Kelly Semple Blog #3: Inclusion/A Contemporary Challenge-My Perspective.

 

                After reading the chapters in the text book and assignments in Module 3, I felt very confused.  So then I thought I would read some blog posting from the teachers in the class, there were only two postings.  My third attempt was to actually look up the definition of inclusion; it basically states it was more about the "basic rights of disabled students".  The right to a free public education, to the best of society’s abilities.  That was not very encouraging.  The actuality is that this is the definition of utopia (at least an educational utopia).   Education for an individual according to their needs!    Our text book states that inclusion is not required if the student will not benefit from being placed in general education but so many of the successful stories given are about  how the disabled student does nothing but benefits from inclusion.  

I believe that the system can work; I just haven't seen it too often. I read Sandra Zeman’s blog about how the school where she teaches implements an early childhood inclusive program, I feel that it is much easier to teach a young child acceptance and limitations then it is to expect them to adapt midstream.  I believe this situation of early childhood inclusion is utopia.  In the text book it lists examples of many school systems that seem to excel in the inclusive programs but it seems the geographic location is much different than ours.  Most school appeared to be in California, which I believe has a great deal to do with the system working.  The community has a major influence in the way education is presented, California is very liberal.  I also feel that family, the school, and the way they interact play major roles in the success of inclusion. 

As a whole I do not believe that inclusion is very successful unless all the stars align. With the current changes in academic requirements for teachers and students, it seems inclusion will only suffer more.  The idea of perfect education for me was to be able to show a student how it works, I believe in group learning, visual and not audio learning, early childhood fun education and most important exposure; what better way to actually learn something but to see, hear, taste or feel it.  With such a different opinion I thought I would ask the masses, people I work with-all around skilled labor to higher educated individuals the responses were amazing:  1. White female fiftyish thought it would be a good experience for the normal kids to see the disabled children aren’t so scary.  2. White male grown children had his daughter graduate with a brain injured student, the disabled student graduated tenth in the class (with a lot of extra help) and his daughter graduated eleventh.  3. The same man in #2 had a nephew who was completely deaf and attended public school they placed him in a resource room in the basement and none of the teachers signed.  4. Younger white male in rural school system his youngest goes to school with a sixth grade boy with autism, the boy has multiple outbursts and disrupts the class.  5.  The last a black male, public city schools, bi-racial marriage and five children had very strong family, church and community values, faith based system.   The push in education definitely seems to side with inclusion, I just don’t know if our system or our community has evolved to accommodate.

            

Inclusion Pros and Cons Blog 3 Amanda Barbone

Inclusion for students with disabilities has been a hot topic for years now.  From a regular educators point a view that having students with disability sets up a wide range of ability levels within their classrooms.  According to the course reading on Inclusion: The Pros and Cons they mentioned that by having the students with disabilities within their classroom leaves the classroom teacher with a lack of resources, training and other supports necessary to reach all students.  Stated directing from the reading, “The disabled children are not getting appropriate, specialist attend and care and the regular student’s education is disrupter constantly.”  This all goes back to current inclusion issues on how schools are lacking in implementing inclusion the most appropriate manner.  From the special education perspective, the modules reading also express how parents and special educators have concerns for inclusion, but also seek out researched based information.  Although their concern is that once all the special education students get dispersed into the regular education classrooms that the resources, and services will become diluted.  As an intervention specialist for four years I have seen this first hand.  As the charter school district I was in for the past three years did not want to pay for another Intervention Specialist for the K-8 building, due to funds, students’ services were reduced.  Just as mentioned in the course readings that some schools are pushing for inclusion for funding when in reality it is not beneficial.  This happened in the district I was in.  Students were then not provided the services and resources they needed appropriately because I was aspersed out among nine grades with no support help.  I can see how administration wants to watch their spending, but in the department of special education is the wrong place to do so in my opinion.  I can completely see how as also having an early childhood degree, regular education teachers would feel stressed due to lack of training and resources.  In my portion of undergraduate work for my general education degree there were very little courses I believe maybe two in the area of special education, which was not enough to prepare a professional to teach and include these kids in regular instruction.  My perspective of inclusion with students with special needs specifically talking about students with learning disabilities I believe that students benefit from being within their non-disabled peers is very much a positive thing.  As mentioned in the course reading, that when students are being pulled out of the regular classroom, students get confused and don’t know where they belong.  Students with disabilities being in the regular classroom, makes all students aware of different learning needs, and that everyone fits in.  When students especially in the middle school grades see students being pulled out or in a separate classroom, they automatically think differently of those students in that room.  That idea that students put on the children with disabilities is hurtful, because they are all a creature from god.

