The evolution from integration to inclusion: the Hong Kong tale

Abstract

As a worldwide movement, some forms or stages of inclusive education have been experimented and/or mandated in various countries since the mid-1970s. Integration was piloted in Hong Kong in 1997 and remains the official rhetoric and policy. Three developmental phases of inclusive education, namely, integration, integration in transition to inclusion, and inclusion, are described in this article according to the defining characteristics of integration and inclusion. Issues in policies and practices as reported in various studies are described to illustrate the development of each phase in Hong Kong. Based on a critical review of the said defining characteristics, current policies and practices which offer insight into the indicators signifying the migration to inclusion, I argue that Hong Kong has entered the stage of inclusion and that it was achieved by public pressure for improvement of practices instead of policy directions. This article concludes with recommendations made to sustain effective practices of inclusion.

Keywords:

• integration
• inclusive education
• special education policies
• Hong Kong
• learning disabilities

Notes on contributor

Kim Fong Poon-McBrayer is currently Associate Professor and Associate Head of Department of Education Policy & Leadership at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, Dr. Poon-McBrayer has been a teacher and teacher educator for over 30 years in Hong Kong (University of Hong Kong), the United States (Monmouth University), Singapore (Nanyang Technological University), Macao (St. Joseph's University), and Brunei (University of Brunei). She has published extensively in the areas of inclusive education, learning disabilities, and multicultural issues in the classrooms. Her recent research interests have expanded to policy and leadership issues with regard to education reforms, transition planning, lifelong learning and post-secondary support for students with disabilities, and policymaking.