"Earning" inclusion
Who else has heard beliefs like these?
"How can this student be included? They run around all day and won't sit down."
"I can't consider this student for inclusion because they're too loud."
"They can't be included because we don't know how they'll act."
"They're not 'ready' for inclusion."
In my previous blog post I talked about how expecting students in segregated settings to earn their way into inclusive settings with academic acumen is unjust. This post focuses on how schools often also expect students with disabilities to "prove" that they can "behave" in general education settings before they are allowed to try.
When I hear the above questions, I ask:
Why are they moving around? What can be done to help them learn to regulate their body and get the movement they need in an inclusive setting?
Why are they making noise? What can be done to help them learn to regulate their body and get the sound or other sensory input they need in an inclusive setting? Does sound really bother other students or are adults making an assumption?
Of course you don't know! You've never tried!
Why? How do we know? Try inclusion with appropriate supports!
In all cases let's go to the inclusive setting prepared to help students use self-regulation tools and skills, and ready to accommodate and modify on the fly.
"If you are inclusive then your students will be inclusive." - Inclusion Starts Now, 2022