Inclusive education for children with disabilities can transform lives, says UNICEF
Original article NEW YORK, 6 February 2013 – Progressive policies in inclusive education have made positive changes in the lives of children with disabilities in Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia, according to UNICEF today. More schools are welcoming first grade children with disabilities in Serbia as a result of years of policy advocacy. Huge nationwide awareness raising campaigns in Montenegro and strong engagement of civil society in promoting inclusion in Armenia have led to increased public demands for inclusive schools,...
read moreDown Syndrome: Today, more then ever, you need our kids
By Sheyla Hirshon Several months ago, I was speaking with a friend who had been volunteering in her daughter’s kindergarten classroom. The teacher had asked her to do some individual surveys with the children to see how many could identify the numbers up to thirty. (This, mind you, was the first semester of kindergarten!) One little girl, as she tells it, identified a few then asserted anxiously, “But I know this one. It’s ‘five’. I’m five too.” As I listened to her story, besides feeling horror at the whole idea of test anxiety...
read moreInclusion in the Classroom: Tips and Resources
Why is it important to include students with disabilities in general education classrooms? This 2-page Tips & Resources Fact Sheet PDF from Vanderbilt Kennedy Center explores the legal, moral, and civil rights of students with disabilities and provides tips and resources for breaking barriers and finding success in inclusion. Click here to read the Tips & Resources PDF Some research has shown that inclusion may improve learning and academic performance for all students. Children also have an opportunity to learn to...
read moreWhat is Inclusive Education?
What does it mean? What are the laws? What does the research show? Do children in inclusive classrooms perform better? These “frequently asked questions” are examined in this document from the Institute on Disability and its research on inclusive education presented at the Inclusive Education Leadership Summit in 2009. View the 4-page “Research on Inclusive Education” PDF. Inclusive education is characterized by presumed competence, authentic membership, full participation, reciprocal social...
read moreTASH Responds to News Article ‘Inclusion May Not Be Best After All’
ORIGINAL ARTICLE TASH has submitted the following letter in response to a recent article in Disability Scoop, “Study: Inclusion May Not Be Best After All” On November 1, 2012, Disability Scoop published an article under the headline, “Study: Inclusion May Not Be Best After All,” which intended to bring to light findings from a study recently published to the journal Pediatrics (Foster & Pearson, 2012). TASH, a leading research and advocacy organization for individuals with significant disabilities, has deep concerns...
read more(Article) Disability Advocates Claim Victory In Portland Schools Settlement
Tweet Share From OPB.org: Advocates for disabled people in Oregon say they’ve won a significant settlement from the state’s largest school district. It’s aimed at improving academic services for young people leaving high school. Under federal and state laws, disabled people between the ages of 18 and 21 are eligible for full-time academic services. Oregon lawmakers beefed up its disabled student law last year. Two groups threatened to sue Portland Public Schools, arguing it provided services that weren’t academically rigorous...
read moreSome Thanks are in Order
By Abby Braithwaite I wanted to take a few moments to talk about the businesses and individuals who have supported the inclusion movement over the past few years. We would not have achieved all that we have without the trust and support of some fabulously talented individuals. Since joining the NWDSA board four years ago, my work has mainly fallen into two categories: new parent outreach, and the All Born (In) movement. On the one hand, I help run the Open Arms Playgroups, welcoming new families into our community, and on the other I work to...
read moreVideo from the Portland Public Schools Presentation: Beyond Accessibility: Universal Design for Learning
Some of you may remember us talking about Angela Jarvis-Holland, Michael Bailey, Alicia Delashmutt, and others presenting for the Portland Public Schools’ Long Range Facilities group. You can check out the incredible and dynamic presentation for yourself! Click here to see a video of the presentation. Click here for a PDF of the...
read moreEleanor Bailey, All Born (In) and NWDSA Staff Member and Self Advocate, Takes a New Step at New Seasons
Eleanor Bailey has become a valuable member of the New Seasons team. Eleanor is thrilled to be earning her own money and lending her talents to a great company! Learn more about Eleanor.
read moreFamily Story: Segregation
By Quinn Jarvis-Holland Opinions hold strongly when we are older, they are formed from our upbringing, and the experiences we’ve encountered. These tend to be more rigid the older we are, but things can change. For example, black and white racism in the fifties: white families didn’t know blacks, and if they did, it was in a situation where they were superior to them. The opinions were seeded at home, and solidified at school, where the only things white kids knew about blacks were rumors and stereotypes. In 1954 Brown vs Board stated that...
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