Blog Post #3 - Inclusion/A Contemporary Challenge. What Is Your Perspective? - DrMKDove

SPED Blog Post #3:  Inclusion/A Contemporary Challenge.  What Is Your Perspective?

At the present time, the field of special education is confronting the challenge of calls for greater inclusion of individuals with disabilities into all aspects of society, especially general education programs.  The debate surrounding inclusion is emotionally charged.  What are some arguments for and against inclusion in our schools and society?  Can you share some factors that you believe contribute to and/or fuel this debate?  What is your perspective regarding the inclusion of children with disabilities in general education programs and schools' extra-curricular programs?

Participate:  SPED 6900 Blog first entry on or before Wednesday, 10/02/13 – 5 P.M. [EST] and make two additional entries to other candidates on or before Friday, 10/04/13 - 5 P.M. [EST].

Make sure for your Module 3 response to the Discussion Board/SPED 6900 Blog that you connect your initial post to course readings, course materials,

and professional and/or field experiences.  Rubric is posted on the SPED 6900 Wiki Navigation Bar - Rubrics.  

For blog posts - please note that we are restricted to 4,096 characters for our Blog entries.  For example a Tweet is limited to 140 characters.  An easy way to calculate how many characters/letters you have written for your Blog entry is to go to

http://www.lettercount.com/

and copy and past your Blog entry in their form - and it will automatically calculate how many characters are contained in your Blog response - before you try to copy and past on the SPED 6900 Blog.

Blog Post #2-Sandra Zeman

I feel that it is the responsibility of educators to encourage social interaction between disabled and nondisabled peers.  Doing this is a process and must be continually nurtured.  I have found that the best way to achieve this is introducing this interaction at an early age.  If students learn early on in their school years that everyone is different and to respect those differences; they begin to see all classmates as equals regardless of whether they are disabled or nondisabled.

The school district I work for has an early learning center that promotes this goal.  There is a preschool that children attend between the ages of 3-6.  The classes are made up of a mixture of students both disabled and nondisabled.  Students are taught from an early age that everyone in the class is just as important as every other student.  They are taught that although the students may not all be the same, they are still people and should be treated equal.  It goes past the point of teaching tolerance, it teaches the children that they are all friends.  Once students experience this at an early age, they become very comfortable with socially interacting with each other regardless of being disabled or nondisabled.  They are just seen as people and the class tends to forget about labels or placement.  I have talked to many parents of students that attend the preschool as both a typical and atypical student.  They have both shared that the program is beneficial.  I personally had my own daughters attend this preschool as nondisabled students.  I have found that my daughter went to school and was a very compassionate and understanding student.  She is now in the fifth grade.  I have had her in inclusion setting classrooms every year since kindergarten.  She tells me she enjoys being in a diverse class and the classmates really help each other.  She happens to be a gifted student and still learns from her disabled peers.  She not only enjoys helping her disabled peers learn but also enjoys socially interacting with them.

I think another great strategy to help encourage this interaction is to look at disabled students strengths and finding something they can contribute to.  I often feel that educators "find somewhere" to plop a disabled student just to say they have contributed to the students social development.  Instead of doing this, an educator should look at where the student fits in and can contribute to the cause.  Not thinking only how can we help this student, but how can this student help others.  I feel that in the YouTube video with Jason this was well illustrated.

Blog Post #2: What Can We Do To Promote the Social Integration of Students with ELN?" Ray Marks

Recently I watched a beer commercial – the brand of beer is not relevant. In the commercial, six young men are playing a hard-fought game of wheelchair basketball in an empty gym: shots are made, some of the chairs are overturned in in play. This is a "real" game, not a demonstration. A voice-over intones: “Dedication. Loyalty. Friendship...”

