Inspiration:
Along with the fact that I am an aspiring elementary school teacher, the picture to the left shows the majority of my inspiration for Inclusive Education. My 16 year old cousin, Jessica, has Down Syndrome and has been a major part of my life. From her, I have learned so much about Down Syndrome Awareness and inclusion in schools!
You might be asking yourself, what is inclusive education?
Merriam-Webster dictionary defines inclusion as "the act of including," "the act or practice of including students with disabilities with the general student population," and "the act or practice of including and accommodating people who have historically been excluded (as because of their race, gender, sexuality, or ability)."
Therefore, inclusive education can be defined as "different and diverse students learning side by side in the same classroom" (The Value of Inclusive Education). Watch the video below for a personal story from a student, Bobby, who discusses how inclusive education helps him AND his peers.
History of Inclusion in schools:
Throughout the 18 to 1900s, before the Disability Rights Movement gained support, people with disabilities were frowned upon and were thought to be kept separate from everyday society. The above picture demonstrates one of many of the institutions, St. Louis County Insane Asylum, where people with disabilities were kept to keep them restrained or controlled. (Early Movement)
- Following this, the Brown vs. Board of Education (1954) was passed which granted equal protection to all minorities in schools under the law. After this passing more reform and awareness groups were being created towards special education children.
- Then, President Johnson granted funding for "primary education" (1965) and gave more education access to children who had disabilities (Special Education Issues).
- After that, Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) was passed in 1975 which granted a right to public education, no matter a children's disability (Special Education Issues).
Current Policies:
Nationwide: The Federal Law has stated since 1990, that all individuals with disabilities are covered by Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This act "grants covers them from birth through high school graduation or age 21 (whichever comes first)" (Andrew M.I. Lee). There are two key parts to the act. One: "school districts must provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to kids with disabilities." Two: "schools have to give parents a voice in their child’s education." (Andrew M.I. Lee)
Statewide: Although the rules differ from state to state, the major ideas that the state laws put into place match up. For example, the state of New York put out a legal mandate on "least restrictive environment." This mandate says that students should be excluded from general education classrooms ONLY when they have been provided with all the necessary supports and services to succeed in that general education placement and still cannot make progress on their OWN goals. The piece most people forget is that these kids do NOT need to keep up with typical peers in order to stay in general education! (Special Education Field Advisory)
Personal narrative, "Why it Matters," discusses a story about a boy, Patrick, who despite his Down Syndrome is included in general education classrooms and has his own set of learning goals. Throughout growing up, he has had access to rich curriculum like literature, social justice and freedom through his school district. Overtime and after many library visits with his mother, he developed a passion for Shakespeare. Although he was having trouble grasping a lot of other topics in school, he kept going back to Shakespeare. His mother explains that Patrick is a prime example of why we cannot limit the "menu" that is being offered for all children in schools. Every child should get access to the same materials and curriculum as it could make a big impact one day. (Why it Matters)
How can we as a future society and teachers act on this?
One way is by "preparing teachers to provide inclusive education" even "before they are leading their own classrooms" (Pearson). Today, almost all people planning to become general education teachers are still required to take classes and practice with "special learners in the classroom," as they must expect to have students with disabilities in their classes at some point. Especially with this push to ALL inclusive education. As Pearson, a professor of special education at NC State College of Education stated, “A lot of the onus falls on us in higher education as faculty to make sure that we are training our pre-service teachers both in general education and across disciplines to embed inclusive practices in their approaches and in their pedagogy.”
Fun fact: "Building these inclusive practices into classrooms can have benefits both for students with disabilities as well as typically developing, or neurotypical, learners" (Pearson).
As a future society, the best thing that we can do is be a support or advocate for families navigating inclusive education. For those families that are, communicating and forming a close relationship with the school district that your child is involved in will result in an effective support system for all.
Podcast:
Two civil rights attorneys started a podcast to change the conversation about education and civil rights and talk about all the issues that revolve around education and disability rights that are not talked about enough. "Inclusive Education Project" is their attempt to give everyone a platform to connect, empower, and change the way that inclusive education is being viewed now to "level the playing field" (The Inclusive Education Podcast).
resources:
https://www.inclusiveschooling.com/: This organization, Inclusive Schooling, partners with schools to bring in professional development that creates an inclusive environment where students and teachers can flourish.
https://www.kit.org/: "Kids Included Together," teaches people through online, on-site, coaching & consulting, as well as, speaking engagements to show people how to create inclusive environments so no child is excluded.
https://opwdd.ny.gov/: The NYS Office for People with Developmental Disabilities and https://ddpc.ny.gov/: The Developmental Disabilities Planning Council work to help people with disabilities find employment, ease their transition from school into community living, find housing, live independently and participate fully in the community.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5M--xOyGUX4&t=725s: This 13 minute film titled "Just Like You" describes the "life, hopes, challenges and dreams of three kids living with Down syndrome" (Just Like you- Down Syndrome). They share stories about their condition and explain why they should be treated as equal as everyone else.
