A Needs-Led Inclusive System: Ontario versus England

This symposium explores how policy, healthcare, and educational frameworks in Canada and England implement a needs-led inclusive system.

Agenda

15:00: Susana Castro-Kemp – Establishing a Grammar for Inclusion: setting the scene for a needs-led identification system in English

15:15: Olaf Kraus de Camargo - Adopting, Adapting, and Implementing the ICF - CanChild's Research Journey

16:00: Wenonah Campbell - Supporting Student Inclusion and Participation at School: Insights from a Program of Research on Needs-Based Tiered Services

16:45: Interactive Q&A and Panel Discussion

17:15 – 18:00: Closing Remarks followed by Complimentary Drinks Reception & Networking

• Registration is essential for catering requirements and to receive the link to Zoom if you are joining online.
• This event is open to all.

Speaker Biographies

Susana Castro-Kemp

Susana Castro-Kemp holds a PhD in Psychology, jointly awarded in 2012 by the University of Porto (Portugal) and the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill (USA), fully funded by the Foundation for Science and Technology/European Commission, and the Global Education and Development Studies (GEDS) scholarships. Susana is a Chartered Psychologist (British Psychological Society), a Senior Fellow of Advance HE and a Recognised Research Supervisor (UKCGE). She joined UCL as Associate Professor in Psychology and Human Development in 2022 and was the Director of the UCL Centre for Inclusive Education (CIE) from 2023 to 2026. In 2026 she was appointed as 125th Anniversary Chair - Professor of Inclusion at University of Birmingham. Before that she was a Senior Lecturer and Reader in Education at the University of Roehampton (London). Susana specialises in national and international policy regulating provision of services for children with special needs and disabilities, and in taxonomies for classifying children's functioning. She is also an expert in early childhood intervention, school belonging and inclusive multi-agency work in service provision for children with support needs. She has extensive experience of work with policy makers and government, think-tanks, third sector and international organisations. She is often invited to provide expert input in public policy sessions and roundtables, to act as technical advisor in policy and research initiatives and to consult on national and international policy matters involving service provision for children and/or research in education.

Olaf Kraus de Camargo

Dr. Olaf Kraus de Camargo is a Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at McMaster University, the co-director of the CanChild Centre for Childhood-onset Disability Research and a member of MacART (McMaster Autism Research Team). He practices as a developmental pediatrician at the Ron Joyce Children’s Health Centre in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He completed his medical education and pediatric training in Brazil, followed by a residency in Germany where he received training in developmental-behavioural paediatrics/social paediatrics and child neurology. Prior to joining the faculty at McMaster, Dr. Kraus de Camargo held positions in Germany as a Professor of Social Medicine at the University of Applied Sciences Nordhausen and as CEO and Medical Director of Kinderzentrum Pelzerhaken gGmbH, an inpatient and outpatient facility for children with disabilities. Since 2001, Olaf Kraus de Camargo has been involved with the implementation of the WHO - International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). He co-edited the book ICF: A Hands-On Approach for Clinicians and Families. He is a member of the steering committee of PONDA – Physicians of Ontario Neurodevelopmental Advocacy and was a member of the Disability Advisory Committee to the Canadian Revenue Agency from 2021-2024.

Wenonah Campbell, PhD

Wenonah Campbell holds the John and Margaret Lillie Chair in Childhood Disability Research, and is an Associate Professor in the School of Rehabilitation Science Speech-Language Pathology Program, and CanChild Scientist. Her research is dedicated to optimizing health support services in schools to enhance inclusion, participation, and engagement in learning for all children. Wenonah has developed a collaborative, practice-based research program that employs diverse research methodologies, prioritizes meaningful engagement with stakeholders, and builds partnerships across the education and health sectors to develop inclusive, effective service delivery models. To close the gap between evidence and practice, knowledge mobilization is a central component of Wenonah’s program of research. Her development of training programs and implementation tools to strengthen professionals’ capacity for inclusive tiered rehabilitation services, such as Partnering for Change, are testament to this commitment.