Research 

The main purpose of this study was to actively engage with members of the rural community to establish how they understand the implementation of inclusive education in their community and how they perceive their role in the implementation process as it unfolds in their communities. The researcher acknowledges that inclusive education has been widely researched in South Africa. A number of studies focused on the parents’ role, teachers’ attitudes, addressing barriers to learning, people living with disabilities and the implementation of the policy on inclusive education. However, very limited research has been conducted on the community’s perceptions and its role towards the implementation process. A qualitative phenomenological design was followed to obtain an in-depth understanding of members’ experiences regarding the implementation of inclusive education. Participants in this study were from a marginalised rural community (characterized by the lack of access to resources and service delivery) in the Ehlanzeni region in Mpumalanga. The participants were purposively selected by employing the snowball sampling technique to ensure the inclusion of community members who represent the voices of the community. Data collection involved a six hour work session with 58 participants and six semi structured individual interviews with five members who attended the work session and the sixth, who did not, to crystallise the themes that emerged in the work session. Findings in this study revealed that the community understands inclusive education as creating spaces for all to learn, a project that involves the whole community and the facilitation of collaboration between stakeholders. They perceive the role that they could play in the implementation of inclusive education as accepting responsibility to include all members of the community, supporting those who care for people with disabilities, changing infrastructure to accommodate disability in communities and challenging the unequal distribution of resources. Conclusions drawn from the study suggest that inclusive education is a continuous and ongoing process that requires the development of collaborative relationships and support for all role players in enhancing the inclusion process. It is recommended that the Department of Education involve all stakeholders from different sectors at all levels to facilitate the implementation of inclusion in their communities.