…then five of the men step out of their chairs. All six men high-five each other, saying “good game,” and other affirmations we give one another after a game. The voice continues: “the choices we make reveal the true nature of our character,” as the men all gather at their favorite pub. Notwithstanding the commercial message, I believe the overarching message beautifully expresses the ideal we seek in promoting the acceptance and social integration of students with disabilities.

We always hear about the successes in the news. The Jason McElwain videos show what can happen when a community, even for a brief moment, rallies around a student with a disability. A brief internet search yields many stories just like these, treated as anomalies. I am not saying these successes should not be celebrated. With the history of how we have treated students with disabilities still fresh in our memories, however, I believe it is incumbent on us to ensure that this behavior is the norm, not the exception.

The school I work in is undergoing a lot of changes, including inclusion support. Prior to this, I would say that my colleagues have always been mindful of students with special needs, including them in activities both curricular and extra-curricular. Our students, regardless of special needs, are a part of the 'Mooney Family,' and are celebrated for their achievements. However, there has been room for improvement. In my experience, many students with an IEP would take their tests outside of the classroom, in a trailer provided by the state for such help – this is a consequence of an interpretation of the laws regarding the the separation of church and state (CMHS is a private Catholic School). Some students would not avail themselves of the opportunity because they perceived a stigma in leaving the classroom. From my experience, this was not the case. But the perception exists, and must be addressed. Currently, we have a much larger team involved inside the school to help reduce those perceptions and to help those students that need that help. These changes will help us become better at achieving the goals set out by IDEA.

In terms of trust, which according to Turnbull, et al (2006) is defined as “having confidence in someone else's reliability, judgment, word and action to care for and not harm the entrusted person (p. 160) (Jiminez and Graf, 2008), Cardinal Mooney is unique in that many, if not most, of our students are the children and grandchildren of former students. This closeness fosters that mindfulness discussed earlier. As a Catholic school, dependent on tuition to cover most of our operating costs, we have always maintained a partnership with our former students and that trust that is strengthened by the consistency of care we take with all of our students. We have a tradition of including families into the overall 'Mooney Family' right from the beginning. Parents are encouraged to include themselves in school activities, and many do. Communication is encouraged, and I personally have had many conversations with parents about the needs of their children.

I am not saying that there aren't challenges to acceptance and social interaction at Cardinal Mooney. That would be disingenuous. There is always room for improvement, both institutionally and personally. But I do believe that the successes we do have are predicated on that close partnership that exists between us and our parents and students. If other schools could adopt that tradition, that of partnership with the community we serve, we would see fewer news articles – because inclusion is normal, not an anomaly.

Blog post #2 Jim Ihnat

I believe that teachers, parents, administration, and the community can and should promote the social integration of students with Exceptional Learning Disabilities (ELN).  Social skills and social integration are not something that should be left to the school to teach.  This is something that starts at home.  Understandably, students with disabilities have a harder time with social integration.

When I was teaching t one of the area charter schools, I taught social skills to my class.  When we had award celebrations, myself and my fellow teachers would obviously pass out awards for honor roll and attendance, however, we also had to pass out other awards to the rest of our students so they wouldn't be left out.  In my five years of teaching I don't recall any of my students being shunned or ignored because of disabilities.  All of my students hung out and played together regardless of whatever disability they may or may not have had.  My client I work with as a TSS does show a little social awkwardness, especially during recess when he is trying to join a group playing.  I work with him on how to interact with his peers throughout the day.  He, even with his disability, is accepted into the group as a friend.

I think children are more used to other children with disabilities because of the legislation passed with the creation of Education of All Handicapped Students Act (P.L. 94-142) then with IDEA in 1990.  These laws enabled parents to advocate for their children placements in regular education classrooms through inclusion and least restrictive environment.  I think today's children are so used to other children with disabilities and they make friends with them easily because they are part of their class.  Thinking back when I was in elementary school, I don't recall having any child with a disability in our class and I can guarantee my parents never did either. 

