We have learnt in this course that soft skills are key to inclusion. Here is an elaboration of soft skills.

Soft skill are abilities and character traits that enable a person to relate well with people and create a conducive environment for everyone around them. They are not seen but are strongly visible in their impact. In an inclusive school, the school administrator or the school head would set pace of inclusion by leading and working collaboratively with staff for inclusion. Such a school head leads by example and ensures that the school policies and actions of people propagate inclusion and air of inclusive sweetness flows from top to the bottom and is observable in the environment and felt by everyone around.

Inclusive school administrators are open minded, accommodating, caring and supportive in many ways such as by allocating resources for teachers’ school based professional development on inclusion and adapting curriculum and other resources to support learners with disability without neglecting other learners in the school. They sensitize everybody about inclusion in school assembly and other school gatherings including parents and Board of Management meetings. Care and concern will be extended to all children with and without disabilities and everybody in the school including teachers, support staff, parents and visitors to the school. Everybody develops a sense of ownership of the school.

The soft skills are also visible in the teachers’ attitude to their teaching profession and the students they teach. They will be caring and ensure that they teach in a way that each learner learns happily and engaged in learning. The teachers work collaboratively with colleagues and freely share ideas and freely ask for help when in need which they freely accord each other. The teachers will be caring and seek to understand the learners as individuals and address their needs as individuals. They will be mentors and counselors of their learners, work diligently and enthusiastically with their learners and remove barriers to learning in their classes. They will be kind, c fair and emphatic to the learners. Soft skills will be also be visible in the learners. They will look happy,confident, healthy obedient, of good character supportive of each other including those with disabilities; focused on learning and participating in their school activities.

Looking at the school physical environment, you will see it is adapted to accommodate everybody. There are ramps and rails to support use of wheelchairs and walking canes, the toilets will be adapted for use by children with and without disabilities and are kept sparkling clean.  The general environment is clean, secure, comfortable and inviting; there are shady trees in the compound, neat lawns, well maintained buildings, hand washing points with soap, meals and transport or accommodation are available to ensure all are healthy and able to learn. Paying a visit to the school is a positively memorable occasion. Soft skills have positive impact.

1.       What other soft skills do you think should characterize an inclusive school?

2.       Share your experiences of an inclusive school you Know

How would you your school or institution embraces soft skills