ISF believes that it is a good metaphor for how we often conceptualize inclusion. We feel great about bringing persons with disabilities into our common spaces, activities, communities, etc. And then we expect them to get themselves included.
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But we cannot assign all the work to them. It has to be a halfway street, and we need to meet in the middle. Everyone has work to do. But often we expect the person with a disability to do all the work. To learn our skills. To learn our needs. To learn our expectations. And then to learn to fit in.
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All of this is important, but we, the non-disabled, need to do the same thing. We need to learn how to make our spaces, our communities, our activities, and ourselves open to those who function differently. I am not talking about physical accommodations like ramps, although they are also very important.
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We are talking about offering time, space, attention, patience, open-mindedness. Also, about adjusting how we do things so that the others can fit in naturally.
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For a special child, that might mean pre-viewing tomorrow's circle and creating and practicing pre-loaded phrases they could use quickly. It would also mean explaining to the other children how this child communicates, explaining the value of everyone's participation, and what is needed for it. Which is to give this child time to use his prepared phrases or create new ones, to listen, and to respond. Then it'll be inclusion.
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What are your experiences with inclusion, good or bad? Curious to know more about what helps and what doesn't.
visit: http://www.isupportfoundation.in/
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