International schools have long aspired to prepare students to thrive in a diverse, interconnected world. As our communities become increasingly neurodiverse, that aspiration naturally extends to creating schools where every learner can participate, belong, and flourish. Research consistently demonstrates that inclusive schools not only improve outcomes for disabled and neurodivergent students, but also foster stronger social, academic, and emotional outcomes for their neurotypical peers (Roldan et al., 2021).
The SENIA International Disability Inclusion Standards were developed to provide a shared roadmap. Rather than offering a checklist or a single definition of inclusion, the Standards recognize that every school is on its own journey. They offer a practical framework that helps schools reflect on current practice, identify opportunities for growth, and intentionally build systems that benefit all students.
Over the next five articles, we will explore one domain of the Standards at a time, highlighting the thinking behind each and sharing practical considerations that school communities can begin applying immediately. We begin with Leadership, Management, and Facilities, examining how a school's mission, vision, and admissions processes establish the foundation for inclusion. Future articles will explore curriculum and instruction, professional growth, student support systems, and post secondary pathways, demonstrating how each domain contributes to a truly inclusive school community.
Whether your school is taking its first steps or refining well established practices, we hope this series will make the Standards feel accessible, practical, and inspiring. More importantly, we hope it encourages every educator to see disability inclusion not as the work of a few specialists, but as a shared commitment that strengthens the entire school community.
Leadership, Management, and Facilities
Inclusion doesn’t happen by accident. It starts with the school’s mission and vision statements which “reflect a philosophy that every student can learn” (SENIA Standard 1.1.1). Most importantly, these policies and statements are clearly visible and highlighted on the school’s website so prospective families and faculty do not have to wonder how inclusive a school might be. It should be clear and integrated into the foundational documents and beliefs of a school.
The mission and vision are the guiding beliefs on which schools base all decisions about their strategic priorities and approaches to learning. If inclusion is not woven into the fabric of that identity, it will always be an afterthought. As schools reflect on their approaches to inclusion, we recommend they start by reflecting on their guiding documents. The new SENIA Standards offer guidance and a holistic vision on how to approach this. As leadership teams and communities reflect on inclusion at their school, starting here is an important step.
Moving From Aspiration to Intention:
Many schools already have language that would imply or explicitly state a belief in inclusion. It is the intentional application of these beliefs that need to be considered. Typically, the admissions team is the first point of contact for families. The experiences families have with the admissions team will influence their first impressions of how inclusive they think the school is. It is thus critical that the admissions team understand and can communicate the school’s approach to inclusive education. To ensure that the message received is the one the school wants, the school may want to address the following points.
Language Matters - Inclusion starts with inclusive language. Talking about neurodiversity and disability can be sensitive and should be done with care. Admissions teams need to be able to speak comfortably and respectfully about neurodiversity and disabilities with prospective families, using language that mirrors the language the prospective family uses while also communicating that the school understands neurodiversity, values disability inclusion, and is committed to thoughtfully considering how it can support each student.
Visibility is Important - If your school is inclusive, then support services should be a routine part of the communication and information provided to families, right alongside after-school activities, busing, and test scores.
At one school, the admission’s director always includes the learning support spaces on family tours for several reasons. Most importantly, it communicates that support is part of who the school is and not something to be hidden away. It also opens the door for families to share that their child may need additional services because the school is making it clear that there is no stigma attached to support.
Knowledge is Key - The admissions team needs to be able to communicate what services are available and how students access those services. They need to be able to answer basic questions about the range of services provided. If your school charges a fee for services, then they need to be clear about that as well. They also need to know what information is required at admission to plan for those services, e.g. current learning plans, educational evaluations, etc.
