Defining Inclusive Education

Inclusive education is a concept that comes with a variety of definitions and perspectives. Essentially, it’s an educational approach that gives children with disabilities the opportunity to have a quality education and classroom environment that is equitable to their able-bodied peers. This often looks like allowing all students with a range of learning abilities to be in the same classroom together, as opposed to isolating students with disabilities into separate spaces.

Special education teachers have a significant opportunity to lead the charge and adapt lesson plans to the unique learning styles of students with disabilities. However, it’s important to cultivate inclusive practices schoolwide that unify students of all abilities. A great way to do so is through learning materials and creating an equitable learning environment. Some educational systems claim that this is accomplished through Universal Design for Learning pedagogies that help students engage based on their own learning ability or style. At the end of the day, we want to create meaningful learning experiences for all students, including those with disabilities.

Benefits of Inclusion in Schools

on school culture benefits students with and without disabilities. Benefits of inclusion include improved teaching strategy, stronger skill development, higher attendance and less behavioral disruptions. Sometimes, however, school districts may cite lack of resources, training and support staff as barriers to the success of children with extensive needs in the general education classroom.

While these challenges are real and not to be discredited, the benefits of inclusive classrooms for all students are far greater when we create an environment that encompasses educational opportunities that meet students where they are. It’s hard to encapsulate the impact of these intentional practices, but my experience as a special education teacher has given me countless inclusive education success stories.

Inclusive Education Success Stories from a Special Education Teacher

As a special education teacher, I’ve seen many opportunities for students with and without disabilities to grow and learn from the benefits of an inclusive school community. I’m going to introduce you to three students I saw thrive when provided with the unique supportive learning they needed.

Meet the Students

First, I’ll introduce you to Chris. When I first met Chris in my kindergarten class, he wandered the classroom with what appeared to be little attention to our class routine, peers or academic content. As a minimally verbal autistic child with a history of elopement, Chris was supported by a classroom aide to facilitate communication and ensure he remained safe at school. Visual supports were put into place and academic content was accommodated to meet his needs, which was more about engagement than academics. Chris loved the movie “Inside Out,” and most of the language that was heard in the classroom was jumbled sounds that the staff were finally able to decipher as scenes from this movie.

In another kindergarten classroom was Liam, who had down syndrome and was non-verbal. He used a communication device and some sign language to share basic wants and needs. He, like Chris, rarely joined the table for work time and often rolled on the carpet during circle time activities. Liam also had one-on-one support, and while there was a clear relationship developing with his aide, he would rarely do anything she asked.

During this same time, Billy was down the hall in first grade. Billy, also autistic, had larger obstacles than Chris and Liam. Due to a bad classroom experience, he was afraid to be at school. Staff tried to get him to join lunch with his peers but had no luck. He spent the majority of the day running in the hallway. When he was frustrated, he would yell loudly, as he had minimal language to communicate. Like Chris and Liam, he had some academic strengths, but his anxiety caused numerous behaviors that impeded his ability to be with his peers. The school had a difficult time finding staff who felt comfortable working with him as there was a lack of training on how to support students with extensive needs.

Finding Solutions for Students With Unique Needs

The teachers and the school principal felt as if they were failing these three children. I joined the team in the middle of the school year as a resource room teacher and was met with a cry for help across the board. I was well-equipped to support elementary school students with unique needs, and the push for inclusion in the district had been new. It resulted in more students who were previously placed in categorical classrooms joining general education classrooms. Even though the school team was supportive, there was a lack of training and knowledge of implementing inclusivity practices.

Teachers must take the time to gain these skills. ·¬ÇŃĘÓƵ offers a fully online Certificate in Transition to Teaching in Special Education as well as an M.Ed. in Special Education that are flexible and affordable enough for a busy teacher.

While my role was resource room support, the needs of the school placed me in a position of an inclusion coach for a portion of the day. The team worked closely together to create a layered system of support, and I modeled strategies for paraprofessionals to create an inclusive classroom.

• Supporting Chris: We used a work/break system with “Inside Out” tokens and tried a long list of different seating arrangements to encourage him to sit with classmates.
• Supporting Liam: I pushed for a group story time that focused on incorporating his assistive technology and sign language. We added sign language books to the classroom library and images from his communication device around the room. We also expanded his device to include pictures of preferred items, activities and people to motivate him to use it more.
• Supporting Billy: We created a workspace outside his classroom door so he could still see instruction but feel more comfortable. We did the same outside of the cafeteria, slowly moving his lunch table to inside the cafeteria.

Seeing Students Feel the Joy of Success

I have been at the school for three years now. All three boys are experiencing success in the general education classroom with minimal time outside of it. While it is not always perfect, they are able to experience instruction in academic areas that they may never have been exposed to previously. All three boys are valued by staff and students as important members of the classroom community who deserve quality learning opportunities.

• Success for Chris: He developed more phrases from shows and movies he loved – a form of language development. Now in third grade, he naturally uses a wide range of phrases to communicate with both adults and peers. He is loved and embraced by his peers, who are the best models for his language, academic and social development.
• Success for Liam: He participates in the classroom alongside his peers and has a decreasing amount of one-on-one support. His peers are now able to support his communication skills through a language board on the playground as well.
• Success for Billy: Though he struggles with anxiety, he manages it better each year. He uses minimal language with peers, but on the playground his friends meet him where he is at and play a game where they repeat what he says, and everyone laughs. He now seeks out his friends throughout the school.

