2020 Special Education International Conference at NTNU to Promote Inclusion Education
Inclusion in education refers to a model wherein students with special needs spend most or all their time with non-special needs students. Since 1990s, inclusion education has become prominent in special education. In order to promote the theoretical development of inclusion education and the exchange of experience in the Asia-Pacific region, the Special Education Center of National Taiwan Normal University was commissioned by the Ministry of Education to conduct the "2020 Special Education International Conference: Inclusive Education and Career Development " from November 2 to 4. Special education scholars and experts in Taiwan and abroad were invited to attend the forum online.
Director of Special Education Center Hu Shin Tzu serves as the chairperson of the conference. She hopes that the conference can shed light on the learning situation of children with disabilities and the challenges they may face after graduation.
Political Deputy Minister of Education Tsai Ching Hwa attended the opening. He hopes that international scholars can share their thoughts and innovative ideas in this seminar and provide an outlook for special education planning.
President Wu Cheng Chi said that this year, around 200 students with special need attend NTNU and he is grateful of the contribution of Special Education Center. Later, President Wu experienced the assistive technology and joined the game with students with special educational needs.
There are 4 keynote speeches, 4 round-table forums, 28 paper presentations and 34 poster papers. Although international guests cannot attend in person, they attended the seminar by livestream or pre-recorded video.
The speakers are from universities around the world, for example, Prof. Pamela Heaton from Goldsmiths, University of London, Haruna Sakai from Disability Resource Center of Ritsumeikan University, and Director Susan Baum from Bridges Academy.
The four round-table forums of this seminar discussed the topic of the career development of students with special need, dual-exceptional students, the sports rights of students with special need, which are all important issued addressed by scholars around the world. Experts, administrators, teachers, counselors, students, and parents participated in the round-table forums and hope to seek feasible solutions in the future to protect the learning rights of special education students and provide students with more career development options.