Citizens panels help young people with special needs and disabilities have a say in policies that affect their lives.

Participating in citizen panels could help generate new policy ideas about integrating young people with special educational needs and disabilities into schools, according to a new study. The study is published in the journal Frontiers in Education.

This first study also provides evidence on how public dialogue processes, including citizens’ assemblies and citizen juries, can be modified to ensure that at-risk young people are able to fully participate in important debates about policies that affect their lives.

The experts first worked with six young people with special education and developmental disabilities and their parents or guardians to develop how the citizen panel would operate.

The citizen panel included 28 participants in total: six young people with and without special education/disabilities, 4 young people without disabilities, 13 parents/guardians, and 5 education professionals.

The panel worked together to generate unique ideas on how to make the school more inclusive for all.

“We have shown that ideas for change can be developed in a way that allows young people with special educational disabilities and developmental disabilities to participate and have a say,” said Professor Braam Norwich, from the University of Exeter, who co-leads the project.

“We found evidence that citizen panels can generate rigorous and resonant policy proposals on inclusion in schools. There is scope for this approach to be used in schools, in local networks and at a national level. This could help improve education systems.”

“Working in this way will also prepare teachers to actively engage all children and young people in the democratic process.”

The findings are timely given that the New Labour government is not only interested in using national dialogue to engage people in the political process and involve local communities in its reform programme, but also aims to place a greater emphasis on inclusivity in school inspections.

Young people with special education/disabilities who were involved in the project were consulted on how to make the mini open event as inclusive, engaging and productive as possible.

The project will run in the 2023/23 academic year and participants will be drawn from across Hampshire. The research team worked with civic dialogue experts Involve and the Sorition Foundation to select participants and deliver a civic panel event.

In response to the question “What is school for?” the committee emphasised the role of personal and social skills, not just knowledge skills and exam results.

On the challenges to make schools more inclusive, they stressed the importance of improving the current spaces within the school and creating less crowded and more mobile areas. They also suggested changes in the canteen, learning facilities provided, and the use and design of technology.

Participants mentioned the need for teachers’ training needs to be met, job satisfaction, wellbeing and the importance of working in satisfying and flexible conditions.

Participants stated that ability grouping is “not working,” discriminatory, and leads to poor quality learning opportunities. As an alternative, flexible grouping was proposed, which allows students with special education needs to choose their own learning level and avoid “standing out.”

Project co-leader Dr Rob Webster from the University of Greenwich said: “Participants felt that the Citizens Panel was successful in meaningfully involving young people with special education/disabilities in public debate. They described the panel as a positive and rewarding experience.”

“This format provided a safe space for respectful and constructive dialogue, where participants felt comfortable speaking their minds and being open to disagreement.”

“Panelists appreciated the opportunity to speak, listen, and learn from people they rarely encounter in their daily lives and reported that it helped them develop empathy and gain new insights.”

Some of the young people attended the same schools. Parents/guardians of children without special education/disabilities reported that the project had helped their children to view their special education/disabled peers in new, positive ways.