"One policy would never fit all": teachers' experiences teaching students with disabilities in inclusive elementary classrooms in Nova Scotia

This thesis explores teachers' experiences teaching in inclusive classrooms in Nova Scotia, in accordance with the most recent Inclusive Education Policy. This thesis utilizes semi-structured interviews with teachers to gain insight into their experiences. This thesis uses critical disability studies, ability studies and system theory to interpret that data. The data collected from the interviews exposed the reality for teachers teaching in inclusive classrooms in Nova Scotia. The sharing of these experiences also highlighted the absences in the Inclusive Education Policy. I found that there are many common concerns among teachers in inclusive classrooms in Nova Scotia, which the policy fails to address or provide solutions for. Teachers identified that a main concern of theirs was teaching students with behavioural disabilities in their classrooms. Teachers also identified that the lack of TAs, large class sizes and lack of training were main concerns of theirs regarding enacting inclusive education in their classrooms. Teachers also reported being concerned with the lack of acknowledgement of issues affecting students outside of the classroom, in their homelife, that may affect them in the classroom in the policy. I highlight the gaps in the policy through an examination of teachers' experiences with implementing the central components of the policy. After disclosing these gaps, I provide possible policy changes to attempt to bridge the gaps in the policy that teachers had identified during this research, and in pre-existing literature such as policy regarding behavioural management, smaller class sizes, a hiring surge of TA's, more training on how to teach students with diverse learning needs, and consultation with teachers in the development of any future educational policies.