Inclusion is for Everyone

Authors: Kaycee Bennett, Deafblind Education Consultant, Outreach Program, Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) and Koree Neff, General Education Teacher

Is inclusion right for my student? Many IEP committees wonder if their students can be successful in general education settings. The reality is, ALL students can be successful if good, authentic inclusion models are implemented. Students of all abilities can connect, learn, and grow through inclusion. All people benefit from and want to feel included in various situations. 

Some people envision inclusion in the general education classroom as students with complex access needs sitting in the same room as their non-disabled peers at a separate table in the back of the room. This is not an effective inclusion practice. Upon entering a classroom implementing an authentic inclusion model, it should be undetectable by the observer which students are served in special education. All students should be included, engaged, and supported. 

The Outreach Program of the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI) produced a short video modeling authentic inclusion in the general education classroom. It includes an interview of a general education teacher about how she makes inclusion work for her group of fourth graders. The general education students in the video support their peers with learning disabilities, sensory impairments, and more complex access needs, seamlessly including them in class activities. All too often, staffing constraints result in students missing out on inclusion. This video, however, demonstrates that if an inclusive culture is modeled properly, students will instinctively step up to accommodate their classmates and learn to modify activities as needed so their friends can participate fully.