Daniel’s teachers have learned much more about child development as they have seen even the tiniest of changes in what he does. With many other children, they progress so fast that these changes go unnoticed; such as the way your entire body has to learn how to walk up stairs, not just your legs. Or in the way your mouth, arms, hands and trunk of your body has to mold itself and build up muscles in order to drink from a straw or an open cup. This has allowed the teachers to creatively help other children who are struggling, know exactly what tips and tricks to use to help the others in the classroom as well as Daniel. They have realized that nothing we do is automatic, that our bodies adjust to even the slightest changes and as teachers, we can promote these changes in order to help with development.

Daniel’s friends (his classmates), benefit from this since their teachers are more aware of how a child physically develops. Many of them are learning to help Daniel, by holding his hand and looking out for him even though he is quite capable of doing most things on his own. They realize that Daniel isn’t exactly like them, just as each of them is different from the other. Is Daniel thought of as different or special? No, he is a part of their circle of friends and accepted be each person. This is what inclusion is all about; if acceptance starts with the little ones, then it will be part of the big world.

Matthew Weinger

I moved to suburban Detroit from out of state toward the end of fifth grade, when I was ten years old.  I found myself as the much maligned new kid amongst 75 or so children who’d been together since kindergarten.  What easily could have meant disaster for my self-esteem instead became a love affair with my new friends.  I was almost immediately embraced, welcomed, and included by Micah and his peers, a group known as the Circle of Friends.

It turns out that being the new kid is a blessing in disguise.  I’m sure Micah at the time thought little of what he had done.  But look, that’s the whole point!  To him I was merely a new friend.  A quick display of friendliness and compassion on his part meant the entire world to someone else, that being me.  I won’t ever forget that day…Circle of Friends more than opened my eyes; it opened my heart and opened my mind.

I no longer see the world the way I used to see it.  No more cool kids and weirdos or jocks and dorks. No more retards.  Micah, his family and his circle have taught me to view and accept people as individuals without classifications.  Just because someone stutters doesn’t mean they aren’t worthy of conversation.  A blind man would certainly enjoy being read aloud to.  Someone who can’t run so fast may still get satisfaction from being a member of a track and field team.  A child who has poor penmanship could well be a magnificent writer.  Luckily, the standards by which society measures people are evolving, if ever for the better…

Thanks to Micah and his Circle of Friends, I feel as though I am a better friend, a better person, leading a better life.

Deborah Conn

I must admit, a smile literally spread across my face as I watched six small groups of early care and education workshop participants from Santa Barbara County, California talking animatedly and quickly filling flip charts with lists of ideas. Their task was to brainstorm the benefits of inclusion for children with special needs and their families, children without special needs and their families, program staff, and the community. I was smiling because this was such a stark and wonderful contrast to the first time I’d led the same activity twenty years earlier in the same building. Even then, people could think of a few reasons why inclusion benefited children with disabilities, but it was hard for them to come up with ideas on how inclusion benefited others. And, sadly, there were a few then who actually verbalized that children with disabilities had no place in a preschool classroom with children who were typically developing.

A common theme that ran through these small groups today was “respecting and celebrating differences” – not just accepting or tolerating differences. The groups concluded, independently, that adults who grew up prior to special education legislation and the Americans with Disabilities Act were learning to value inclusion from their own preschool children. Just a few of the many other benefits noted from the various groups were: learning to work together to accomplish a goal, mastering skills by helping peers, gaining leadership skills, feeling less isolated, learning new information and skills, increasing awareness, becoming valued members of the community, being able to stay in and contribute to a community (rather than having to move elsewhere to find inclusive settings), learning adaptations that help all children, and improving honest communication.

I recently took the opportunity to talk with some Head Start teachers about how inclusion has benefited them personally. Michelle Valencia shared, “Having children with special needs in my classroom really helped my confidence and has made me a better teacher for all children.” Michelle explained that she has now taught a number of children with significant disabilities and that her successes working with them helped her become more outgoing. In fact, she has even done presentations with her program’s disabilities coordinator. I visited Michelle’s classroom recently and saw first-hand the confidence that she talked about as she worked with a very diverse and lively group of children, including a little girl with spina bifida, who was fully included in all the activities that were going on.

In another classroom I visited, Mary Flores, a center director, talked about the positive changes that she has seen in adult family members of the children without disabilities. Three preschoolers who have significant visual impairments and two children with Down syndrome are enrolled in her center. A few parents expressed concerns at the beginning of the school year about whether their own children would get enough attention and whether the curriculum would be “watered down.” Mary proudly reported that the families soon saw that curriculum is easily adapted and individualized so that all the children can participate. These same parents have told Mary that their own children have become more helpful to others in general and more empathetic since being in the program. A couple of the concerned family members are now volunteering at the center and work with all the children. In fact, one mother wants to go to school to become a special education teacher.

Although work still needs to be done to educate teachers, administrators, legislators, and the community on the benefits of inclusion, and there are surely battles that still need to be fought until all children with disabilities and their families are fully included in our schools and communities, it is heart warming to see how many people today are demonstrating that inclusion works but that everyone benefits from inclusion.