I think the video of Jason is a perfect example of how students with disabilities are accepted by students without disabilities.  The whole team as-well-as the entire gymnasium crowd started cheering for him when he was put in the game. I don't agree with the coach waiting until the last 4 minutes of the last game of his senior year to allow him to participate.  The whole place went crazy when he made his first basket.  They treated him like a teammate and a friend.

I think we all have to play a role in the social integration of our students whether it is teaching social skills or establishing a circle of friends.  They will need our help to interact with their peers.  I think classrooms have come a long way in accepting students with disabilities compared to when I was in elementary school in the 80's.

Blog 2: What Can We Do to Promote the Social Integration of Students with ELN? Corey Creamer

Due to many budget issues our schools are suffering from education funding across the board. One of the major areas that are cut are extracurricular activities and clubs. As teachers we are expected more than ever to help promote social acceptance as well as societal integration of our students with disabilities. This can be challenging, especially with the amount of budget cuts many schools have been challenged with. One school wide activity/strategy I use with my special education students is “Thank a Veteran Program.” This “club” I created at my school is made up of all my special education students and myself. My students make a short presentation and PowerPoint as a group, and present it to other classes in the school.

This presentation the students give to classmates and fellow peers focuses on the importance of Veteran’s Day, as well as the sacrifice members of our armed forces make for us on a daily basis. My special education students are almost forced to take on a leadership role, which many of the students are unfamiliar with in the beginning of the year. After discussing the importance of Veteran’s Day with their so called “regular peers” they explain they are collecting thank-you letters for our Veterans, that students will write these letters, and we will send them out to local veteran organizations in the area, as a small token of our appreciation and support for all that they do.

 My students will read a sample letter they wrote, to demonstrate to their peers what is expected and also build excitement for the project. Our “club project” is a very simple project, but the effects are bigger than words can describe. Not only is it important and meaningful to the Veterans who receive our letters, but this project is very rewarding to my special education students. This gets my students involved in the school, community, and society. The special education students receive tons of positive feedback from both fellow students as well as other members of the faculty. This extra conversation boosts their attitudes, morale, as well as confidence inside the classroom and out.

Looking at some research, power-points, and laws from module two, this unit with my special education students could be a great teaching point for the Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 and the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments became effective as of January 1, 2009 . Many American’s who fall under the disability act, are helped on a day to day basis with the use of a service dog. When many people hear the term “service dog” they think of a seeing eye dog for the blind. But a service dog provides many other services such as, seizure alert, hearing dogs for the deaf, and PAWZ for Wounded Veterans, which is a program that provides service dogs for wounded veterans who are returning to civilian life.

The PAWZ for Wounded Veterans program is one such service dog program that is protected and the disability rights of veterans explained, clarified, and protected by the ADA Amendments Act (effective January 1, 2009). The PAWZ program provides service dogs to active duty military members who were wounded while on duty. Many of these veterans have lost a limb in combat, suffered traumatic brain injuries, or post-traumatic stress. These dogs are specially trained to help veterans to adapt to new prosthetics and return to civilian life.

Although this is a great opportunity for many soldiers returning home, many locations throughout America do not meet the needs of these Americans with disabilities as well as their service dogs. It is important for businesses, stores, restaurants, hotels and theaters to understand that they cannot exclude anyone with disabilities and their service animals. All too often we find that discrimination is still continuing to take place for students as well as adults of society who have disabilities. This discrimination can easily leave these individuals feeling sad, depressed, and isolated. This issue could be resolved with a much clearer policy stating that service animals are allowed for Americans with disabilities (ADA, 2000; ADA Amendments, 2009). 

