Diversity, Inclusion and Special Education: A Media Analysis Report

This report delves into the critical intersection of diversity, inclusion, and special education, analyzing the impact of media on these vital areas. It begins by examining three media items—a film, a piece of literature, and a multimedia item—and their portrayal of inclusion issues, particularly focusing on poverty within a primary school context. The report then explores key theoretical frameworks, including deficit theory, normalization, social and cultural capital, and neoliberalism, to understand how they promote or hinder inclusive practices. A detailed analysis of the chosen media items, such as the film "Dangerous Minds" and the children's book "Dust," reveals the practical implications of these theories and their influence on educational settings. The report also highlights the challenges faced by students from disadvantaged backgrounds and proposes strategies for creating more inclusive and equitable learning environments, emphasizing the importance of awareness, acceptance, and the normalization of inclusive practices within primary school curricula. The student's report stresses the need for educators to address communication deficits and foster environments that support the diverse needs of all learners.

Running head: DIVERSITY, INCLUSION AND SPECIAL EDUCATION
Diversity, Inclusion and Special Education
Name of the Student:
Name of University:
Author Note

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DIVERSITY, INCLUSION AND SPECIAL EDUCATION
1. Media and Aspects of Inclusion
Area of Education: Primary School
Issue of Inclusion: Poverty
Name of
Media Item Description of Media Item
Inclusion Issue Addressed (name the issue
and say how the media item addresses the
issue)
1. Film
Dangerous
Minds by
John N.
Smith
Movies which portray the horror and
suffering of a child as they die of
starvation in Africa helps them
understand the value of commodities
which they have access to, easily.
Dangerous Minds provide a very
emotional and sensitive perspective of the
ultimate impact of poverty and harshness
on children. They get moulded into people
who take help of violation to cope with
the world.
2. Piece of
Literature
Dust by
Colin
Thompson
The story put forward by Colin
Thompson paints a heartbreaking image
for the kids and help them realise how
cruel and unfair the world is, in real and
in all its guises.
The story addresses and depicts the actual
condition of the people in Africa who die
because of starvation. The narration puts
across the real scenario without use of
sentimentality, mostly what we all tend to
look away from.
3.
Multimedia
Item
SimCity for
Multimedia
SimCity is a game which allows kids to
build cities with their own understanding,
virtually. The aim of the game is to
promote thoughts of sustainability and
enable them with the knowledge of
Engineering, Technology, science and
mathematics.
The game provides an understanding of
the environment, socio-economic factors
which play roles and affect the larger
framework of a society. The game in
unlike many other. It helps to develop a
holistic view of the world which provides
opportunity to everyone and is inclusive in
nature.

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2. Theories which help Promote Inclusion in Society
Deficit Theory
The deficit theory explains the disadvantages faced by students coming from families
which belong to socio-economically backward classes. These children are often unable to
express themselves or adapt to situations, as they grow up in environment where they do not get
well equipped to cope with the situations. When these children face authority or people
belonging to higher or privileged social classes, they tend to shy away or get intimidated. These
children lack the foundation which enable them to belong and perform like others (Battiste,
2017). Thus, we notice that these children often do not perform as well as the others or how they
are expected to perform like. However, they may also be unable to express their potential and
capabilities because of the attitudes and approaches with which they get dealt with by the
teachers. Teachers often tend to judge and isolate the kids who perform poorly rather than
assessing their weaknesses and help them to overcome those (McCoy et al., 2016). This leave
negative impact on the mind of the children who already exhibit traits of deficiency and
withdrawal. Sense of defeat get generated in the children due to the apathetic behaviour of
teachers and other students alike. Thus, teachers must pay attention to such traits of children and
aim to help them overcome the weaknesses rather than setting standards of expectations and
judging them on those parameters, as others.
Normalization
Normalization can be referred to as the theory which regards the social norms and
behaviours which fall outside the normal, but with extensive practice and over time, it is socially
normalized. Through normalization, ideal or standard codes of conduct ar1e set by exercising
disciplinary power. Deviating from these may lead to punishments and penalties. One might also

