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Health & Fitness

Meaningful Inclusion in Our Schools

Inclusion: Separate is not equal.

Not too long ago, I attended a Fox C-6 School Board meeting. I was there on behalf of ICAA to address the Board, members of the media and general public, about the separate schedules some schools in our district operate for students with disabilities.

I gave official notice to the School Board that the practice is a violation of students' rights. Having a completely different schedule of start and dismiss times apart from the operating hours of the school is not inclusion to say the least.

When I was at that Board meeting, I was struck by a High School student who was talking about the pride of being involved with a "special prom” for students with differences in ability. The student reported having felt bad that these students are off in their own rooms all the time at the particular High School.

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My concerns stem from perspectives of both a parent and as an advocate. Holding a separate prom for the students with disabilities is pretty offensive. Inclusion means that students with differences in ability (seen or unseen) will be welcomed at any and all school events. In fact students with different abilities have the legal right to participate in and be involved with school sponsored activities. If specific supports are needed, it is their right to have those appropriate supports.

Separate is not equal. Sometimes good people feel they are being kind and doing good work for people with disabilities when they organize or feel proud of creating special, separate events for them. Sometimes these same good people grow upset with me if I suggest that the students have a right to be included in settings other than a resource room in school. And all students have the right to participate in regular school events with their peers.

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I know a lot of well-intentioned people have yet to realize the concept of meaningful inclusion. I hope that anyone reading this will do some quick and painless research about the laws pertaining to students with disabilities in our schools, what special education means and what it was not intended to mean, and even a little bit on basic human and civil rights, which are not determined by a person's disability status any more than it is by race, color, or gender. I have spoken to educators, including those in my own family, regarding inclusion and the laws.

Some educators have asked me "if it was not the law" would I believe it is acceptable to have an autistic child in a "normal classroom."  The answer is yes! If a child does not have a diagnosis of autism, for example, a "normal classroom" teacher would have to teach him/her anyway. Having the diagnosis is not supposed to afford anyone the option of deciding not to try to educate the student in the least restrictive environment. The official diagnosis is not supposed to be a marker for a person to be treated differently, to eat lunch separately, attend school at separate hours, to attend special yet separate school events, or for assumptions to be made about him/her.

The diagnosis is supposed to ensure that the person receives an IEP (or 504 depending on the needs). The purpose of which is to take the parent/guardian’s input and the child's individual needs into account when a team determines services and accommodations for that student in the school setting. It was not meant to be used as a way to segregate students with disabilities. We all know our schools are diverse, with a great variety of learning styles, teaching styles, and other differences. We never stop and consider segregating or holding special proms for students of different races, genders, or students who cannot read as well as the rest. So why consider a special yet separate prom as something to be proud of? Obviously the insightful student who spoke at that meeting felt something was wrong.

Dr. Paula Kluth was on the ICAA Radio not too long ago discussing how she helps schools become inclusive. She has talked about the idea of an IEP for all students, and about the technique of putting children in full-on inclusion first rather than the flipside of first segregating fully then slowly "integrating" or "mainstreaming" which is what many schools currently practice today. Dr. Kluth says she has confidence in educators' ability to practice inclusion effectively but they also need to have confidence in themselves. We also welcomed Drs. Panagos and Magnusen to the ICAA Radio to discuss a cutting edge program for educators teaching students with multiple disabilities, including autism. Change is on the horizon but we have to quit being afraid to discuss inclusion, students' rights, and laws that are meant to govern our schools for the interest of all students, and to afford additional supports for students with unique challenges, such as autism.

I recently read an article in St. Louis Magazine rating all the different schools and districts in our area. A pretty in-depth look at scores, populations, student to teacher ratios, and so on, was laid out before me. Public and private schools were included. I searched and searched for anything pertaining to students with disabilities, inclusion policies, or special education issues. Nothing at all was included. I reported this to someone at the magazine.

I remind people all the time that we families with special needs have paid for our schools as much as anyone else. We have supported our schools. We have proudly supported the workers in our schools yet we routinely get left out of conversations, even out of school events and projects. It shouldn't have to be this hard or this much of a fight for students with disabilities so long after parents and advocates won the rights of our children to even attend schools! A lot of it is unfair, and some of it is even a violation of law. A special prom cannot be viewed as a special favor to students with disabilities. It resembles pity.  

What happens after school? What are our schools doing to ensure all students are college bound, or have other opportunities? People sometimes ask “what about the other students, those without disabilities?” “Are they going to be harmed in some way by this mainstreaming and inclusion?” The answer is no. There have been numerous studies and years of scholarly research performed that reveal just the opposite. The results of including people with disabilities in schools have proven overwhelmingly positive for students with and without disabilities. I certainly do not want my children to be taught that students with disabilities should be segregated from the rest of the school, or discriminated against. It is not a good moral lesson, or life lesson, and it certainly should not be a lesson our schools teach.

So what can our schools do?

The first step for Fox C-6 schools to practice real inclusion is to ensure all schools are honestly operating the schedules they have published for all students. If your school says it starts at 8:40 and ends at 3:40 PM, then ensure all students are on this schedule. If there is a separate schedule for students of another race or ability, then openly publish it. I have requested this several times for Fox C-6.

The second simple step for our district will be to ensure all official school events (prom, homecoming, and other events) are accessible, safe and welcoming for all students.

Further reading, case studies, scholarly articles and resources about inclusion, relevant laws, and helpful tips: Dr. Paula Kluth's website, Wrightslaw-special education, Educators as advocates, Educator resources , Dr. Kluth on ICAA Radio, ADA, IDEA Law, Also see: ICAA Project Mind the Gap (dedicated to education), Free Appropriate Public Education, Least Restrictive Environment, accommodations, level playing field, “From Them to Us”, “Index for Inclusion”, “Higher Education and Social Class”, “Inclusion in Education”, “Special Education Inclusion”, National Center for Education Statistics, Inclusive Education, SPEDLawyers, What the research says

To see the Gebser notice given to Fox officials at the School Board meeting earlier this year, please send e-mail request to info@icaaonline.org.

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