Inclusive and Special Education in English-Medium, Irish-Medium, and Gaeltacht Schools

Abstract

This chapter examines the inclusion of students with additional educational needs in language education opportunities in English-medium, Irish-medium, and Gaeltacht schools in Ireland, with a particular focus on the latter two school types. The commitment to inclusive education as demonstrated by policy and in law is analysed, and the extent to which implementation aligns with this commitment is examined. This chapter demonstrates that there are ideological, policy-related, and resource-related challenges to inclusion in language education in the Irish context, and that these challenges are shared with other bilingual contexts. There has, however, been substantial progress towards inclusion in Irish-medium and Gaeltacht schools in recent years, driven largely by Irish-medium and Gaeltacht teachers, researchers, and Irish-speaking communities.