| Summary: | Inclusive education is the official school policy in Iceland. It was first enacted in the compulsory school law in 2008. The policy aims to meet students’ academic and social needs in general schooling with human dignity, democracy, and social justice as guiding principles. Although the policy’s human rights approach is generally accepted, it has proved difficult to implement effectively, not least at the secondary school level, where the education of students with intellectual disabilities still takes place within self-contained programs in schools. In the recent Act on the Integration of Services in the Interest of Children’s Prosperity, a new emphasis regarding support for children is outlined. It calls for educational changes to support students with intellectual disabilities at the upper secondary school level. According to these laws, medical diagnosis is no longer a prerequisite for receiving support within the education system. Inclusive education is a process. The emphasis on inclusion as a reform was supposed to enhance students’ possibilities of belonging and participating. It was intended to shift the focus from the placement of students by removing the environmental, attitudinal, or structural barriers to children’s participation. Emphasis is placed on a conceptual change in thinking about inclusive education, which entails shifting the focus from viewing inclusive education through the lens of students with special needs to viewing it as inclusive schools and inclusive learning environments for children with different social backgrounds and physical attributes. According to the national curriculum guide for upper secondary schools, the school system’s role is to promote the comprehensive education of students and offer an education suitable for each individual. This includes providing a wide range of studies about academic studies as well as vocational studies. Students who do not meet the admission requirements for general courses, such as students with intellectual disabilities, are able to study ...
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