Inclusive Admission Processes are Clearly Articulated:
In order to operationalize inclusive admissions approaches, they need to be clear and clearly communicated to the team and potential families. (SENIA Standard 1.4)
It is essential that the student support services team is involved in the admissions process. (SENIA Standard 1.4.3). They need to be able to:
The collaboration among the admissions team, support services, principals, and families needs to be clearly outlined to ensure the best possible experience for families and to manage expectations of both the admissions process and the services they can expect should the student join the school. Ideally, this partnership allows the school to ask the question, “How might we say yes?” (SENIA Standard 1.4.2).
Identify Your School’s Guiding Principles for Making Admissions Decisions:
Whether or not a school ultimately accepts a student is deeply contextualized. These decisions are difficult, complex, and can be emotional. Having as much clarity and guidance as possible will assist when considering an application. It is essential that schools answer the questions below to guide the admissions decision. The extent to which this is transparent and clearly communicated to families will reduce confusion around difficult decisions.
Outline a Clear Admission Process for Families:
Admissions can be a stressful process for families, especially for those whose child may require additional support. Clarity is kind. Consider the following:
Clearly identify what additional information may be required: individual learning plan, evaluation reports, English assessments, etc. and where to include that in the application. Typically this could be explained on the school website and included in the admission application.
Articulate any additional follow up the family can expect so there are no surprises. For example, depending on the nature of the support needed, schools may require a meeting with the family or the previous school. This should be stated on your website, application, and communicated directly to the family.
Give an estimate as to how long this might take and stick to that timeline or update the family as to why it might be taking longer. Nothing is worse for families than the stress of waiting to hear.
Identify the Internal Review Team and Their Roles:
At every school, the review team will be a little different. It will be important to identify who reviews the application and what their role is in the process to alleviate confusion. Some members and roles might include those listed below.
Outline the Review Process:
It is helpful to create a flow chart or list of the steps so there is clarity. A sample series of steps is provided below:
The family communicates with the admission team – phone call, email, tour of campus.
The family completes the application, providing all additional information required.
The admission team ensures the application is complete.
If the student may require English language learner support, learning support services, or life-centered education services, the application is shared first with the support services leader for review. This might include a meeting with the family and/or with the prior school or therapists. Then the support services leader makes a recommendation to the admission review team as to the type of service needed and whether the school has the capacity to meet the needs of the student. This would include outlining the conditions under which the school can say yes, e.g., with the additional outside therapists or inclusion in the life-centered education services.
The Divisional Principal reviews the file and either accepts the student officially or asks for the team to consider additional questions.
If there are questions about the student’s application, then the team meets to review the case and consider next steps.
The team either accepts or denies the application.
In most cases, the Head of School has the final decision so the family has the ability to appeal the decision to them. Ideally the Head of School reviews this with the internal team before making a final decision.
Once a student is accepted with additional support needs, it is important that the transition to the school aligns with what was promised at admission. A few details should be clear among the team to ensure this happens.
The SENIA International Disability Inclusion Standards offer guidance and guiding questions as schools seek to refine their admissions process to be more inclusive. The questions and points included here, offer an additional starting point for that reflection. The key point is to remember that we are not trying to determine if we can serve and accept a student. We are trying to determine “how might we” welcome this student to our community. This paradigm shift makes all the difference in the world to families and will transform a school’s approach to inclusion during the admission process.
Note: Some of this content will also be outlined in the upcoming African International School Association (AISA) Guidebook for Student Support Services. Please look for its publication at the AISA Conference in November 2026.
References
Roldán, S.M., Marauri, J., Aubert, A., & Flecha, R. (2021, April 29). How inclusive interactive learning environments benefit students without special needs. Frontiers in Psychology, volume 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.661427
Laura Cox (she/her) is an international educator and leader originally from the United States. She currently serves as director of student support services at the American International School of Johannesburg in South Africa and as SENIA International's director of professional learning. Laura has more than two decades of experience in international education, with a strong focus on inclusion, learning support, and student wellbeing. She holds master's degrees in special education and educational leadership and is deeply committed to fostering equitable, inclusive learning environments where every student can thrive. Her professional interests include Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), Universal Design for Learning (UDL), the science of reading, and Cognitive Coaching.
