Inclusion: Doing Our Best for All Children

Understanding Inclusion

Barbara had so much fun and made so many new friends at the local play program she and her 1-year-old daughter attended that she thought it would be great to share the experience with her sister-in-law, Janet. She convinced Janet to join the program with her daughter, Tracy, who is almost 2 and has cerebral palsy.

At the first class Tracy was very excited, and when she's excited she yells. Tracy's yelling upset one of the other parents who complained to the director that she didn't want to be in the same class with Tracy because the yelling was disturbing to her son, Jason.

The director called Janet to explain the situation. At first, Janet was very upset and didn't want to attend the program any more, but Barbara and the director worked together on a solution. They decided to experiment by arriving at the class a few minutes before the other children and parents to get Tracy acclimated and relaxed.

When the other parents and children arrived Tracy still made noise, but not as loudly. She was able to focus on the other children and the activities. It was a difficult transition made smoother with support and understanding. Tracy and her mom were included in the playgroup and everyone benefited. Scenarios like this are being played out more frequently as inclusion becomes more common. Parents, educators, and concerned individuals within communities agree that inclusion of children with disabilities into preschool is important. But it is controversial as well.

What Is Inclusion?

Inclusion is an ideal that mirrors a question we have been asking for millennia: "How do we live with one another?" Inclusion is about learning to live with one another -- including those with special needs and limitations. Preschools, parent-and-child groups, and daycare centers are the earliest (and best) places to start the inclusionary process, a process that will continue into higher grades and into the community at large.

Inclusion is not a single event but rather the process of educating children with disabilities in their neighborhood school; the same school they would normally attend if they did not have a disability. It refers to the commitment to educate each child to the maximum extent possible, as equal participants in a society in which all children are given the same opportunities to reach their potential.

"Full" inclusion educates children with special needs within the general education classroom, while providing any necessary supports and accommodation. "Partial" inclusion (sometimes called "mainstreaming") refers to the practice of educating students with special needs in the general education classrooms for some portion of their day, while they spend the other portion of the day receiving instruction in a special education classroom or resource room.