Thursday, 27 April 2017

Education matters

My daughter with Down syndrome deserves to be in a regular classroom
Heather Avis, Good Housekeeping, 15 April 2017
... we found ourselves catapulted into a world we knew little about and quickly did all we could to figure it out. We discovered this "Down syndrome" thing is pretty incredible ... As it wove itself into the normalcy of our day-to-day lives, I would often catch myself looking around trying to figure out how I got so lucky. It was as though there was this secret club of people who get to do life with Down syndrome, and somehow, I was let in.

But the world of Down syndrome is not all lazy rivers. Over the past 8 years, I've spent more time in raging rapids, clinging onto a rock for dear life as my daughter has undergone lifesaving surgeries and spent way too many hours in doctor's offices. And as we have entered the world of public schools, the taste in my mouth has been anything but sweet ...

Catia Malaquias, SWJ IncludEd, 2 April 2017
The Australian Government has quietly tabled its Response dated March 2017 to the Senate Committee’s Report entitled “Access to real learning: the impact of policy, funding and culture on students with disability” (released on 15 January 2016) ...

Australian Government launches 'Leading Learning 4 All' website
Catia Malaquias, SWJ IncludEd, 8 March 2017
... the emphasis of the website on school leadership (is) to promote an inclusive school culture, to develop, mentor and support inclusive teaching practices and to foster collaborative relationships with parents of students with disability – each cornerstones of a robust inclusive education system ... Although we have previously expressed our reservations about a “special education” association like ASEPA being tasked with developing inclusive education resources for regular mainstream schools, we acknowledge that the website provides access to a wealth of useful information, tips and resources for principals and teachers in mainstream schools to better include students with disability ...

Chris Wejr, Think Inclusion, 14 February 2014
As an education system and society, we have made huge strides in the inclusion of students with visible disabilities in our classrooms, groups, sports, and friendships. I wonder, though, if we have made as much progress in including ALL students… especially those who appear on the outside to be similar yet are different (or perceived to be) on the inside. I am not talking about the act of everyone having a seat in a classroom; I am talking about having a mindset of real inclusion ...

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