Dr Kerry Vincent is a Senior Lecturer in Inclusive Education at the University of Canterbury (NZ) and has a particular interest in learner ‘differences’ and how these are conceptualized and responded to within schools. In the past, she has worked as a teacher, educational psychologist and researcher. Her interest in inclusive education was sparked in her second year of teaching when she unexpectedly found herself the teacher of a profoundly deaf child. She learned, often through trial and error, that the best outcomes occurred when she focused not on learner ‘differences’ but rather on how to modify the educational environment in ways that would support children’s learning and well-being. She also learned that children and young people have valuable insights to contribute to our understandings of them, if only we take the time and find the means to truly listen to what they have to say.
