Inclusion

(photo credited to CDC on Unsplash)

As a retired Canadian special education teacher, the word inclusion invokes a philosophy of keeping all children in the mainstream classroom, regardless of physical or mental disabilities. This is achieved by providing a classroom assistant and various educational supports tailored to the child’s needs. They may also spend part of their day in one-on-one or small group settings, but always return to their home classroom to partake in as much as possible.

When I was in school, back in the 1970’s, kids were still segregated in separate schools or programs. Then the powers that be realized that all kids deserve to grow up knowing their neighborhood peer group. This serves them well in every aspect of their lives, as they navigate their community into adulthood. Everyone knows them and can say hello when they go to the park, attend an outdoor concert, or catch the bus at the corner.

Inclusion is also a hot topic among adults on social media. Nowadays, people openly share their disabilities in their bios in hopes of fostering public awareness and acceptance of their differences. For example, within my Twitter circle, there are numerous neuro-divergent writers who openly share their day-to-day lifestyle preferences, such as writing in a quiet space, instead of writing in a crowded café with background noise.

Mental health and chronic illness are also openly shared. There have even been successful online go-fund-me campaigns within my writers group for members who are going through tough times. People are now discussing everything which used to be deemed private, in order to find allies and feel understood and included.

Maybe you’ve felt socially excluded over other issues, such as race, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. Perhaps some of my American subscribers grew up with a different educational model for special needs kids.

I am curious to hear what “inclusion” means to you. Please share a comment below.