Description
In this presentation we introduce a transformative framework of Disability Equity Education grounded in the perspectives and experiences of children who experience disability. Through participatory, arts-based research and accessible, multimodal communication methods, children shared rich insights into their experiences of inclusion, exclusion, and disability. It is from these generative engagements that a framework of Disability Equity Education emerged. A framework that foregrounds authentic belonging and challenges superficial, paternalistic notions of inclusion.By centring children's lived realities and ways of knowing, in this presentation we respond to the AARE 2025 conference theme, forging new connections between children who are traditionally positioned as subjects of research and those of us producing educational theory. The Disability Equity Education framework explored within this presentation exemplifies how educational research can be reoriented around relational, anti-ableist principles that honour children as co-theorists and knowledge holders.
Disability Equity Education opens new directions for educational research by reframing inclusion not as a benevolent act but as a systemic imperative. Co-researched by disabled and non-disabled researchers in Australia and Scotland, this work brings together critical pedagogy, lived experience, and policy critique to propose a deeply embedded, equity-centred approach to educational reform. In doing so, we call for inclusion to be redefined as a structural commitment to justice. A commitment that sees all learners as active, valued participants in shaping their educational communities.
In this presentation we offer a timely and necessary intervention: a vision of inclusive education that is built from the ground up, led by children’s perspectives, and capable of driving meaningful transformation across educational research, practice, and policy.
| Period | 3 Dec 2025 |
|---|---|
| Event title | Australian Association for Research in Education 2025 Conference |
| Event type | Conference |
| Location | Newcastle, Australia, New South WalesShow on map |
| Degree of Recognition | International |