Beyond Placement in Regular Classrooms: A Conceptual Framework for Meaningful Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in China

Abstract

China has expanded educational access for students with disabilities through the policy direction commonly known as Learning in Regular Classrooms (LRC). However, placement in mainstream settings does not necessarily ensure meaningful inclusion. This integrative conceptual review examines inclusion in China as a multidimensional process shaped by communication, curriculum and assessment, and school leadership. Drawing on scholarship in inclusive education, disability studies, curriculum, communication, and leadership, the paper proposes the ARPR framework, comprising four interrelated dimensions: Access, Recognition, Participation, and Responsiveness. Access concerns entry to learning opportunities and support; Recognition concerns the legitimacy of learner diversity; Participation concerns meaningful engagement in academic and social life; and Responsiveness concerns the capacity of schools to adapt pedagogy, assessment, resources, and organizational arrangements. The framework highlights how school-level conditions mediate whether formal placement develops into substantive inclusion. The paper argues that inclusive education should be evaluated not only by where students are placed, but by whether they can access learning, participate meaningfully, experience recognition, and receive appropriate institutional responses. The framework offers implications for policy, school leadership, classroom practice, and future research in China and other policy-intensive education systems.