Although inclusion still remains an elusive dream, it is most definitely a right worth fighting for. Right is the operative word here. Inclusion is a civil right; it is not a place. In fact, social ostracism, inaccessible instructional materials/activities, poor blindness skills, and limited opportunity can make any educational setting the most restrictive environment forContinue reading “The Gift of the Continuum of Services Part VIII: An Inclusive Society”
Tag Archives: Inclusion
The Gift of the Continuum of Services Part VI: Acceptance of Disability
I like to think of myself as a diamond in the rough. As a kid though, I felt like a lump of coal. People did not generally see me as the Super Blind (Tuttle & Tuttle, 2004) but rather as the fumbling, bumbling Mr. Magoo®. I was the quintessential Ugly Duckling®. I was different, defective,Continue reading “The Gift of the Continuum of Services Part VI: Acceptance of Disability”
The Gift of the Continuum of Services Part V: Social-Emotional Development
My “privilege” includes having attended a high school that consisted of a predominantly white, able-bodied, middle-to-upper-class student body rife with the stereotypical cliques of the 1980s. I was one of only three mainstreamed students in my graduating class who had visible disabilities. As such, I was often ridiculed and ostracized. I was called names likeContinue reading “The Gift of the Continuum of Services Part V: Social-Emotional Development”
The Gift of the Continuum of Services Part IV: Self-Sufficiency
As the oldest child in a single-parent household, my mother relied on me to babysit, cook, and clean while she worked multiple jobs. Mom, who could be Martha Stewart’s long-lost twin, had an exacting standard for managing household demands. As such, she constantly critiqued my work, providing a barrage of suggestions. Blindness was never anContinue reading “The Gift of the Continuum of Services Part IV: Self-Sufficiency”
The Gift of the Continuum of Services Part II: The Benefits of Inclusion
LRE, a fundamental element of EHA, requires that “to the maximum extent appropriate, school districts must educate students with disabilities in the regular classroom with appropriate aids and supports… along with their nondisabled peers in the school they would attend if not disabled” (Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, 1994, para. 5). This requirementContinue reading “The Gift of the Continuum of Services Part II: The Benefits of Inclusion”
The VIP Experience 