Straight talk on Inclusion: What is Inclusive Education?

April 20, 11:22 PM Rockville Special Needs Kids Examiner Shameen Anthanio-Williams

Published by Examiner.com, Washington DC

If you are a parent of a disabled child, then it is likely you have had discussions on Inclusion. There are some parents who feel that Inclusive Education is the right answer for every child, while others feel it may only meet the needs of some children. Having a solid understanding of what an inclusive educational program entails will not only help substantiate your opinion about the subject, but it will open your eyes to a broader register of opportunities for your child’s education program.

First, Inclusion is not a legal term that can be found in existing federal laws, or regulations regarding special education. It is a derivative of 20 USC Code 1412(a) (5) and 34 CFR 300.114 which defines Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). The following are excerpts from both citations:…

To read the entire article please visit the Author’s page on the Examiner.

Penny Veerhoff

Interesting comment about “inclusive.” About 15 years ago, I joined the Diversity Committee at my older son’s independent school (my sons with Down syndrome were about 4). We went around the room with the usual get acquainted introductions and each person told why he or she was interested in diversity at the school–ethnic, religious, regional, gender, race, etc. Not one other person in the group had ever thought about “diversity” in terms of building awareness of and including students with differing abilities, even though there were other students who had sibs with developmental disabilities. Putting it in front of them really changed the discussions.

Apr 21, 2010 @ 5:40 pm