Context
10 Exclusion versus Inclusion
“Persons with disabilities are still far too excluded from society in Canada, but as a community, we are changing that.”
– Carla Qualtrough, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion. [1]
Exclusion and inclusion are two opposing concepts that profoundly impact our understanding of, and ability to prioritize, accessibility.
Exclusion refers to the phenomenon of prohibiting or preventing people with disabilities from participation in society. This can take many forms, such as discriminatory laws and policies, physical barriers to access, and societal attitudes that view people with disabilities as less capable or inferior. Exclusion can result in people with disabilities being denied opportunities for education, employment, and community participation, and can lead to social isolation, poverty, and reduced quality of life. Broadly speaking, exclusion is the denial of access.
In contrast, inclusion refers to the process of making inviting and agentic space for or involving all people, including people with disabilities, in all aspects of society. This includes ensuring that people with disabilities have equal access to education, employment, and community life, as well as promoting positive attitudes towards, and interaction with, people with disabilities. Inclusion requires removing barriers to participation, such as physical and attitudinal barriers, and providing the support and accommodations needed to enable full participation. The goal of inclusion is to create a society in which people with disabilities are valued, respected, and fully integrated, and in which they have equitable opportunities to participate and contribute. Broadly speaking, accessibility is necessary to (though not sufficient for) inclusion. Inclusion Canada’s vivid definition of inclusion is as follows:
“Everyone should have the same access to opportunities to lead a regular, fulfilled life: grow up at home with your family; be included in school with friends and peers; immerse in a hobby or sport; have a career; travel; make friends; find a soulmate; have a home of your own; and contribute to your community. These are the common building blocks for life for most people in Canada, and the dreams and aspirations of people with an intellectual disability are no different.”[2]
SPOTLIGHT – Is ‘Inclusion’ Problematic?
Despite being an antonym to exclusion, and its current ubiquitous use in the discourse on equity and diversity, the term inclusion is itself controversial, or at minimum becoming seen as outdated, among many disability activists.[3] Inclusion could be seen as implying that the dominant society gets to decide when and when not to include. Disability pride, agency, and equity are perhaps more enduring concepts.
- Government of Canada. (2023, May 24). Government of Canada hosts second annual Canadian Congress on Disability Inclusion, kicking off National AccessAbility Week 2023. https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/news/2023/05/government-of-canada-hosts-second-annual-canadian-congress-on-disability-inclusion-kicking-off-national-accessability-week-2023.html ↵
- Inclusion Canada. Who We Are [website]. https://inclusioncanada.ca/who-we-are/ ↵
- We are grateful to Colleen Huston of the Disability Action Hall for pointing this out. ↵
