Researching Special and Inclusive Education

Dr Kerry Vincent is a Senior Lecturer in Inclusive Education at the University of Canterbury (NZ) and has a particular interest in learner ‘differences’ and how these are conceptualized and responded to within schools. In the past, she has worked as a teacher, educational psychologist and researcher. Her interest in inclusive education was sparked in her second year of teaching when she unexpectedly found herself the teacher of a profoundly deaf child. She learned, often through trial and error, that the best outcomes occurred when she focused not on learner ‘differences’ but rather on how to modify the educational environment in ways that would support children’s learning and well-being. She also learned that children and young people have valuable insights to contribute to our understandings of them, if only we take the time and find the means to truly listen to what they have to say.

Dr Helen Benstead is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Education at the University of Sunderland and is Programme Leader of the MA in Special Educational Needs, Disability and Inclusion. Helen has considerable experience in the teaching of research methods in education and supervision of research in this field, with a specific interest in innovative methodologies to support and enable the participation of a range of children and adults with additional needs. Helen has published widely on the role of Teaching Assistants and their impact on the social inclusion of pupils identified with SEND. Helen has worked in central and local government, as a policy maker/advisor on Education and Youth at Mayor of London and within the Cabinet Office, and runs a social enterprise supporting Teaching Assistants in schools across the country.