Blog Post #2) What Can We Do to Promote the Social Integration of Students with ELN? Danielle Hackett

As educators it is our duty and should be our passion to ensure that all students needs are being met regardless of the disabilities they may or may not have.  However, as we all know this isn't always happening or at least to the degree that is expected and required by law.  When you think of least restrictive environment you may think of disabled students getting their education in the general education classroom with all of their non-disabled peers.  Do you think of much more beyond that?  Consider this analogy, you are put smack in the middle of a board meeting at a large marketing firm.  You have so much to offer, your insight and experience could offer the company tremendous benefit.  However, you are not introduced by the team leader, your unique skills are overlooked because everyone around you is caught up in the fast paced manner of the meeting.  All that you got at this meeting was the opportunity to view some presentations and some handouts.  What is the benefit of that?  This is what I feel  is happening with many disabled students in the classroom.  Sure they are present and getting fed information on some level, but they are not involved.  Learning is always enhanced when one has the opportunity to interact with others in multiple ways.  Our duty as teachers is to make sure that our students have those opportunities.  If we do not promote an environment that is conducive to meaningful interaction and cooperative learning between all students, we should consider ourselves as failures.  In Education For All by Terese C. Jimenez and Victoria L. Graf,  it summarizes Principle Four: Least Restrictive Environment of IDEA 2004 and makes a note of what challenges come with that.  One challenge "is finding the means to include these students with nondisabled peers" (21).  We need to ensure that including students with exceptional learning needs is not a challenge in our school districts.

   

Starting small is what it usually takes to do great things.  If we as educators can take our one voice, our simple idea and promote it to make a difference, we are sending a message to all of our students that one person can and will make a difference.  In the YouTube clip “Jason McElwain Autistic Basketball Player”, we saw how one coach made a difference by recognizing what this student could offer to the basketball team by giving him the position of team manager and ultimately a chance to play.  That was a small start that spread through Jason and then through the student body of both schools during that final game and sent a message to the community and beyond.  We are here and have something to offer is being heard loud and clear because of these small differences made by educators and coaches alike.

To promote social integration we need to introduce these students to our classroom at a very young age with the use of literature, video clips, and by creating small peer groups that promote meaningful socialization.  The resources are endless in these three categories and it will take time to find the best approach, but hard work always pays off and will make a difference in the lives all of students and will make our job more fulfilling.

Blog Post #2: Dianne Flak

Aside from the lack of basic needs such as food and shelter, the lack of social acceptance of any child can be devastating. Education and advocacy are the keys to ending social isolation that a child can feel within the home, school or community. Many times we forget that because we are in a home full of people or a classroom full of peers, a child can still feel alone. We as parents and teachers need to view our roles as advocates as well as educators. As described in the text, Education For All, pg.40, "The Principle of Normalization In Human Services" , W. Wolfensberger  argued that "all individuals should be enabled to lead lives like ordinary people". This includes having the opportunities to make and maintain relationships with peers. The days of isolating children with exceptional learning needs is over. We, as special educators, have the huge task of monitoring both the educational progress as well as the social interactions within our classrooms. Just as academic tasks come easier to some than others, social interactions can be overwhelming  to a ELN child. I have seen children avoided by students because they were apprehensive about the child's obvious disability. I have also seen that same child bullied by other students. This is an example where educating the entire class would have been appropriate. With access to the internet in most classrooms today, teacher's have the world of information at their fingertips. Videos such as "Jason McElwain Autistic Basketball Player" and "Autistic Jason McElwain Scores 20 Points In 4 Minutes" would have been an appropriate tool for any middle or high school classroom. The internet also has a wide variety of videos and interactive activities dealing with social acceptance and disabilities for younger children as well. In addition to basic instruction on disabilities, role playing, modeling appropriate interactions, study buddies or peer study groups are also examples of how the issue of social acceptance can be addressed in the classroom. Schools also have a multitude of extra curricular opportunities available to students. All students should be encouraged to get involved in a group that interests them. Being a member of a group is one way to feel involved and have peers to interact with. Parents too, need to be aware of the importance of social acceptance/integration within the home and community. It is very easy to get busy with doctors visits, OT appointments, PT appointments and the various other demands of day to day life for an ELN family, and overlook the social needs of a child. Again as educators and advocates, we have the duty to enlighten parents on this critical issue. This can be achieved through parent discussion groups at school, phone calls, notes or face to face contact. Many great programs are available in our valley such as Girl Scouts, Boy Scouts, YWCA/YMCA programs, church youth groups, community sports leagues, special needs dance classes, public library activities and Special Olympics. In addition, Mill Creek Park offers a variety of educational programs for children to learn as well as interact with peers. Having three step-children on the Autism Spectrum, I have witnessed the emotional pain social isolation causes. I have felt frustrated and helpless listening to them describe every detail of their day without mentioning any friends or meaningful peer interaction. I am happy to say that they are in high school now and have an exceptional group of special educators who are true advocates for them. Life is much better now!

