Introduction to socially inclusive learning

Five steps to promoting social inclusion

How can we achieve social inclusion? There is no simple answer or a quick recipe for this. But we should all remember that exclusion is not destiny for those groups mentioned before. Change is always possible. History is full of social transformation examples in relation to social inclusion such as the end of racial segregation in the US, and the South Africa, women rights movement as well as LGBTQ movement.
There exist several framework suggested for promoting social inclusion. One can start with removing the barriers for social inclusion. UN suggest following steps for removing the barriers:

  • Eliminating discriminatory laws and practices
  • Taking special measures to eliminate discrimination
  • International policy frameworks in relation to social groups
  • Transforming the mindset of people

Another Goran Therborn (2007, p. 2, cited in DESA 2009) suggested five hierarchical and incremental steps to promote social inclusion. For successful implementation, each step should be fulfilled and achieved before moving to next step.

These five categories of inclusion could be considered as incremental steps to promote social inclusion. These steps are hierarchical with visibility as the first step. Without the possibility to fulfil the lower steps the person is deterred and limited from climbing to the next step. Each of the five steps can be approached and understood in terms of both “process” and “contents”.

Five steps to promoting social inclusion. Source: DESA 2009, p.14.
The five steps can be explained as follows (DESA, 2009, p. 14-15):
  1. Visibility: First and foremost, people need to be noticed, recognized, and have their own voices. There is no possibility of having a voice if an individual or group is not accounted for and represented in the processes that make up formal society. One of the greatest difficulties even at a local level is the actual census of population. People remain uncounted and therefore invisible.
  2. Consideration:  The concerns and needs of individuals and groups are taken into account by policy-makers. Often policy-makers do not consider the poor and other marginalized groups as important stakeholders, and therefore, do not incorporate their needs and concerns.
  3. Access to Social Interactions: People must be able to engage in society’s activities and social networks in their daily life, including economic, social, cultural, religious, and political activities.
  4. Rights: People must have rights to act and claim, rights to be different, legal rights, rights to access social services, such as housing, education, transportation, and health care. They must have the right to work and the right to participate in social, cultural and political life. The right to claim will regress if one is discriminated.
  5. Resources to fully participate in society:  Those who do not have access to rights are not able to participate fully in society. However, even if people have rights to access, they cannot participate fully without adequate resources. Therefore, resources to fully participate in all aspects of societal activities are the ultimate step for successful social inclusion. It is not only because of lack of financial resources that people are unable to participate, or stop participating, but also because of conditions, such as insufficient time or energy, spatial distance, lack of recognition, lack of respect, physical conditions or constraints. These elements all need to be taken into consideration

Author responsible of this learning unit: Filiz Keser Aschenberger, Danube University Krems