What is Inclusion?

WHAT IS INCLUSION?

"Successful inclusion is measured by one’s level to appropriately participate and access their education."

Marie Lewis, RN, PhD, BCEA

Inclusion is not just placement in a regular education class.

BEING INCLUDED:

Has positive effect on achievement of individual goals
Provides a satisfactory quality of life and actualization
Creates a sense of meaning and purpose
Means actively participating from a strengths model in day to day activities
Includes all settings not just in regular education
Is being a part of what everyone else is a part of
Is being a valued and welcomed member of the community.
Effects our cultural values
Is having healthy relationships and friendships
Incorporates meeting one’s needs
Improves self-esteem and promotes growth socially and emotionally
Inspires and enriches our lives
Provides normalization for everyone
Includes participation in the life of the school and community
Provides an authentic feeling of belonging and being valued
Means Related service providers must consider delivering their services in the general education environment
Is relating and functioning together
Is about schools, worship places, work, community and recreation environments
Promotes seeing the abilities of others to contribute
Is in the social, academic, financial, and physical aspects of life
Takes team work for proper planning, preparation, adaptation, training, services and supports like: peer tutoring, cooperative learning, and differentiated instruction, graphic organizers, push-in related services and special education teachers, individual adult supports, study guides, and computer accommodations
Improves social cognition skills, on task behaviors and decreases negative behaviors for those children with disabilities.
Improves, and does not negatively effect or interfere with, the academic performance of other students.
Demonstrates the belief that separate and equal is not equal
Requires family and school partnerships and collaboration with vested involvement of all community members - or it doesn’t work..
Values diversity
Demonstrates the law of natural proportions and normalization and should reflect the community. (If 10-11% of the children in your community have disabilities, then the classroom should have no more than 11% of students with disabilities.)