Relationships & Collaboration- The Bridges to Inclusion...

A follow-up to our January post on inclusion (click link below to read)...

http://gettingdownwithnate.blogspot.com/2010/01/including-nate.html

This weekend a friend and former colleague and I were talking about issues that are important to us as we head into the new school year. I excitedly shared that our school district will be showing a free screening of the documentary, Including Samuel at our local theater and having presentation by the associate director of the Institute on Disability at UNH (Dr. Mary Schuh) during our opening day district meeting. I talked about how we have been working to create a more inclusive school district. My friend shared that inclusion doesn't always work - and may not always be what is best for a child all the time.

The bottom line is that inclusion is complicated....there are so many pieces to it. In some ways I feel like it's just become this blanket term about students with disabilities being able to learn with their non-disabled peers (that inclusion just happens and students are successful if you do this). Of course we want that for Nate when it works. But how we think about how Nate is included and learning is more than just having him in a classroom alongside of his peers. It's of about how we work together. Also, as we have mentioned before....having Nate participate in all general education programing and classrooms may not always be best for him at times during his schooling. Of course we don't want Nate to be excluded from opportunities with his peers and feel he should always have the choice to participate with his peers -- but we also know that for Nate participating in tenth grade Biology may not be providing him the optimal learning environment for where he is developmentally (then again, Science could be Nate's thing - who knows!). The point is that we don't know where Nate will be in his learning from year to year. More than just seeking inclusion for Nate, we hope that he has the opportunity to work with a team of teachers who are thoughtful, creative, and caring about his school programming. We want to learn and work together with his teachers and specialists to make thoughtful decisions about how Nate participates in school. This collaboration, like a beautifully woven quilt, is what creates a meaningful school experience for Nate. It is what ultimately helps Nate become a productive and included member in his community...

So what makes this collaboration work?

Relationships.

How we work together...How we listen...How we share we share our opinions...How we share our knowledge and expertise...How we respect each other...How we value what each member of his IEP team brings to the table.

The relationships I have with Nate's teachers and the relationships his teachers have with him are just so very important to our work together...

I am not sure Nate would have had the kinds of successes he had last year if it weren't for his amazing teachers and specialists and the time they took to work with us...for Nate.

Yes, relationships and collaboration are the bridges to inclusion....

Here is Nate with his beloved teacher, "Aggy."

Thank you to all of Nate's team ...
You have done so much to help Nate learn and grow
and be included in his classroom community...