•  IEP - Individual Education Plan
•  Individualized - Pertaining to the one individual, not grouping.
•  Least Restrictive Environment - maintain most normal educational environment. (Inclusion)\
•  At No Cost - free to family (school may charge normal costs that pertain to all students)
•  Parent Participation - (at IEP, involvement in the educaional process, etc.)

INCLUSION:

Discuss readings
  Basic Philosophy of Accommodations:

The Accommodations set forth in the IDEA, as with the ADA, are to level the playing field, allowing for equal opportunity for success of those students who have the capacity to succeed but are shut out due to artifacts of the learning situation or environment which are not essential or integral to the skills or knowledge to be learned.

For example, is it necessary that students in a 50 minute class finish the test within 50 minutes because the time is essential to the test task, or because of the logistical concern that the next class will be coming in soon and the teacher and students must move on to their next classes?

Contrast this with the reaction time issues in driving. If one cannot process information and respond to an unanticipated emergency situation on the highway, then a crash will occur. Here the timing matters as an integral part of the task at hand.

Discuss:

•  Why inclusion?
•   Opportunites & Costs.
•   Benefits to whom? How?
•  Why not inclusion?
•   Costs?
•   Will Students with Special Needs be disruptive? How can we deal with that?
•   Social Norms & Values?
•   Can the Special Needs of students be met?
•  How do we determine who to include & How to do so?

Extended-Time Study with ABLE/ Access Office:
Special Needs Accommodations:

Taped lectures, note-taker, testing options (private, reader/recorder, time extension, etc.), textbook reader, extra time on assignments (as needed), etc.

  Will Accommodations make a difference?
  How?
  Why?
  If it will make a difference, why don't we always do these things for all students?

Essential Problem: (from online article by Safik (Abu-Tahir) Asante (leader of New African Voices in Philadelphia, PA)

• Inclusion recognizes the fact that some are "IN" and others are "OUT" and knocking on the door to be let in.
• "Inclusion means inviting those who have been historically locked out to 'come in'."
• 3 Questions:
•   "Who has the authority or right to invite others in? (and isn't that arrogant!)
•   "How did the "inviters" get in?
•   "Who is/has been doing the excluding?
• In the words of Safik Abu-Tahir, "Inclusion is recognizing our universal "oneness" and inerdependence. Inclusion is recognizing that we are "one" even though we are not the "same". The act of inclusion menas fighting against exclusion and all of the social disaeases exclusion gives birth to - i.e. racism, sexism, handicapism, etc. Fighting for inclusion also involves assuring that all support systems are available to those who need such support. Providing and maintaining support systems is a civic responsibility, not a favor. We were all born "in." "
• So, perhaps the question should be "Why Exclusion" rather than "Why Inclusion" and "How exclusion" rather than "How Inclusion"?

Interesting Internet Sites