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be regarded as a person lacking moral and social sensitivity, if they exhibit any behaviour of
deviance from the normal. However, normalization can also operate as a tool to improve
condition of the poor, unprivileged and disabled, in order to develop practices of inclusion.
Normalization can also help in undoing the stigmas and prejudices of the society (Fedorov&
Levitskaya, 2015). Normalization of treating everyone as precious and special, lead to better
results rather than other service approaches. Devaluing people for their social, linguistic,
economic or physical capabilities are sheer manifestation of superiority. Normalization is deeply
linked to culture, history and values and thus, must be perceived with sensibility. In order to be
inclusive about the less and underprivileged people of the society, it is required to normalize
beliefs and treat them as human beings first. It is perhaps, necessary to consider them as equal
citizens who can adapt and develop like responsive organisms (Hodge, Lieberman & Murata,
2017). These rationales and beliefs can ascertain normalization of people who are not treated
normally or has been, with time normalized to treat them scornfully and hence, isolating them.
Social and Cultural Capital
Social and Cultural Capital tend to dictate and lay standards for social and cultural
practices within the society. This creates division in the society as the upper class tend to devalue
and condescend the taste of the people belong to the lower or lesser privileged classes (Haug,
2017). Therefore, it also leads to social exclusion because of social and cultural differences.
People tend to look down at people who lack access and ability to have lifestyle same as the
people who constitute the privileged class. These practices creates social inequality and barriers
and therefore, discrimination too. Social and cultural capital operate as a force which dominate
and dictate people who are fortunate to access their rights, when the others are not (Costa et al.,
2018). The proletariat pick up behavioural traits of the bourgeois in order to belong and be

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accepted within the society. Social inclusion can be developed if social and cultural capital can
be utilized in order to create awareness. This can help in educating the poor and less privileged
people to gain access to public services.
Neoliberalism
Neoliberalism can enable people to look at education as a means to improve and enhance
society and develop economic good. If a society and its government aim at increasing the literacy
level of the youth, it will eventually evolve into a better state and society. Authors argue that
Neoliberalism can operate a force shaping the world today. This, as a theory has come down
from liberalism with specific focus on the aspect of economic liberalism (Allington & McGill-
Franzen, 2018). Poverty has been multidimensional and an element for understanding society
and its function. The problem with the world is the way it looks at poverty being evil force which
is untameable (Kubey, 2018). However, neoliberalism, looks at poverty with a dynamic view,
which take into consideration factors like, Culture, Intellectuality, Spiritual and Cognitive
understanding, Economy and Society. It states that poverty must be addressed by devising
strategies which will acknowledge all these aspects of poverty and just look at poverty as a force
alone. Therefore, it will be more effective to reduce sufferings of the people who are poverty
stricken and caught up in the web of the real world (Florian, Rouse & Black-Hawkins, 2016). As
a result, a social must aim at educating the children in Primary School which will help in
including the students belonging to the backward classes of the society to uphold the values and
cater to their needs who are suffering. Ensuring these would make it easier to develop
mechanisms to cope with poverty as well as, provide services to the poop, disabled, less
fortunate and disabled.
3. Analysis of theoretical and practical practices with respect to the three Media

