Inclusion! What's In It For Everyone?

My name is Tina Macaulay.  I am currently studying Child and Youth Care at the University of Victoria.  My practicum is with Supported Child Development (SCD), a program that helps children with special needs participate in community childcare settings.  I am writing about my experience as a child with inclusion and how it led me to following my current career path.

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.”