Using indicators as a catalyst for inclusive education in the Pacific Islands

The Pacific Island countries are committed to promoting disabilityinclusive
education through enactment of the Pacific Education
Development Framework. To support this move, key stakeholders have
identified the need for developing local and contextually appropriate
indicators for measuring progress of disability-inclusive education. This
paper reports on the usefulness of a newly developed tool (Pacific
Indicators for Disability-Inclusive Education – Pacific-INDIE) as a catalyst
in implementing inclusive education in the Pacific. Data were collected
from a range of stakeholders who have used the Pacific-INDIE in three
countries (Fiji, Samoa and Solomon Islands). Thematic analysis was used
to identify the key themes relating to the usefulness of the tool. The key
themes that emerged from the data included, positive outcomes,
challenges, planned future directions, and process issues. The findings
discussed are related to how the indicators can best support future
policy development and implementation of disability-inclusive education
across the region.