Elizabeth West Participates in Inclusive Education Summit

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Elizabeth West, eighth from right in the front row, with her International Initiative for Inclusive Education colleagues.

Dr. Elizabeth West participated in the International Initiative for Inclusive Education, including a presentation at a Hong Kong symposium and several published works. Dr. West is an assistant professor in the area of special education at the University of Washington College of Education.

The group originated at  a symposium titled, "Teacher Education for Inclusion: Changing Paradigms and Innovative Approaches." The group’s collaborative work has extended through the group of scholars as they continue to generate and disseminate innovative approaches for teacher learning for inclusive education. Dr. Chris Forlin, professor of special education at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, assembled the group.

As West states,"Developing global partnerships has been a fantastic personal and professional experience…being able to engage with so many teacher educators working in the area of inclusion from all around the world. I have developed 26 newfound friends and international research collaborators."

Routledge will be publishing a book with this work titled, Teacher Education for Inclusion:  Changing Paradigms and Innovative Approaches. An international text, it will focus on innovative practices for preparing teachers to work in inclusive classrooms and schools. "Drawing on both pre and in-service training methods, the expert contributors to this book follow three major themes: social and political challenges regarding teacher education, innovative approaches in pre-service teacher preparation, and engaging professional development for inservice teachers."

Additionally, they have published two special issues on their work in the International Journal of Inclusive Education and International Journal of Whole Schooling. They will build upon a previous presentation at the Hong Kong Institute of Education with several presentations at the Inclusive and Supportive Education Conference 2010.

Dr. West’s research focuses on transforming communities to increase access and to improve outcomes for students with low incidence disabilities. However, this international collaboration has provided a good foundation for building up her research interests.

"This global work aligns with my research agenda which is to transform communities to improve outcomes for those learners who have severe disabilities," West explains. "The ability to collaborate with others and learn across a variety of contexts has strengthened my ability to improve outcomes for those who have severe disabilities."