What new research findings are there on conflicts of interest in inclusive schools, or on ADHD as a category of ‘non-normal’ behaviour in special education? How do researchers and professionals view specific issues relating to inclusion – such as parenthood amongst people with learning difficulties, or the role of professional development for teachers in this field? Researchers from the Centre for Inclusion Research Berlin (ZfIB) at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU) discuss these and other questions with their guests in their podcast ‘Inklusionsfragen’. The latest episode features Dr Stefanie Müller from the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at HU, an expert in the field of education for people with intellectual disabilities.
What does the podcast cover?
The ‘Inklusionsfragen’ podcast from the Centre for Inclusion Research Berlin at HU focuses on the latest findings from inclusion research and discusses them with experts from academia and practice. The 14 episodes of the first series and two episodes of the second series released so far reflect a wide variety of topics and issues: for example, they have covered conflicts of interest in inclusive schools and the way in which parenthood among people with learning difficulties is discussed in society. Other topics included the contradictions arising from the identification of special educational needs and professional development for teachers on reflecting on discrimination in schools.
Who is the target audience?
Just like the Centre for Inclusion Research itself, the podcast is aimed at anyone from the fields of academia, politics and society who is interested in issues relating to inclusion research. The individual episodes pose critical questions about current developments and the challenges facing an inclusive society.
Who are the creators?
The production is a joint project by members of the ZfIB. The editorial team includes Dr Matthias Olk (University of Bremen), Caroline Junge (Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg), Prof. Dr Christian Brüggemann (University of Applied Sciences for Social Work and Education, Berlin) and Dr Ellen Brodesser (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin).
What is the current episode about?
Entitled ‘Educating, Advocating, Speaking Out: Constructions of Disability Even in the Age of Inclusion?!’, the latest episode focuses on the topic of education for people with intellectual disabilities. The guest is Dr Stefanie Müller from the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences at Humboldt University, who describes educating, appealing and advocating as the characteristic tasks in the field of education for people with intellectual disabilities. In the context of a ‘pedagogy of othering’, Ellen Brodesser, co-editor of the podcast and managing director of the ZfIB, discusses with Stefanie Müller the self-image and tasks of special needs education for people with intellectual disabilities. The discussion centres on the question of how this form of education legitimises itself through a particular group of people by addressing them – and thereby, in a sense, creating them itself – and whether special education for people with intellectual disabilities should not, in fact, abolish itself in order to pave the way towards the goal of inclusion. The introduction is spoken by Caroline Junge, also a co-editor of the podcast and a PhD student at the HU.
Who hosts the podcast? Who are the guests?
The podcast’s editors take turns hosting alongside other researchers in the field of inclusion research. Guests include researchers and practitioners who are addressing current issues in inclusion and presenting new findings or research projects.
What’s next?
Three further episodes are planned for this year. The topics are ‘Democracy education’, ‘Voices from welcome classes’ and ‘Sexual self-determination and disability’.