While we have made huge strides in creating an inclusive culture, public schools as well as private institutions are constantly problem solving and brainstorming strategies to support students with extensive needs in the general education classroom. As we continue to work towards inclusion of all students, staff members are learning how to support every child regardless of ability. This benefits not just students with low-incidence disabilities, but children who enter with diverse needs such as selective mutism, trauma, English as a second language and mental health concerns. What started as a push to include people with disabilities in general education turned into a culture of support and acceptance of all individuals by staff and students. Overcoming the barriers and challenges educators experience is worth every step!

·¬ÇŃĘÓƵ offers programs at every level for those aspiring to make a difference for students with disabilities. Check out the Certificate in Transition to Teaching in Special Education, M.Ed. in Special Education, Ed.S. in Special Education and Ed.D. in Special Education.

Ongoing professional development on educational and behavioral strategies is critical, but you can also make simple changes in your classroom to support a variety of needs.

• Consistent Visuals: The consistent use of visuals can be a game-changer in supporting students with delayed processing. For example, displaying a classroom schedule and referencing it during activity transitions can decrease behavioral issues. With younger students, this can be simplified or paired with a first/then visual to help students understand when a transition is happening.
• Transitional Cues: Non-verbal transition cues can support students who have difficulty processing language or moving between activities. When an activity is beginning, set a five-minute timer and provide an audio cue paired with a verbal warning. When it’s time to end the activity, use the audio and verbal cue again while referencing the classroom schedule and expectations so students understand what the transition looks like. This can reduce stress for students who experience sensory overload, difficulty transitioning or challenges with processing language.
• Communication: Students with disabilities can be impacted by language delays. Recognize and accept all forms of communication and speak with speech pathologists about ways you can support language development. For example, if a student is using a communication device, find ways to incorporate and model the device. You can even add and reference printed visuals of symbols throughout the classroom to model vocabulary.
• Create Space For Emotional Regulation: Students who experience sensory overload or emotional dysregulation can benefit from a specific location within the classroom they can go to if they need time for regulation. Create a non-verbal system for requesting access to the break area. To help students build emotional regulation skills, model calming strategies throughout the day and invite students to practice with you. You can also add visuals of tools to help students identify what may work for them. The more students practice strategies while regulated, the more likely they will be able to use the strategies when they are needed.
• Universal Tools: Many strategies that support students with diverse needs are helpful for all students. Equip your classroom with tools that can support all learners and allow students to explore and discover what works best. Noise canceling headphones, alternative seating, specialty-lined or highlighted paper, varied writing tools, text to speech, speech to text, access to break areas, and frequent movement breaks are just a few among many tools. Offering support to all students rather than only those with individualized education plans can help create an inclusive atmosphere.

While adding inclusive practices to the classroom does not replace quality training on inclusion and special education, it can be one step in a positive direction for all students to feel welcomed. The addition of universal supports can serve to support all learners, decrease unpleasant behaviors and teach valuable emotional regulation skills.

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1. An Instant Fan Club: Students see themselves in their leaders.

“¡¿Hablas español?!” Those were the very first words a third-grade student asked me when I introduced myself as her new principal. When I shared that I speak Spanish, her smile widened, and she shared the news with every Spanish speaker around her. She couldn’t believe that her new principal spoke her language and was Latina, like her. When students see themselves in their leaders, they dare to aspire and dream. It’s one thing to be told you can be a leader (which isn’t something our linguistically and racially diverse students often hear), but when someone who looks and sounds like you is the leader, the dream becomes tangible!   

2.  I Can Do It: Leaders see themselves in their students.

As a bilingual Latina leader, when I see students who look or sound like me, I see myself in them. I see myself in that quiet student with the shy smile and in that engaged student who asks all the questions. I might be from Puerto Rico while my students are from Kosrae, Afghanistan or Somalia, but there’s something in our shared experiences and humanity that connects us. This kinship has inspired my mission to help every student grow as a leader and scholar in a community that dismantles systems of oppression and nurtures our shared humanity. If I could do it, (learn to read, become a leader, etc.) my mini-me students can do it, too!

3. Like Leader, Like Student: It raises the bar for all educators.

Linguistically and racially diverse educational leaders have a unique perspective. They can break down systems of oppression and guarantee equity by ensuring that all educators bring rigor and high expectations for their students. This includes creating an asset-based culture that changes the narrative from “these students can’t speak English” to “our students are multilingual global citizens and scholars.” By raising the bar and banishing excuses for why students can’t, linguistically and racially diverse educational leaders personify the very reason why students can.

4. Bridging the Divide: Leaders forge trusting relationships with families.

Linguistically and racially diverse educational leaders help bridge the divide between school and home. There is something to be said about being able to communicate directly with someone who understands your language and culture. Interpersonal communication is a challenging skill for many. Add to that the complexity of communicating in another language. Much can be lost in translation. While it’s not my job to serve as an interpreter for Spanish-speaking families, it is an honor for me to forge trusting relationships with them through the beauty of our language.

The best way to create a supportive environment for linguistically and racially diverse students is to provide them with access to adults who look and speak like them. So, school district leaders, hire more linguistically and racially diverse leaders. Make sure you develop a plan to support them after the onboarding process is complete – a sense of belonging is as important to adults as it is to students. And if you’re currently a linguistically and racially diverse educator, look into what you need to make a bigger impact by becoming an educational leader. Education needs you, and so do your students. You are who your students have been waiting for!

Grow your impact in the classroom with an education program at ·¬ÇŃĘÓƵ.