In South Korea, the number of students with disabilities who receive inclusive
education has increased. However, the opportunities for students with disabilities to
participate in meaningful inclusive education with students without disabilities and to
have access to the general education curriculum is still limited.
This program description presents the application and potential positive outcomes of
service-learning by introducing an inclusive high school service-learning program (i.e.,
the Ben's Bells Project) in the USA. Four art classes at three different high schools
were involved over a period of 6 weeks. Fifteen students with disabilities participated
in the project and collaborated with 20-25 students without disabilities to provide a
service to the community. The case of “Ben’s Bells” suggests that it was an effective
tool for students with disabilities in inclusive classes. All of the students were able to
develop skills within the art curriculum and provide a meaningful service to the
community.
This manuscript demonstrates that the students with disabilities were able to have
greater access to the general education curriculum and to their peers without
disabilities though service-learning. Therefore, in order to support the meaningful
participation of students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms in South Korea,
studies are needed to examine the implementation of service learning that reflects
Korean contexts.