Also please read Ashley's personal benefits of inclusion at this recent post too. And PLEASE comment I'd love to hear what everyone thinks about inclusion.
Benefits of inclusion clear
Heydon Park's integrated girls school.
RENE JOHNSTON/TORONTO STARRe: Trustees strike a blow against junk science, Opinion, Nov. 17
It is interesting to the families we support to see such an article about “segregated schools.” The families we serve have children with differing abilities. Many of them are being placed in segregated schools and/or segregated classes because parents are afraid to leave them in their community school where, they are told, they will not receive the necessary support services.
The Ontario government and Ministry of Education says they believe and support equity and inclusion but have not insisted on this approach as have other provinces have done. The TDSB, the largest school board in Canada, between 2002 and 2007 increased self-contained segregated enrolment by 39 per cent, according to its own Financial Facts.
Yet, research is clear: children in robust inclusive settings have good general health, make academic progress, look forward to going to school, and get along with peers (Canadian Council on Learning, PALS, Statistics Canada, 2001). Research also indicates that there are no benefits to special education class placement and a unified (regular and special) system of education must prevail (Council of Administrators of Special Education, 1993).
Authentic research not “junk science” clearly demonstrates benefits of inclusion for each and every student and community. If so, why is the continuing segregation of students with differing abilities and additional needs not receiving attention?
Janis Jaffe-White and Reva Schafer, Toronto Family Network
1 comment:
I think full integration is absolutely paramount where possible, I'm hoping that Iatie will get full integration too when he's school age... Just because our kids may not be able to articulate as well as a "normal" child doesn't mean they are not bright. You could have a "normal" child who's not gifted academically. For me out of the two options if I had to pick, the one to go to "special school" would be the non academically gifted ... Not the Ashleys or the Oaties. ) I don't agree with segregation)
Ideally there should be one school for EVERYONE, why is there segregation, I just don't agree, if people got used to being with everyone and I mean everyone then disability
wouldn't be taboo or anything weird, it would be normal.
We had a boy at my school in England never asked what condition he had but looking back it must have been CP, to us he was James, and that was that.
Great post
Love
Mel
Xxx
Good for Ashley, you go girl x
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