Blog 2: What Can We Do to Promote the Social Integration of Students with ELN?

Connection to Course Reading and Materials:

While watching the YouTube video about Jason McElwain, I had the same reaction as most people:  tears, goose bumps and an overall fuzzy feeling.  But then, the teacher in me comes out and says “Why do we wait so long to see someone’s potential?  What is it that holds us back from digging deep to find what EVERY child is good at and giving him/her opportunities to excel in that?”  I think this shows us that while we have passed the Americans with Disabilities Act, Public Law 94-142, and IDEA and its 6 principles (pgs. 9-25) which were presented in Education For All edited by Terese C. Jimenez and Victoria L. Graf, and other laws to make sure children with disabilities are included in the regular education classroom, we have far to go in changing our preconceptions of children with special needs.  We can create all the laws we want, but that doesn't address the issue of our character.  We need to produce character in our students (and ourselves) so that we can tear down the preconceptions, judgments, low expectations, rejection, and isolation that our special needs students’ experience. We have not yet arrived in understanding that though we are all created differently and have made the classroom equal, we are still not all treated fairly. 

Connection to Professional Experiences:

One of the most effective methods that I have seen help students successfully socialize with their peers in the classroom, develop more successful relationships at home, and blend into society better is the Social Thinking program by Michelle Garcia Winner.  She takes on a different approach, where many push just social skills in isolation, she understands the special needs child and that helping a child to “think” differently will impact the way in which he/she will socialize with others.   According to Winner, “social thinking is what we do when we interact with people: we think about them. And how we think about people affects how we behave, which in turn affects how others respond to us, which in turn affects our own emotions.”

The speech therapist at our school has been trained in social thinking and leads this class with our students.  (She also offers her services in outpatient therapy at her office.) She has small social groups in which she helps students learn a specific social skill and gives them opportunities to practice these skills.  These students are grouped according to what they need to work on. 

Many of our students come to our school lacking the social skills required to have quality relationships with family members and peers.  For instance, I had a student (first grade at the time) who used to run to the coat rack and hide every time his peers laughed.  He perceived that they were laughing at him when really they thought things were funny and it was actually a very positive situation.  Through the Social Thinking Curriculum called SuperFlex he learned how to identify his problem referencing cartoon characters such as BrainEater, Glassman, etc.  As his teacher, I could quickly refer him to a character (privately) when he would run and hide.  Over time he began making the connection to his own behavior and slowly the behavior began to go away.  He battled with this for over a year.   It was not a quick fix.  Now, in fourth grade, he can look back at those moments and laugh because he has overcome it!  His thinking was changed and now he can respond to situations much more acceptable by his peers. 

Last Thoughts:

Though while developing programs to help our special needs students be accepted by their peers and a contributing member of society is an integral part of what we do, it doesn't end there.  I think we need to remember that acceptance is a choice.  We sometimes focus on how to help the special needs child change and adapt when sometimes I feel that it is we “typical” people that need to change and adapt to the special needs child.  We need to start looking deeper into why our typical students and teachers don’t accept the special needs children as they are. 

Blog Post #2 Catherine Valantasis

I believe that it is an absolute must to educate children without disabilities about how to be accepting of others who may be different from them. We must be able to help children without disabilities understand that, their peers who may be different from them, feel the same emotions when it comes to being set apart from a specific group or activity. I think this might lead children to understand that their peers with disabilities are, first and foremost, people. To encourage this idea of acceptance, we may suggest to children without disabilities that they are role models and mentors for children with disabilities. This type of leadership role may encourage our children without disabilities to take action in including our children with disabilities in different activities.

During our summer sessions at The Rich Center for Autism, we have siblings, friends, and relatives of our students who come in and act as peer role models. They follow a classroom schedule, just as any one of our students would, and are encouraged to help their fellow classmates in various activities. It is incredible to see the impact on both our students and their typical peers. Over the course of the summer, you are able to see the confidence that develops in our students, as well as the patience and compassion that come from our peer role models.