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Dangerous Mind by John N. Smith
The film concerns a group of teenagers having lower class backgrounds who Louanne
Johnson is supposed to tutor. She gets faced by challenges while undertaking the role as a
teacher at the inner city school. Though she tries to reach out and bring changes in the
environment and approaches of her students, she gets hindered and realizes that there is not
enough responses to proceed with the process. She soon gets to witness the neighborhood of
the place, where most of the students inhabited (Fedorov& Levitskaya, 2015). While
witnessing the condition of the neighborhood, she gets appalled by the state in which they
live. Most of the people living in the locality were homeless and under the influence of drugs.
Some even sold drugs to people and were parts of a bigger and nastier system. The film
portrays the poverty stricken condition of the place by showing broken windows, busted
buildings, walls painted by kids with messages. The place reeks poverty, violence and fear.
Louanne invests her best efforts to bring about a change in the scenario. It is perfectly
depicted by the song Gangsta’s Paradise by Coolio, which plays like a background for the
homeless people dealing with drugs and choosing a lifestyle which has got into the normalcy
(Guimarães & Fernandes, 2018). A reflection into their culture and lives reveal influence and
isolation of the society. These people are bereft of the opportunities in life as compared to the
privileged ones. These practices and condition of living have become their strategic
essentialism, in order to combat and survive through the ruins of time and society. The
dreadful condition in which they live, became perpetual and a part of the necessities of their
lives.
The students who Louanne teaches come from poor working class backgrounds with little
or no understanding of education therefore, withdrawal too. These people constitute the

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minority of the society with no apparent interest in education, knowledge or intention of
improving their condition of living. This is a result of the violence, which they were a part of
and eventually became a part of their survival. They used violence as their defense
mechanism in order to extract what they wanted. Asserting power and control became a way
of living as there was no other way of getting at it. Louanne tries to break the cycle of their
life by altering the standardized curriculum of the school. She even tries to help the child
whose life was in danger but all her endeavors prove to be futile. She intended to make them
interested in educating by altering the course structure and by opting for ways which will
make them feel loved and comfortable. She offered rewards for performing well and took
them on field trips in order to motivate them to study and push their own limits (Armstrong,
Armstrong & Barton, 2016). It is not easy to bring change and break the shackles of society
which hold the unprivileged as hostages. In order to bring about changes and be inclusive, it
requires awareness and acceptance, which the upper class people are often indifferent about.
They tend to discriminate and condescend their ways if life and exert superior cultural and
social beliefs. These often tend to isolate and intimidate the underprivileged class. Inclusion
is to be brought into societal practices by normalizing what are considered to be the taboos.
These learnings should be part of the Primary School curriculum which must be enforced
while educating people of every class, without any prejudice or bias (Liasidou & Symeou,
2018). Children coming from such environment are not well equipped to develop kids with
great communication abilities, therefore they tend to shy away when they interact or socialize
with people who belong to upper classes and with access to privileges and luxury. Deficit
theory states that the home environment is not adequate to prepare to perform as efficiently

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as they are expected to. This can be overcame by acknowledging the weaknesses in
communication, knowledge and behavior resulting from the environment deficit.
Dust by Colin Thompson
Dust is a narrative account of a boy dying of hunger and starvation in Australia. The first
person narration of the story begins with a phrase ‘I died last night’. It brings out the brutal
side of society due to which the future of the unprivileged people are uncertain. These people
are helpless and their fate rest in the hands of the powerful and mighty. The privileged ones
of the society have access and rights over everything whereas, these people cannot even fill
their own bellies. These facts are brutal and people need to pay attention to the dreadful
situations of the poverty stricken people (Liasidou & Symeou, 2018). Whereas, they are
much absorbed in gathering their luxuries. The wealthy and privileged west chooses to look
away from what demands aid and help. These children continue to die. In Dust, Colin
Thompson portrays the suffering these children goes through without the use of
sentimentality. He projects the horror and helplessness of the people through mere facts and
dry description of events. Colin Thompson states that in an ideal and perfect world, there
would not have been any such need to write this book.
On the contrary, the world is far from being perfect and full of dread and misery. People
still are indifferent towards the sufferings they go through every day and are absorbed to full
their wishes and demands, when they cannot even provide for their basic necessities (Khalifa,
2016). People waste food and throw them away while these kids go to sleep with empty
bellies and die of starvation. The world is full of ironies but this is not the one we want to
keep on pervading humanity. It has been normalized that the unprivileged class will continue
getting exploited and keep on suffering without the world noticing the plight. Through the

