Charting the Geographies of Inclusive Education: Toward Sustainable Research Partnerships — A Research Conference in Honor of Judith Heumann

The Learning Differences Initiative at the Stanford Accelerator for Learning invited collaborative research teams engaged on the ground in their countries, working on advancing inclusive education. The convening brought together scholars from the global north and south who have:

• maintained strong research partnerships in disability, special and inclusive education,
• emerging visions and strategies to advocate for and implement inclusive education,
• needs in collecting and using data and evidence effectively to establish examples of inclusive practice, policy, and research, and
• strong potential to connect through global partnerships.

Together, we hope to produce new knowledge about the impact of inclusive education in the global arena. Inclusive education (IE) scholarship has two serious gaps that we are aiming to address. The first is attention to equity—how equity is defined in this literature and the equity consequences of IE implementation. The second is attention to the cultural-historical geographies of IE. IE research must account for the role of place (where IE is implemented), the histories of struggles for inclusion in distinct locations, and the cultural contexts in which IE is implemented.

We intend to coalesce knowledge production infrastructures. We want to support the growth of IE research in the global south through a research network that sustains research programs on equity issues in IE. The January 2024 conference was the first step in building this network. Together, we can support knowledge sharing and building among and between the global north and south to strategize powerful approaches to advance inclusive education locally, regionally, and globally. Our convening embraces inclusive education scholars, practitioners, and policy leaders who articulate emerging tensions and dilemmas and persistently work toward centering and maintaining equity in inclusive education.

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This event is invitation only.