Looking at the story of Jason McElwain, one could see he had a huge boost in confidence as he helped his team win their last game of the season. He took pride in his accomplishment and the praise he received from his teammates and coaches. This leads me to the idea that we, as educators, must support and advocate for our children with disabilities to be included in various activities.  We must start by educating others about how important it is for children with disabilities to be accepted as any other child. We must make clear that socialization is extremely important for any child, whether they have a disability or not. It is an innate need that must be met and if we do not foster that type of environment, we are not meeting the needs of all of our students.

Blog #2

I did not believe the video with Jason was a positive example of social integration of a student with ELN (exceptional learning needs).  My first thought is that,  it is not the schools or society’s job to integrate in that manor; I feel a ELN student  would benefit more from socializing with other ELN students with  in that type of situation and that being a student assistant is not integrating it is isolating.  I am still very new to this field but thought that an IEP or something would have been in place if the student was capable of playing basketball,  it would have already been known… prior to his senior year, last game.  My knowledge is limited, but I am assuming like other disabled students they tend to be obsessive, so I think Jason would be at practices, scrimmages, etc.   If the ELN student has the ability to play a team sport with non-disabled students then he/she should be on the team, if not there are numerous other options; Special Olympics, adaptive sports, deaflympics and community based teams for ELN students.  I feel that social integration and acceptances starts with the student having a strong self-confidence, awareness, and support system.  The disabled students are different, but different is not bad.  How can we expect disabled students to be self-confident if they do not accept their limitations?  This weekend in the news there was a 5k run/walk for disabled veterans; one of the gentlemen in a wheel chair stated that being with other disabled veterans made him feel more connected.  Wouldn’t it only make sense to build confidence, self-awareness and acceptance in the individual first; society is cruel disabled or not.

Blog 2- Social Integration By: Amanda Barbone

There are many things, teachers, parents and other support people in the lives of children that have exceptional learning needs (ELN) can do to help support and promote acceptance of social integration in our schools, communities, and our society.  Over the years, schools have tried to make students with disabilities fit in but it all changed when it was the parents that then began fighting for their children.  Once the parents were hear the federal legislator set laws to help promote social integration for the students with disabilities.

In 1972, The Principle of Normalization in Human Services was published, and created this principle of normalization to fight for the development of community-based and schools to help students with ELN.  According to Education For All by T. Jimenez and V. Graf they expressed on page 40 their belief that everyone has a right to as a normal life as possible, with the right to take part in public education with their peers, and be involved within the community.  They had thought mainstreaming these ELN students within the regular classroom would be a good step in promoting an equal education for all students.  Moving to the 1980’s federal legislation had a large initiative to have shared accountability for educating students with and without disabilities.  In 1997 when Individuals with Disabilities Act passed it now allowed parents at an IEP meeting to determine if their child would be placed in an inclusion classroom setting. 

Through my years of experience teaching and working in a variety of schools, I have seen some good and some not so good things occur with students with exceptional learning needs.  Most award assemblies at many schools it appears to be the same kids being called up for awards for the good grades and good behavior.  At a charter school I taught at for three years, each teacher needed to make sure that all students in his/her class got an award.  If there were students that did not make honor, or perfect attendance, the teachers would create a unique award for the students that would not have received a reward.  This to me shows and promotes that all children regardless of their learning needs are being treated equal. 

            Some social integration that can happen and that I have seen first-hand within multiple schools outside of the classroom is to provide everyone the opportunity to participate in sports, before and after school activities, clubs (chess, music, art, bead etc.), or any other extracurricular activities with the school.  This is not limited to just school, but in the community as well, such as church youth groups.  A good example of this is in the you tube videos that were sent to us titled, “Jason McElwain Autistic Basketball Player” and “Autistic Jason McElwain Scores 20 Points in 4 Mins”.   This shows a boy who loved the sport of basketball. Jason practiced hours upon hours to one day hope to play in a basketball game instead of just being the student manager.  This boy was looked over and passed due to his exceptional learning needs.  During the last game of his senior year with four minutes to go, the coach put him in the game.  Within those four minutes, he scored twenty points for the team to win the game.  Had the coach tried him earlier in the season, Jason may have had the opportunity to play more.

