Inclusive Education South Africa (IESA)

About us

Inclusive Education South Africa (IESA) is a registered NPO that has, since 1995, been committed to promoting and supporting positive models of inclusive education in schools, preschools and other centres of learning in South Africa.

Our mission is to ensure that families, educators and service-providers of children experiencing barriers to learning have access to information, and are introduced to support networks and services that can facilitate inclusion into ordinary neighbourhood schools. This involves:
• Challenging and changing attitudes towards inclusion in education..
• Understanding inclusive education policy and its implications for the classroom setting.
• Helping educators to deal with their fears, and sensitizing them to inclusion practices.
• Informing educators and parents of support structures and resources.

Our Services
At IESA all interventions are focused towards adult educators, parents or professionals to empower their support and intervention with children experiencing barriers to learning.
• Information and Support
• ECD Practitioner and FCM Training
• Schools Inclusive Project: Equipping educators to support ALL learners.
• Professional Learning Communities

Our work:
• Early Childhood Development:
ECD Practitioner and FCM Training: This two-day training is funded by the Western Cape Department of Social Development and is an orientation for ECD Practitioners and Family and Community Motivators (FCMs) to Inclusive Education.
Inclusive ECD Centres: Each IESA supports centres on their journey toward improving early identification of, and including young children with, disabilities and other barriers to learning in their programmes.
IESA Pilot to Develop Inclusive Practice in ECD Service Provider Programmes: The aim was to build on our previous programmes with ECD Service Providers and training organisations to infuse inclusive practices into their training and service offerings.
• Schools: Northern Cape Inclusive Schools Project; The Grahamstown Inclusive Schools Project; Eastern Cape Inclusive Schools Project; Professional Learning Communities
• Advocacy Project: Inclusive Education continues to advocate for the effective implementation of inclusive education (IE). Our advocacy strategy has focused on the education system´s poor retention rates, the urgent need to fund IE by gazetting the Norms and Standards for Resourcing IE, and prompting the right to education for children with disabilities.
• Information and Support: IESA´s Information & Support service continues to receive and respond to a wide range of enquiries relating to educational access and support. These include requests for information and advice about inclusive education policies, the schooling system and sources of support for children. It provides us with huge insight into the needs of many children across the country and where there are gaps and shortfalls within the system, allowing us to advocate from a position informed by on-the-ground realities. Our aim is to inform and motivate good collaborative support to children based on an improved understanding of South Africa’s inclusive education policies, so that children are – as far as possible – in school and learning meaningfully.

Jacqi Dudley is the Branch Manager Western Cape of Inclusive Education South Africa (IESA).

For other net participants we can offer an expert guidance through trained staff, give an expert opinion, procure expert information and establish new contacts in the field of our work.