Last year, the principal at my son’s elementary school asked me to write a short essay about inclusion of students with special needs for the school newsletter during Autism Awareness Month. I wrote a 450 word piece and submitted it a week before the deadline. She never printed any part of it. I think my [...]
Everyone in this world was created different. No two people are alike (even identical twins!) Think about it…. there are over 7 Billion people in this world and not one of them is alike. You would think there would be a few duplicates here and there. The reason that G-d created one person differently than [...]
Many people are considering their personal goals or resolutions for the new year. For families of children with special needs, inclusion in the wider community is usually on that list of goals. Here’s a list of 10 ways to include a child with special needs in the new year. 10. Fulfill sensory needs at all [...]
Have you considered having your child with disabilities fully included in a typical classroom (with their supports and services)? A Tale of Two Parents This month I met two mothers within minutes of each other that shared different experiences. As an author and presenter I meet many parents working to raise children with disabilities. Usually [...]
I can think of many ways to create wonderful learning opportunities for students within our typical classrooms. I cannot think of one child that I would not want included in these lessons. Inclusion Benefits Everyone! Trying to incorporate the learning needs of a child with disabilities requires that all the best teaching practices are implemented. [...]
Ellen Seidman wrote on her blog, Love That Max about the difficulty in bringing her child with special needs to High Holiday Services at her synagogue. The post brought a lot of conversation about how places of worship should be more accommodating to individuals with special needs and what synagogues should or should not do. While it is important that [...]
Did the people at Apple know they were changing the dynamics of special education when they created the iPad? I don’t know for sure. I want to think that someone in the organization had this kind of application in mind – maybe a parent, a sibling or family member of someone with disabilities. In fact, I’m [...]
Try going to a dinner party and telling people that you want your child with special needs fully included in school. I used to do this! One mother looked at me flatly and said, “Oh, you are one of those mothers. You just want your child included without any learning expectations.”
Too often, it is not people with different learning styles. In my opinion, this is the biggest issue facing young people with disabilities and their integration into schools, religious organizations and our communities. People have this set idea of what learning should look like and if someone doesn’t fit nicely in this box, then they’re [...]
Sometimes hope comes in unexpected packages. I was thinking about this just the other day as I sat and watched my 12-yr old daughter with Down Syndrome play on her Challenger’s baseball team. The families have become pretty close over the years, and we always enjoy seeing the kids again in the spring and commenting [...]
