Are things getting better in inclusive education? Presuming competence and disrupting comfortable assumptions through family narratives

Abstract

This article examines whether things are ‘getting better’ for disabled children and families in education through the lens of presuming competence. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), we analysed in-depth interviews with 12 families in Australia. We situate these contemporary experiences within a historical context of segregation, deficit-based special education models, and inclusive education reforms aligned with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Families described transformative moments when educators presumed competence and unconditional belonging, but also recounted persistent ‘invisible question marks’. As in, subtle doubts and ‘comfortable assumptions’ that undermined equity. These findings show how entrenched ableism continues to produce injustices in education. We argue that despite decades of policy rhetoric, genuine progress remains uneven and often conditional. We conclude by outlining how presuming competence, coupled with systemic reform, can shift inclusion from legal promise to lived reality. In doing so, we offer a critical response to the question of whether things are truly getting better.