            Overall, with a few federal laws and examples discussed within the years, has shown that over the years and in first-hand experience in the schools along with the videos of Jason has shown us today that our society has gotten better with trying to include all children and provide them with an equal opportunity within the classroom, outside of the classroom and our society.

Blog Post #2: Nicole Yozwiak

Blog Post #2) What Can We Do to Promote the Social Integration of Students with ELN?

By: Nicole Yozwiak

            There are many things that parents, children, and teachers can do to promote the social integration of students with exceptional learning needs.  Over the years, schools have tried to implement new rules in order to socialize children both inside and outside of the classroom.  The parents have played a huge role in this by advocating for their children in order for their children to obtain an education that the parents believe is suitable for their children.  With the parents fighting for their children’s rights, the federal legislation has placed some laws in order to help promote the social integration of students with exceptional learning needs. 

            One of the big changes in the educational system for socialization was The Principle of Normalization in Human Services.  According to “Education for All: Critical Issues in the Education of Children and Youth with Disabilities,” this principle was published in 1972, “in which Wolfensberger and his colleagues argued that deviancy was socially determined and all individuals should be enabled to lead lives like those of ordinary people” (40).  This was supposed to give the parents and children a right to participate in community and school programs with their typical peers and neighbors, but to which extent the schools did this was up to them.  In order to help with this process, the schools were mandated to educate students with exceptional learning needs and meet with each student’s parents in order to ensure all the needs were met and considered as his or her individualized educational program was implemented. 

            As time went on, the Americans with Disabilities Acts, signed in 1990, brought government-sponsored programs to be available and make accommodations for disabled individuals in the workforce.  Also, in 1997, the Individuals with Disabilities Act, increased parents participation in the placement decisions and established mediation as a primary process for conflicts between the school and parents.  One of the decisions that the parents were apart of for the IEP meetings were to decide if the child could be placed in an inclusive education classroom.  This would allow the disabled children to be full-time in a regular classroom and engaging with non-disabled peers.

            When looking through the ADA Amendments Act power point, provided by Dr. Dove, it talked about examples of how recreation areas are designed and constructed for individuals with disabilities.  I know recently, Canfield Township built a new play area park and it was constructed with all accessible grounds and accessible routes for disabled children. This shows the progress that some towns are making in order to accommodate for all children.  It allows disabled individuals to play and socialize with their non-disabled peers. 

            Even though I have just listed some of the laws that have been implemented over the years, the parents, children, and teachers are still figuring out different ways to keep the children involved with their peers inside and outside of the classroom. 

            From my past experience, I volunteered in a third grade classroom that mostly was composed of non-disabled students and a few students with exceptional learning needs.  One day while I was in the classroom, the teacher was passing out awards to the students for all of their reading logs for the month.  The students were getting medals based on the amount of books that they read for that month.  When the student with exceptional learning needs was announced and given his award, all of the students clapped and a few ran up to him and gave him a hug.  I felt like this shows that his non-disabled peers not only enjoyed having him in their classroom, but they were also watching out for him and was proud of him for all his hard work. 

            Some of the social integration that can happen outside of the classroom can involve participation in sports, hobbies, homework help session, or any other extra activities that can happen with or without the school.  A good example of this is in the you tube videos that were sent to us titled, “Jason McElwain Autistic Basketball Player” and “Autistic Jason McElwain Scores 20 Points in 4 Mins”.  Both of these videos focus on a boy that was the basketballs student manager for most of his high school career.  The boy was given the opportunity to socialize with his non-disabled peer’s throughout the years outside of the classroom.  Even though he was not placed in a game until the last game of the season, he was still able to make friends and was a fan favorite.  This shows how students can interact with one another and the success stories that can help socialize students with exceptional learning needs. 

            Overall, all of these examples show the progress that has been made over the years for the students and their families.  It shows the success stories and also the improvement that have given hope to many of the families.  Even though there is room for improvement, communication is still the key for families, students, and teachers in order to promote social integration for students with exceptional learning needs.