Enlisting and Providing Support

I would like to ask my classmates what their opinion of inclusion in early childhood programs is? Would you be comfortable having a child with a disability in your classroom. What do you believe would be your biggest concern or obstacle? Do you see any benefits to including children with disabilities in a typical class?

I am seeking parental opinions on inclusion also. I am interested in hearing from both the parents of  children  with disabilities and parents with typically developing children. I would like to know if they have had positive or negative experiences.

I have found many great blogs and websites through my research. They are geared towards parents and educators of children with disabilities.

Inclusion in earlychildhood programs

I chose to advocate for more inclusion of children with special needs in early childhood programs. I believe there are many benefits for children of all abilities to play and learn side by side. Having a child with a special need in a typical classroom situation requires more work, planning, and patience from a teacher. Many teachers that I have spoken to are not comfortable having a child with special needs in their classroom. They have expressed concern over their lack of special education training and they often do not have enough information on the child. I understand this way of thinking because I have been in the same situation before. This is why I would like to advocate for action plans to be in place at the time of  registration in a class. Whether it be a park district program, preschool, daycare , or scouts.

The challenges I am facing on this advocacy issue is getting my message out to other programs besides preschools and daycare. Most towns have special education programs in place for activities and sports but I would like to see all children to have the option of being included in a typical program. The children in our country see diversity everyday. They need to learn to view diversity in others in a positive light. We often just hear about the negatives in inclusion situations.

I found a quote by Fred Rogers aka Mr. Rogers that I think sums up advocacy for children.
"Anyone who does anything to help a child in his life is a hero to me."