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implementation of the theories of social and cultural capital, students can be educated to be
more compassionate and wise. This would enable the students to develop better insight about
the world and another world which goes unnoticed and undervalued. The world which keeps
suffering and continues to be exploited because it benefits the upper and privileged class of
the society (Turmusani, 2018). The world is further stratified by the people in power as they
get benefitted from the division of classes. Dust needs to be included in the curriculum as it
will equip the minds of the children to understand that a part of the world does not get to ear
and dies of starvation while we are only bothered about our luxuries not being fulfilled. It
presents us with a picture which makes us confront our own indifferences and selfishness
(Ainscow, 2016). Humanity is degrading and we still choose to remain blind towards these
facts and realities. The reality of the privileged and well to do people do not even allow them
to perceive the pain and wretchedness of most others.
Dust is an account which voices the concerns of dying children in the poorest parts of the
world. It also aims to provide voice to the people living in the poorest part of the world and
highlight the humanitarian values which are put at stake in order to fulfil the selfish needs.
Reading these books will enrich the minds of children and enable them to also understand
about the disasters and struggles people go through every day for a living and some bread,
whereas, these do not even concern the most of the people (Westwood, 2018). Millions of
people live in peace whereas the others are in dire need of help. It is very important to raise
children with the basic values of humanity. These need to be inculcated in order to build a
community which thrives to help each other.
SimCity Game

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SimCity is a computer based game which enables kids to understand about the
sustainability of the environment. It did not initially come across as a game with cultural and
historical significance (Goings & Ford, 2018). It enables the players to understand the
complex nature of the world through a game which is an entertainment medium. The players
are supposed to build cities which are sustainable in nature. SimCity generates feeling of
belongingness to community and planning which is required in order to live harmoniously. It
is unlike the games which involves violence as a tool to play against an opponent and team.
The games which include such tools generate feelings of hatred and antagonism in kids and
young adults (Messiou, 2017). Whereas, SimCity can be regarded as an educational tool
which build an understanding of the real world among the players. This compels the students
to think about community, environment and community in terms of common good. It is
important to teach kids to evaluate the world in terms of future rather than just their own
good. The world belongs to everybody and it will only be sustainable in nature if we
understand the true value of the resources. It also aims at helping the young players become
more creative and observant about the world they live in (Piette & Giroux 2018). The
educational game can be included in curriculum of the students for making them understand
the learning objectives which are linked to it. It also helps the student broaden their
perspectives and perspective about efficient urban planning. The game requires the players to
build a growing world which esteems the purpose of making its residents happy and live
harmoniously. As Neoliberalism theory suggests, that it is required to make market free of
capitalistic forces and develop newer models of advancements which are rooted in liberalism.
SimCity makes its players, who usually are young adults understand the world with an
advanced perspective. This helps them understand complex ideas like economy, land control,

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market policies which later on become useful for their understanding of the world (Sue et al.,
2019). Youth of a society is the primary determining factor if its growth and future. If they
are familiar with these ideas, it will be easier and favorable for the society as a whole, to
develop more enriching and developed ideas to procure collective good. This would inculcate
in them, values of inclusion rather than exclusion. Sustainable development of a city can only
be implemented with good thoughts and understanding of community and practices. It is
important to be kind and compassionate about the people who live around us. Despite
differences we need to function collectively and aim towards greater good (Sue et al., 2019).
People who are poor and cannot afford to have proper shelter, it should also be seen that they
get access to resources. It should be ensured by the government to provide proper shelter and
basic amenities to the less privileged.
Conclusion
It is very important to respect diversity within community and work towards benefitting the
common good. Integrity keeps society intact. Students must be taught from a very early age, to
be kind and sensitive towards the people who are not as privileged as others. People can be
challenged physically, economically or socially but others should know how to address them and
treat them with the respect and integrity they deserve. People develop understanding about
oneself, others and the world very early in life, therefore they must be presented with the right
kind of literature and media in order to develop the right perspective of viewing the world. Texts
like Dust, movies like Dangerous Minds and games such as SimCity and other educational
games should be included in educational curriculums, in order to provide them with ideas which
will equip them with greater and wiser perspectives.

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