Oxoby (2009:7) maintains that individuals can be directly excluded due to discrimination, resulting from their inability to acquire certain resources. However, individuals can also be excluded indirectly because of their inability to participate in social, political or economic institutions (Oxoby, 2009:7). Westfall (2010:7) argues that nutritious food, suitable housing, essential material goods, health, medical care and anti-addiction services are societal assets to which all members should have access. She further stresses the importance of participation of members in various activities such as employment, education, arts and cultural activities, sport and recreation as well as elections, consultations and decision- making groups.
Social inclusion can alleviate poverty and its consequences, such as unmet basic needs, restricted human rights and participation for individuals as well as social groups (Aparicio, 2013:2). Income is a key factor in the acquisition of basic necessities. However, people can also suffer from social deprivation due to other aspects than poverty (Aparicio, 2013:4). According to Aparicio (2013:2), governments should ensure that all people have access to basic needs and are able to exercise their rights. This is important because an individual’s abilities will be limited if his/her basic needs and rights are unmet.
21 According to Westfall (2010:11), community assets are the availability of essential goods and services, places of employment, arts and recreation facilities, access to healthcare, community safety as well as freedom from discrimination and prejudice. Westfall’s research finds these assets important as most schools where learners receive LS are situated in low socio-economic areas, where these community assets are not always accessible.
According to the researcher, learners experiencing barriers to learning are often victims of discrimination and prejudice in societies, due to their limited academic abilities. They are not in a position to choose which school to attend and experience limited employment options after their school careers. The influence of barriers is confirmed by Westfall (2010:52) when she lists ‘health problems and disabilities’ as the cause for 7% of the members of a community in Yukon, Canada being unemployed. Another 3% are unemployed because they cannot find appropriate work, which is another aspect that should be considered for the employment of people with barriers to learning. Westfall (2010:38) also observed that many single parents experience discrimination due to their family type. According to the researcher, families with children who are experiencing barriers to learning can be branded as a certain family type and be discriminated against. In the research done by Westfall (2010:xx) it was found that the long distance of schools from the people’s living communities is a contributing factor to their dropping out of school in Yukon. According to the researcher, this same problem can arise in South Africa if all learners who experience barriers to learning were placed in special schools. There are very few special schools in South Africa and these schools are often far from a learner’s hometown or the community where he/she lives. Thus support should be given to learners experiencing barriers to learning in an MS school that is close to where he/she lives, in order to accommodate the learner.
In order to achieve social inclusion, a country should identify the social and economic groups who are vulnerable or excluded and actively seek ways to overcome these barriers and ensure full access to basic services and opportunities for all (Bennett, 2002:9). According to Bennett (2002:13), social inclusion can be achieved by removing all institutional barriers and improving incentives to provide access to assets and development opportunities to diverse groups and individuals. Therefore, the school as an institution should aim to remove all barriers at institutional (school) level that hinder the participation and access to learning of learners with diverse learning needs. Social inclusion can also be achieved by applying social capital and social cohesion. Social capital refers to an individual’s sacrifices, which include his/her time, effort and consumption, to promote collaboration with others. Social cohesion refers to the collaboration between members of society and it depends on the social capital of a society (Oxoby, 2009:5). Inclusion can be measured in terms of trust between individuals and their investment in social capital (Oxoby, 2002).
22 Bennett (2002:21) points out that empowerment and social inclusion are intertwined. Empowerment of socially excluded people will enhance social inclusion, while social inclusion of excluded groups will automatically bring about empowerment. Empowerment refers to the advancement of peoples’ capabilities in order to enhance their engagement, influence and accountability in the institutions where they belong (Bennett, 2002:22). It is important to improve access to assets and services for the poor in order to achieve social inclusion. However, Bennett (2002:22) stresses the importance of ensuring that the poor take some level of responsibility for improving their own situation and develop a sense of accountability. Oxoby (2009:1-2) agrees that social inclusion can be achieved by developing successful growth strategies, by fighting poverty as well as by increasing the economic well- being of the community.
Westfall (2010:62) explains three steps to achieving social inclusion. These steps are the preventative approach, the facilitative approach and community revitalization. Preventative approaches include early childhood development programs, literacy support programs and educational support. These programs aim to lower the probability of learners ending up at risk of social exclusion and at the same time help those who are already in these groups to move out of them (Westfall, 2010:62). The researcher is of the opinion that the current LS program that is used in the Western Cape forms part of a preventative approach. Learners who experience perceptual, mathematical and literacy problems are identified in the foundation phase and LS and interventions class are provided in the foundation phase. This aims to prevent the occurrence of serious barriers to learning which might lead to learners being unsuccessful in MS education. The researcher is also of the opinion that the new SIAS policy document will enhance early identification and help to prevent academic barriers to learning. The Strategy for Screening, Identification, Assessment and Support (SIAS) was developed and tested by the District-Based Support Teams in order to serve as a tool for planning of learner support (DoE, 2010:8-9). The purpose of the SIAS policy is to provide a framework for the standardisation of the procedures to identify, assess and provide programmes for all learners who need additional support. This policy aims to improve access and quality of education for learners who experience barriers to learning (DoE, 2014:10). The SIAS policy further aims to establish early identification of barriers to learning and to provide effective interventions, in order to minimize learning breakdown and potential dropout later in schooling (DoE, 2014:10).
The facilitative approach will support those learners who are socially excluded to overcome their barriers to social inclusion (Westfall, 2010:62). Learning support in the Western Cape can also be seen as a facilitative approach, helping learners to overcome their learning barriers, in order to be academically successful and continue with further education, rather than dropping out of school. According to Camilleri-Cassar (2014:256), learners who drop out
23 of school are more vulnerable for social exclusion, due to their lower socio-economic status. This approach will not lift people out of their vulnerable situation, but it will at least benefit the individual and the community (Westfall, 2010:62). Community revitalization is a process that aims to encourage the community to change to an inclusive society. Strategies that address discrimination and exclusion aims to change the mind-set of the community (Westfall, 2010:62). According to the researcher, LS should aim to include all learners in the MS school while giving them the necessary support to be successful. The current LS model also makes provision for the training of Grade R parents, to enable them to deal with barriers to learning that might arise in their children.