Chapter 3: Towards Inclusive Education In Trinidad And Tobago: Policy Challenges and Implications

In Trinidad and Tobago, the term inclusive and special education has emerged as an ideological compromise as the society grapples with questions of transition, fusion, and future. The compromise is a fusion of the notion that all students cannot be adequately served in the same environment, that those students diagnosed with a special need should be treated differently in a different environment. On the other hand, inclusive education in the Trinidad and Tobago context holds to the notion of strategizing so that all can be educated in the same environment. In this discourse, inclusive and special education, special education, and inclusive education are used to add clarity to issues being considered at various times in unique socio-historical contexts. This chapter reviews and highlights systemic and attitudinal changes in the policy and practice of special education in Trinidad and Tobago since 1980, and makes recommendations for future practice and research. A national survey of children with disabilities was spearheaded by Dr. Michael Marge of Syracuse University in the early 1980s under the auspices of the Organization of American States (Marge, 1984) While re-focusing on the Marge Report, some crucial questions arise—specifically, the following inquiries are addressed in this discussion: What are the key developments in inclusive and special education policy and practice in Trinidad and Tobago over the last 30 years? What is the current state of inclusive and special education policy and practice in Trinidad and Tobago? And what are the policy and practice issues impinging on the future agenda for inclusive and special education in Trinidad and Tobago? In response to these questions, developments globally will be revisited with a focus on the local environment. The current successes and challenges in the inclusive and special education environment and the future agenda for policy development, implementation and evaluation will be explored in light of what currently exists.