Inclusion

Today I get to do one of my favorite things, speak to a group of college students about Down syndrome. I absolutely love doing this because I feel like I'm speaking to Logan's future teachers, and I'm helping them to understand that Logan and his friends are, and will continue to be, wonderful students. They are in fact, beneficial to everyone in the classroom. I've read many, many studies about the importance of inclusion and I naively believed that everyone agreed with me, and had read these studies, and that inclusion would be no problem once we got into "real" school. Last night I attended a CDSPG board meeting and, as I looked around the room, almost every single parent of a school aged child had fought, or was fighting, to have their child included in a regular education class. Can you believe that?!?!?!? We have to FIGHT to have our kids learn with other kids!!! To me this is APPALLING!!!! What's even worse, and so sad to me, is that schools in Maryland, and specifically Baltimore County, are among the WORST in the country for inclusive education. Ugh, it just breaks my heart. It breaks my heart that all of my friends, and myself, are going to have to convince people to teach our kids. We have to keep doing it, over and over and over again. I wish I had the time to go to Annapolis and DC and talk to our congressmen and women, I don't right now. BUT, mark my words, I WILL fight for this,I will make it happen, I will prove that Logan and ALL of his buddies should be with everyone elses kids. We'll make it happen in this lifetime!!!
In the meantime, I'm going to keep speaking to future educators, and praying things change. If YOU want to help, check out the Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education website: http://www.mcie.org/index.asp
And, if you're interested, I've attached an article about the Benefits of Inclusion which I got from the National Down Syndrome Society's Website.

Benefits of Inclusion

A number of studies over the years have reported the various benefits of inclusive education. In 1996, the National Down Syndrome Society published a research report on the inclusion of children with Down syndrome in general education classes1. After analyzing and comparing extensive parent and teacher questionnaires, this study found that with proper support and adequate communication between parents, teachers and professionals, inclusion is a favorable educational placement for children with Down syndrome. The study also found that the learning characteristics of students with special needs were more similar to their nondisabled peers than they were different. Moreover, teachers reported positive experiences with students with Down syndrome. They described their students as eager to learn, especially when encouraged, and reported personal satisfaction in terms of their professional achievements.

Literature documenting successful inclusion practices is significant and growing. An analysis by Baker, Wang and Walberg in 1994 concluded that “special-needs students educated in regular classes do better academically and socially than comparable students in non-inclusive settings2.” Research by Hollowood et al., (1995) found inclusion was not detrimental to students without disabilities3. In fact, a national study of inclusive education conducted in 1995 by the National Center on Educational Restructuring and Inclusion (NCERI) reported academic, behavioral and social benefits for students with and without disabilities4. The study also concluded that students within each of IDEA’s 13 categories of disability, at all levels of severity, have been effectively integrated into general education classrooms. NCERI also reported positive outcomes and high levels of professional fulfillment for teachers. A number of other studies confirming the educational and social benefits of inclusion for students with and without disabilities can be found in the reference list at the end of this publication5,6,7.

In May 2000, the Indiana Inclusion Study8 investigated the academic benefits of inclusive education for students without disabilities. This study concluded that students without disabilities who were educated in inclusive settings made significantly greater progress in math than their peers. Although their progress in reading was not significantly greater than their peers, there was a “consistent pattern” in their scores that favored educating students without disabilities in inclusive settings.

This and other research has highlighted improved academic skills, social skills, communication skills and peer relationships as four of the most important benefits of inclusion. Nondisabled students can serve as positive speech and behavior role models for those with disabilities and students with disabilities offer their nondisabled peers acceptance, tolerance, patience and friendship. As allies and friends, peers can offer support both in and out of the classroom. These findings show that everyone involved in inclusive schooling can benefit from the experience.