Tina Macaulay

My first recollection of participating in an inclusive setting is at the age of ten.  My mother organized for me to ‘volunteer’ at a local daycare.  This was a special negotiated after school care arrangement for me, as my three year old sister attended this centre.  I would help with snack time and play with the preschoolers for about an hour and half each day.  Shortly after I began attending this daycare a four year old child started, she was blind, and it became part of my task to help her adjust to the setting.  Initially, she was very tentative and would resist exploring the centre.  The sound of the other children and the unfamiliar setting left her frozen to the chair where she was sitting.  The details are blurry, but I recall bringing her toys to explore with her hands, as I verbally described them.  Her favourite item was a walking doll, she loved exploring the facial features, the eyes, nose, lips and the doll’s her hands.  I think because the doll was about the same size as the girl, she found it particularly interesting.  The doll soon became the motivating item to encourage her to explore the centre.  We could together walk the doll to the housekeeping corner or we could go in search of the doll in the block area.  The other children would often watch as the girl explored the new items, and soon accepted that she used her hands to understand objects and people.  They learned to pause when interacting to give the girl a moment to explore their hair, face and listen to their voice before continuing on with their play.  I found it very exciting to witness her becoming comfortable in the setting and making friends.

The process of providing child centred interventions, and patiently giving her time to explore when she felt comfortable, made for a successful learning opportunity not just for the girl but her peers as well.  And now in my career, I am doing this for other children.  In my work as an Early Childhood Educator, I have had many more opportunities to watch children with developmental disabilities participate alongside their typically developing peers.  I can attest to the value of inclusion in that it creates understanding and tolerance which facilitates development, a sense of belonging and improved social skills.  Children ideally learn to value diversity as friendships develop and they become more sensitive to others’ needs.  A social justice framework for successful inclusion insures access, participation and supports for children of all abilities in early childhood settings.  This structure is dependent on educators because their perspectives have a direct influence on whether children have equal opportunities to be involved.

Shaping individual perspectives on inclusion is relevant to my current role as practicum student with Supported Child Development program.  In my placement, I act as a consultant to childcare centres, early childhood educators and families with the objective of insuring the successful inclusion of children with designated support needs in community programs.  As a SCD consultant practicum student, with an education and experiential background in Early Childhood Education with a special needs citation, I have the opportunity to positively affect other’s perceptions in my community by providing support, training and resources.  I take this learning role very seriously and carry with me the lessons taught to me by each individual child I have had the privilege of working with.  Starting with that inspiring girl I met when I was ten.  As Martha Stewart would say, “Inclusion: It’s a good thing.”

Deb VanderGaast

The benefit to my own children without disabilities has been remarkable. My teenagers are more sympathetic and accepting of differences in their peers. They tend to be protective of the kids that other kids tease or avoid because they don’t fit in. My two preschool-aged daughters are very accepting of children with special needs. Rather than stare at a child with a disability, they will start talking to them and invite them to play. If they have questions about a person’s disability, I encourage them to ask the person rather than talk about the person as if they weren’t there. Believe me, if someone asks about one of the kids in my care and I don’t let the child who is capable of responding answer for themselves, the kids will scold me for it.

My favorite moment was when I put a school age boy with profound physical and mental disabilities into a cube chair so he could sit on the floor with the other children during free play. I had put a small table in front of him to prevent him from falling forward. Another boy his age saw this as an opportunity for a play mate. He placed a variety of plastic animals on the table in front of the other boy, divided the animals evenly between them, and began to enact Pokie-Mon battles. The game was very fair with both boys winning about the same number of battles. The boy with cerebral palsy could not actively participate in the game, but he had such a huge smile the entire time. For a brief time he was not the boy in the wheelchair. He was just another boy involved in a game of pretend.

The most important aspect of inclusion is the commitment of the learning community, and the larger community to work together to create an inclusive-accepting environment for all children. Parents, educators and community who are committed and willing to work together to provide the best learning and child development environment for all children. Studies are conclusive and clearly indicate that the earlier “challenged” children are included into the population, the greater opportunity they have to maximize their potential.

Abby has CP which has manifested itself in visual perception issues. Through strategies developed and implemented by her educators she has for the most part conquered her visual perception issues leaving only some physical challenges that have been lessened through several surgerys.

While volunteering in my daughter’s classroom it was wonderful to observe the generous spirit and empathy of the other students. On one occasion during a PE kickball game a boy kick the ball soft fully to Abby. Later I heard him commenting to some boys he kicked if softly but should have kicked a little harder because she threw him out. Inclusion brings out the best in all children with proper supports and continued related services

It was gratifying to see throughout Abby’s education how important modeling of appropriate behavior by peers was and how important and beneficial the interaction was for all students. Those children who are not challenged learn also, they learn the positive attribute of “acceptance” which will benefit them greatly in their later years and in their soon-to-come working years. But mostly, all children can learn that there is much to be offered and learned from all people, regardless of their challenges.

Our learning communities and educators benefit from inclusion. Children who are included from an early age become an accepted part of their community. When I spoke to my daughter about inclusion and about writing this article and her opinion on the matter was “I’ve never known anything else”. “I’ve never been excluded so I really can’t imagine anything else, I can’t understand why anyone would be excluded!” I can only hope all children will have the opportunity to be included, so they don’t have to know how it feels to be separated and isolated from their community.

Our world should be one of inclusion, once students graduate from high school most will not be in sheltered environments. It is important to prepare all children to continue their education, work, and live together.