| Last week, along with Parents for Inclusive Education, we co-sponsored an event, “Talking About Inclusive Education.” The turn-out at the event was impressive, with our conference room filled to capacity, and the conversation was especially lively. We began the evening with a panel of experts: Claire Lowenstein, the Principal of P.S. 333, the Manhattan School for Children; Kim Madden, a parent and an advocate working at Advocates for Children of New York; and Srikala Naraian, an Associate Professor at Teachers College. They spoke with parents, educators, and other stakeholders about a variety of topics related to making inclusion work. Jackie Okin Barney, who coordinates Parents for Inclusive Education, moderated the panel. Some of the more salient points that came up during the discussion included: |  |
- Inclusion should be seen as a civil right. The term goes much deeper than a simple discussion about which classes students are placed in. Inclusion must address the academic, social, and emotional well-being of students.
- Successful inclusion requires resources, support, innovation, cooperation, and collaboration. Inclusion is not a “one size fits all” approach to education; it must be individualized to meet the needs of students, schools, and families. Inclusion is not static; all parties involved need to speak up when something isn’t working so changes can be made where necessary.
- Schools and parents need to stop seeing each other as adversaries in the quest for inclusion. Parents should be informed about their rights and schools need to recognize that parents participate in any number of ways, not just by showing up for parent conferences and answering phone calls. Teachers, administrators, and parents should be active partners.
- Everyone benefits when students receive the assistive technology supports they need to access the curriculum in inclusive settings, and anything that can be done to fast track those supports should be done.
We are thankful to all three panelists and to our co-sponsor. We also want to thank Amy Jones, Deputy Chief Executive Director of the Special Education Office at the NYC DOE, for attending the speak out and listening to what the panelists and parents had to say.
When the panelists finished, we opened the floor and heard stories from parents and others about their experiences with inclusion. Key points raised included:
- Inclusion works; it supports academic as well as social-emotional growth for students with disabilities; and individual students can become really successful when given the opportunity.
- The funding formula should be addressed to ensure that it genuinely allows for flexible scheduling of students in a range of settings.
- Principals must be held responsible and accountable for overseeing successful inclusion practices in their schools. Committed, able, and prepared teachers—special education and general education—make a huge difference. Class size is also important.
- To make inclusion really effective, more needs to be done to make inclusive classrooms and buildings physically accessible to students who have mobility needs.
- Increased use of technology to support the needs of students with disabilities is also critical.
The more Coalition members know about families’ experiences (good and bad), the better we can advocate to improve the day-to-day experiences and long-term outcomes for all students with disabilities in New York City. We thank those parents who have already shared their stories, and we urge others to continue to speak out. If you were unable to attend last week’s event, and would like an opportunity to add your voice now, please fill out our “Share your Story” form [PDF] and return it to us in the coming weeks. Feel free to share the link to the form with other families and stakeholders who may also be interested in speaking up.
