INCLUSIVE EDUCATION: THE RIGHT TO MEANINGFUL LEARNING

Abstract

Inclusive education is a fundamental right guaranteed by national and international legal instruments, and is an essential element for promoting equity, social justice, and the full exercise of citizenship. This article aims to analyze inclusive education as a condition for the realization of the right to meaningful learning, considering the legal frameworks, theoretical foundations, and challenges related to teacher training, accessibility, and inclusive pedagogical practices. Methodologically, this is a qualitative, descriptive, bibliographic-documentary research, based on academic literature and national and international normative documents on the subject. The results show that school inclusion goes beyond simple access to enrollment, requiring structural, cultural, and pedagogical transformations that ensure the permanence, participation, and effective learning of all students, including those with disabilities. This paper discusses the importance of Ausubel's Theory of Meaningful Learning, Vygotsky's proposed pedagogical mediation, and Freire's critical perspective as foundations for inclusive educational practices, taking into account the prior knowledge, particularities, and potential of students with disabilities. It also highlights the role of Universal Design for Learning as a pedagogical approach to inclusion in the school environment, and the importance of continuing teacher training in building accessible and equitable educational environments. It concludes that meaningful learning is a central element for consolidating school inclusion, as it enables the construction of meaningful knowledge, respecting the singularities of students, their prior knowledge, and guaranteeing the right to learn for all. Thus, the realization of inclusive education depends on transforming the school into a truly democratic, accessible space committed to human diversity.