitude, understanding and the pre-conceived ideas of the learners themselves Accepting that within the same classroom there are different styles, paces, academic skills and ways of learning Challenges

6. What is our aim? Inclusive Education It is an approach to education which welcomes diversity amongst learners as an opportunity to enrich the teaching and learning process, and one which results in positive human development.

7. Referral Centre Advisory technical team Multi-disciplinary technical team Structure Educationalists Educational Psychologist Speech Therapist Psycho-motor Therapist Psychologist Social Worker

8. Conclusions We look at the issue as a system that answers specific educational needs more than as a network of educational centres. This is because the initial concept of education is based on the necessity to recognise, over the whole education system, the differences, the nuances and levels of learning and behavioural problems. We must pay attention to both the risk factors and everything that promotes a teaching methodology that recognises diversity and inclusion. Dr. Luis Ignacio Gómez, 1998 Minister of Education, Republic of Cuba

9. Working group 1: Question…  Drawing from your own experiences, how can practical collaboration across disciplines support the inclusion of disabled children within a school and social context?

10.  What partnerships are essential to success in the field? Working group 2: Question…

11.  What are the challenges of practical collaboration across disciplines? Why and how do these challenges occur? Working group 3: Question…