Inclusion! What's In It For Everyone?

Micah Fialka-Feldman

My name is Micah. I am 25 years old and I want to tell you about my life and my dreams.  In first grade I was in a special ed classroom because I had a cognitive disability.  I was not in the same room as my friends.  After about four months, I told my parents, “I want to go in the same door as my friends.”  That was my first dream for myself.

My parents listened to me. They helped me to get my dream to come true.  I was moved into the class where all of my friends were and I stayed with my friends all the way through high school.  It was cool. My friends helped me and we had fun. Sometimes they would write down what I wanted to say in my journal because I didn’t write. I had a great Circle of Friends and we did fun things together during recess and sometimes after school.  Some of them are still my friends now.  I got help from my teachers too.

In high school, I still went to the general ed classes.  I learned other ways to do some things. Because of my disability I don’t write. I have a lot of sight words, but I don’t read like most of my friends. I use special software like “screen reader” which reads whatever is on my computer screen. I also use Dragon Naturally Speaking ®. I talk into my microphone and the words I say go on the screen. I can read and send my own emails. I can learn a lot by using the computer. All kids like me should know about these things.

Since 5^th grade I was a part of my IEP meetings (Individual Educational Planning). My friends would come for the first part to talk about what they thought I was learning.  Sometimes I did a power point of my dreams and what I wanted to learn in school.  It was cool to have my friends at the meeting because they had good ideas to help me. They didn’t stay for the whole meeting., they thought it was kind of boring!!!

In high school, my parents wanted me to run cross country. At first I didn’t like the idea, but I got use to it.  I could only run about a block in my freshman year. When I was a senior I ran 2 miles in 23 minutes.  I was proud….and tired.

I still learned a lot in high school. Sometimes I didn’t write a paper but I would interview someone on a topic and video tape it. I would give this to the teacher and it would be my paper.

I will tell you more about my life in another blog.  There is a lot to tell you. I travel all around the country to speak at conferences about my life and how other kids can be included in their schools. I tell teachers and parents to help the kids have big dreams.

micahff@aol.com

www.throughthesamedoor.com