The Pacific Indicators for Disability-Inclusive Education (Pacific-INDIE) materials have been developed in partnership by Monash University, CBM – Nossal Institute Partnership for Disability Inclusive Development, Pacific Disability Forum, and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat. The Pacific-INDIE are a resource to support Pacific Island countries in a process of developing disability – inclusive education. A set of guidelines have been prepared for administrators (e.g. Ministry or regional level), senior leaders and operational staff (such as teachers) to be used in collaboration with other relevant professionals, parents and community stakeholders such as Disabled Persons Organisations (DPOs) to measure progress towards implementing disability-inclusive education.
The Agency was a member of the International Review Panel consisting of high level academics, practitioners and representatives of international organisations reviewing the indicators to ensure that each iteration of the draft indicators meets standards in terms of relevance, feasibility and priority. The Panel reviewed the indicators three times during the development and refinement of indicators.
The materials are divided into three parts:
- Part A: Introduction and Background provides the rationale for developing the Pacific Indicators. It addresses the reasons why disability-inclusive education is so pertinent in the Pacific and how the indicators may be used as a way to measure progress and plan to implement effective inclusive education.
- Part B: Guidance for stakeholders gives guiding principles for using the indicators for measuring disability-inclusive education in the Pacific Islands.
- Part C: The Indicators presents indicators with specific information, directions and practical steps for implementing and measuring them. There are 48 indicators spread over 10 dimensions of disability-inclusive education.
The development of indicators took place over three years through a systematic process. It involved undertaking a series of literature reviews; in-country consultations with key Pacific stakeholders; data collections through interviews with parents and members representing DPOs, primary and secondary school educators, teacher educators; and surveys of Ministerial representatives from 14 Pacific countries.
The Pacific-INDIE project outcomes, with more details on the indicators and how they can be applied in different countries are available to download freely from the Monash University Website.