1. The judge deciding the case of Oberti v. Board of Education of the Borough of Clementon (1993) opined that “Inclusion is a right, not a privilege for a select few.”
2. Inclusion sends a message of belonging, which benefits the well-being of students and creates a culture of acceptance and belonging for an increasingly diverse classroom. More than 40 years of research supports inclusive education.

1. If schools can successfully educate a student who has disabilities in a general education classroom with peers who do not have disabilities, then the school must offer that educational experience.
2. Teachers find that using the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is the best way to meet the needs not only of students with disabilities, but also of students who come to school with vastly different life experiences, who speak many different languages, who have diverse strengths and needs, and who need creative ways to “show what they know.”

(Source: https://tash.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Myths-of-IE.pdf)

1. In Florida, all schools receive basic student allocations. Districts get additional federal funding for special education programs.
2. Funding doesn’t pay for everything, but it helps to ensure that only a small part of the local school budget goes to special education.

(Source: section 300.701 of Title 34, Code of Federal Regulations (C.F.R.))

1. For teachers who don’t have firsthand experience with special education, it’s natural to worry that they won’t be able to relate to what a student is going through.
2. The student’s special education teacher and families can help with ways to provide support. Understanding the Individual Education Plan (IEP) is key.
3. Collaboration amongst the adults in a student’s life will help align priorities and strategies with providing services to students.

1. Inclusion is a right, not a privilege for select few.
2.  Inclusive education is not just for “some” children or for “some” disabilities.
3. Being included is not something that a child must be “ready” for. Their participation is not something that must be earned.
4. Inclusive education is about looking at the ways our schools, classrooms, programs and lessons are designed so that all children can participate and learn.
5. Removal of children from the “regular education environment” occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in the regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily. (Chapter 33ii, Section 1412 (a)(5))

1. Inclusive classrooms enhance, individualize, and tailor lessons and learning. When educators use these strategies in their lesson planning, there is no need to lower expectations.
2. A general education Tier 1 focus on Universal Design for Learning and Differentiated Instruction creates a solid foundation for students with disabilities, and those who are advanced, to be included and receive the supports that they need.

1. Research has found that the performance of students without disabilities is not compromised by the presence of students with disabilities in their classrooms.
2. When schools embrace inclusive education, they find that the achievement of all students improves.
3. Children often are more efficient in teaching other children than teachers, and the opportunity to do so reinforces concepts for students teaching them.
4. In addition, many of the practices that benefit SWDs also benefit ALL students of diverse backgrounds and needs.

1. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates placement in the least restrictive environment (beginning with the child’s general education classroom in the neighborhood school) that is most appropriate for all students on a case-by-case basis.
2. Inclusive education means that SWDs are educated primarily in regular classrooms with their peers without disabilities.
3. Students with disabilities can receive their services across educational environments to address their specific needs as indicated on their IEP.
4. For example, a student may receive specially designed instruction in another location rather than in the regular class setting.

1. Inclusion, per section 1003.57, Florida Statutes (F. S.) definition, is not a specific model of teaching. It is a bigger concept involving the acceptance, belonging, and meaning that students with disabilities find by being part of the larger school culture.
2. In Florida, the terms “co-teaching,” “inclusion teaching,” and “support facilitation” are used in statute and in the course code directory.
3. These terms refer to in-class models of supports for students with disabilities to receive their services. Collaboration is the key.

(Source: https://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/7746/urlt/CCDNarrative2122.pdf)

1. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) states that students with disabilities are general education students, first, and all students are held to high standards.
2.  IDEA states that students with disabilities receive instruction in the general education classroom to the maximum extent possible.
3.  A multi-tiered system of supports is used to provide increasingly intensive instruction for all students.
4.  Services, or specially designed instruction, can be provided for students with disabilities at any of the three tiers.

1. IDEA states that specially designed instruction means:
2. “…Adapting, as appropriate to the needs of an eligible child…the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction –
3. i).  to address the unique needs of the child that result from the child’s disability; and
4. ii). to ensure access of the child to the general curriculum, so that the child can meet educational standards within jurisdiction of the public agency that apply to all children.”

1. Students’ Individual Educational Plan (IEP) teams determine the amount of time (duration), how often (frequency) and where (location) a student receives services. The IEP indicates the amount of time that students with disabilities spend with their peers without disabilities, using a percentage.
2. Some students need more support than can be provided in the general education classroom, so schools and districts must offer a range of delivery models based on student needs.

1.  Most students who receive exceptional student education services are in the same classroom as students who don’t. That’s not just the school’s choice, it’s the way the law says it should be.
2.  The concept is set forth in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and it’s known as “least restrictive environment,” or LRE. 40 years of research supports inclusive practices.

1. The inclusive scheduling process builds the school’s schedule around the needs of students with disabilities.
2. In general education classes, flexible grouping is used to provide specially designed instruction (SDI) as well as to support other diverse learners.
3. Using a scheduling team, students with disabilities are grouped according to the supports they need, so they can receive their SDI using in-class collaborative models.
4. Special education teacher schedules are then developed, followed by the school’s master schedule.
5. If we do not address the needs of SWD we are in violation of IDEA.

1. Many students with intellectual disabilities can learn how to read.
2.  It may take a student with an intellectual disability longer to acquire and master the foundational skills, require specific interventions, or follow different pathways, but reading skills are attainable.

1. Students with the most significant cognitive disabilities are included with appropriate supports and services, so that each student feels a sense of belonging, meets high expectations, develops meaningful social relationships, and leaves school ready for post-secondary education and a career.
2. Students with extensive support needs have higher rates of separate schooling, however research shows that these students learn more academic benefits when included with their peers without disabilities, particularly increases in literacy skills (National Council on Disability, 2018)

(Source: https://tash.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Myths-of-IE.pdf,  https://tiescenter.org/resource/ties-brief-4-providing-meaningful-general-education-curriculum-access-to-students-with-significant-cognitive-disabilities and https://ncd.gov/sites/default/files/NCD_Segregation-SWD_508.pdf)

1. Not only can students with the most significant cognitive disabilities make academic gains within the general education setting, but there is also a large body of evidence that social skills development, behavior, and many other skills are better-supported while being educated alongside peers without disabilities.
2. For students to be successful, teachers and administrators must have knowledge and skills to support an inclusive educational program.

(Source: https://publications.ici.umn.edu/ties/foundations-of-inclusion-tips/using-the-least-dangerous-assumption-in-educational-decisions)

1. A variety of college level programs exist in Florida and around the country for students with intellectual disabilities.
2.  The Florida Consortium on Inclusive Higher Education works to increase access and engagement in college, with the goal of meeting a chosen career path and obtaining competitive employment.