Inclusive education can take many forms- it is not just limited to one understanding.
Conclusion:
After learning about Inclusive Education- specifically with Down Syndrome, I hope you can become an advocate for how important inclusion is in schools. Down Syndrome is not a disease or an illness, it is something a person is born with and lives with. People with Down Syndrome have the same goals and dreams that everyone else in the world does and it is important to give them the same access to schooling so they can develop them. Please watch the 1 minute video below for an inspirational closing about the hopes of a few of young adults with Down Syndrome trying to change the world one day at a time!
works Cited:
Bforaker. “Why It Matters.” Grace in the Ordinary, 1 Jan. 1970, https://grace-in-the-ordinary.blogspot.com/2014/01/why-it-matters.html.
Bowen, Janine. “Ask the Expert: What Is Inclusive Education? A Beneficial Way to Teach Students of All Abilities Side-by-Side, Says Assistant Professor Jamie Pearson.” College of Education News, 11 Mar. 2020, https://ced.ncsu.edu/news/2020/03/11/ask-the-expert-what-is-inclusive-education-a-beneficial-way-to-teach-students-of-all-abilities-side-by-side-says-assistant-professor-jamie-pearson/.
Bradd, Katie. “High Expectations for Students with Multiple Impairments.” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, 26 Mar. 2018, https://www.edutopia.org/article/high-expectations-students-multiple-impairments.
Causton, Dr. Julie, and Dr. Kristie Prett-Frontzcak. “Inclusive Schooling Home.” Inclusive Schooling, 3 Dec. 2021, https://www.inclusiveschooling.com/.
Chassy, Cynthia, et al. “Defining Disability.” Education Links, 14 Nov. 2018, https://www.edu-links.org/learning/defining-disability.
CSIA. “Inclusive Education Benefits Everyone.” Youtube, 7 Sept. 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YHNEWeJ_QY.
DeLorenzo, James P. “The State Education Department / the ... - P-12 : NYSED.” The State Education Department , Dec. 2015, http://www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/publications/2015-memos/documents/SpecialEducationFieldAdvisoryMemoLRE.pdf.
“Education for the Community.” The Yoth Junction, https://www.cyda.org.au/the-community/education-for-the-community.
Friedman, Lisa. “4 Common Mistakes Teachers Make in an Inclusive Classroom.” Noodle, 8 Dec. 2017, https://www.noodle.com/articles/4-common-mistakes-teachers-make-in-an-inclusive-classroom.
Hillman, Alison, and Kate Lapham. “Why Inclusive Education Is for All Children, Everywhere.” Open Society Foundations, 15 Sept. 2016, https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/voices/why-inclusive-education-all-children-everywhere.
“Inclusion Definition & Meaning.” Merriam-Webster, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/inclusion.
“KIT: Kids Included Together.” Kids Included Together, 24 Nov. 2021, https://www.kit.org/.
“Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) - Iris.” Vanderbilt, https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdf_info_briefs/IRIS_Least_Restrictive_Environment_InfoBrief_092519.pdf.
Lee, Andrew M.I. “What Is The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)?” Understood, Understood, 12 July 2021, https://www.understood.org/articles/en/individuals-with-disabilities-education-act-idea-what-you-need-to-know.
Manager. How to Manage Disruptive Behavior in an Inclusive Classroom? TherapyTravelers, 27 Feb. 2018, https://therapytravelers.com/manage-disruptive-behavior-inclusive-classroom/.
Morin, Amanda. “What Is Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)?” Understood, 27 Aug. 2021, https://www.understood.org/articles/en/least-restrictive-environment-lre-what-you-need-to-know.
“The Power of Letting Children Learn Together.” Open Society Foundations, May 2019, https://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/explainers/value-inclusive-education.
Villegas, Tim. “5 Videos That Will Change Your Mind about Inclusive Education.” Think Inclusive, Think Inclusive, 7 July 2021, https://www.thinkinclusive.us/post/5-videos-inclusive-education.
Wallace, Maureen. “Down Syndrome: Why I Don’t Want My Child to Hug Everyone.” SheKnows, 10 May 2014, https://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/1036395/down-syndrome-why-i-dont-want-my-child-to-hug-everyone/.
Waltham, Mark, et al. “Inclusive Education for Children with Disabilities.” UNICEF Connect, 31 May 2019, https://blogs.unicef.org/blog/inclusive-education-children-with-disabilities/.
A&E, Born This Way on. “Born This Way Cast - Inspiration.” Facebook Watch, 20 Apr. 2020, https://fb.watch/9Lt6TcL7Ka/.
Credits:
Created with an image by steveriot1 - "teacher property plant"