Session Information
04 SES 11 B, Analyses of Policy Documents II.
Paper Session
Contribution
The International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF) is meant to be a universal language for professionals working with functioning and health in children and adults. So far most applications of ICF have been in the field of health sciences. Is it also applicable to education? This paper aims to present the outcome of a systematic literature review in the fields of education, more specifically education of children with disabilities or special educational needs and the ICF. Devised as a complementary classification of health and functioning by the World Health Organisation (WHO) in 2001 with a child and youth version (ICF-CY) published in 2007, it introduces a biopsycosocial approach to functioning. This stresses the importance of the environment and participation experience and incorporates components described at the body, individual and societal levels. One of the aims of inclusive education is to enhance the access and participation of children with disabilities (UNESCO, 1994; United Nations, 1989, 2006). From a disability perspective the biopsychosocial model emphasizes that the needs of persons with disabilities being not just medical but more broadly, social, educational and functional in nature (Simeonsson et al., 2003). Disability is understood as a complex interaction between a health condition and contextual factors and not as an attribute of a person.
The ICF appears to be mostly used in the medical field with reviews highlighting its use and applications (Bruyère, Van Looy, & Peterson, 2005). However, if there is considerable work done in terms of the use of the ICF/ICF-CY in the medical and rehabilitation fields, this does not appear to be the case when we consider its presence, concepts and model in the field of education: it is unknown how well received or known the ICF is in the educational field. Thus, this literature review intends to situate the current debates in education, such as additional support, eligibility, and goal planning, which relate to the ICF and its concepts and also to report the extent to which it is being used. The main interest of this literature review is to explore how the ICF and its child and youth version (ICF-CY), are currently situated in the field of education with respect to various processes at different levels with an international perspective. This research focus can be broken into three key questions:
- Is the ICF/ ICF-CY is used in educational context today? If yes, how is it used?
- What critical points arise when using the ICF/ ICF-CY in educational settings, namely what are the possible effects of the use of the ICF/ ICF-CY in the approaches to additional support provision with a view to ensuring inclusion?
- Are the ICF/ ICF-CY components present in the reviewed articles, namely how is the environment described, which personal factors are mentioned, and how is the concept of participation used?
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
Bruyère, S. M., Van Looy, S. A., & Peterson, D. B. (2005). The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health: Contemporary Literature Overview. Rehabilitation Psychology 50(2), 113-121. Simeonsson, R. J., Leonardi, M., Lollar, D., Bjorck-Akesson, E., Hollenweger, J., & Martinuzzi, A. (2003). Applying the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) to measure childhood disability. Disability and Rehabilitation, 25(11-12), 602-610. UNESCO (1994). Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Needs Education. United Nations. (1989). Convention on the Rights of the Child. United Nations. (2006). Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. WHO. (2001). International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. Geneva: WHO. WHO. (2007). International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, Version for Children and Youth, ICF-CY. Geneva: WHO.
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