Let’s start with the People First Association’s credo:
In an inclusive society, there is no definition of “normal” that all members of society must strive for and achieve. The only thing that is normal is the fact that there are differences. These differences are seen as enriching society and do not affect individuals’ fundamental right to participate. Societiy has a responsibility to create structures in all areas of life that allow its members to move freely within it.

The above statement essentially sums up what we mean by an inclusive society. However, in most European societies, this is not a widely recognized expectation among members of society. Many people do not understand or agree with why everyone should be the same when they are not. But that is not what this is about, just read on…

Let’s start with the term inclusion.
Even understanding the word itself may cause problems. In some countries, inclusion is a clear term, but in others it is not. A good example of this is Hungary, where inclusion is a term that exists but is not widely used in society. Instead, people use descriptive words such as social acceptance, social inclusion, diverse society…
This is definitely an avoidance of clearly stating something and calling it by its name. The reason for this is that the acceptance of “otherness” is still a relatively new social phenomenon, so many people are afraid of it.

Since integration also aims at unified social acceptance, many people confuse it with inclusion.
So what is the difference between integration and inclusion?

These two terms are often difficult to distinguish, so let’s compare them side by side.

The most noticeable difference between inclusion and integration is that while integration only means acceptance in numerical terms (for example, the presence of a disabled child among non-disabled children in a kindergarten group), inclusion is also reflected in the group’s common attitude and the inner feelings of individuals.

Integration tends to focus on unification and assimilation, and is most noticeable in education.
Meanwhile, the inclusive approach ensures equal access to opportunities and resources for everyone.

With inclusion, the emphasis is on interaction. It means ensuring that disadvantaged individuals participate in social processes. In other words, inclusion is not just about being together, but also about shared activities (e.g., playing, learning, working together). This requires adaptation on the part of both the person who is including someone and the person who is being included in a group.

Here we are actually talking about a process. Inclusion means a higher level of integration.

A term or an attitude?
The basic prerequisite for inclusion is knowledge about certain groups of people.
But! We must distinguish between knowledge and assumptions, i.e., what people believe about people with disabilities and what they know about them.

Successful inclusion is primarily a question of attitude.
This requires social sensitivity, empathy, acceptance of differences, and the ability to manage differences. It is important that these skills can be developed! The primary place for this should be kindergarten and school.

Written by Veronika Pataki