This year’s Conference on Inclusion Research (IFO) will take place at the University of Bremen. From February 18 to 20, more than 300 researchers will gather on campus to discuss how to make education more inclusive and involve people with disabilities and other vulnerabilities. Highlights include keynotes from disability studies, perspectives from school students, and contributions from researchers at Harvard University.
“We are delighted to host this key annual conference on inclusion research in Bremen again after 15 years and to welcome more than 300 scholars here,” says Professor Natascha Korff from the University of Bremen’s faculty of Educational Sciences. She is organizing the conference together with Professor Frank J. Müller and many colleagues from the Inclusive Education working group. The conference opens on Wednesday with a lecture by Professor Michael Zander, who will bring in the perspective of disability studies and discuss the links between broader societal questions and school structures.
“A special highlight will be Thursday afternoon, when we invite practitioners from Bremen to engage in conversation with researchers about inclusion and relationship-oriented schooling,” Korff explains. “Especially in light of current discussions on the future of the ‘Schulfrieden’ (school peace) agreement, I am eager to hear the impulses that will emerge.” The introductory talk will be given by Bremen high school student Janne Schmidmann together with Professor Jan Steffens. Also in attendance will be Mark Rackles, Senator for Children and Education, and Dr. Arne Frankenstein, Bremen State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities.
Reflecting on this year’s conference theme – “Research – Attitude – Activism? Inclusion Research between Educational Utopia and System Conformity” – Professor Frank J. Müller emphasizes: “Research, attitude, and activism belong together if we want to build a society in which all people can live, learn, and work under the best possible conditions. At the University of Bremen, this has been a guiding principle since its establishment in the 1970s.”
In addition to involving local teachers, students, and other interested participants in a BarCamp addressing current developments, the conference also shines a light on the international dimension. In a public lecture on February 20 at 11 a.m., Professor Evelynn Hammonds and Professor Timothy Patrick McCarthy from Harvard University will give a public lecture, in which they explore how inclusive education can remain viable under the increasing pressure of far-right political groups and governments.
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Interviews can be arranged with nationally recognized scholars such as Professor Andreas Hinz, Professor Annedore Prengel, or Professor Vera Moser, as well as with international colleagues, the Bremen State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, and of course the inclusion researchers at the University of Bremen and the practitioners involved in organizing the BarCamp.
Read more on Informationdienst Wissenschaft e.V. – idw
