INCLUSION MATTERS!

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SSD - Inclusion Matters!

Inclusion MATTERS! was developed as a working document by the Inclusion Facilitators of Special School District of St. Louis County to serve as a tool to help educators and parents plan and implement inclusive education for students with disabilities.The title represents two important definitions of the word matters:

Inclusion Matters because it provides opportunities for peer relationships and friendships, environments for generalization and enrichment of academic skills, models of appropriate social and language skills, and typical routines and rituals common to growing up in American communities. Inclusion in the neighborhood school prepares students with and without disabilities to live, work and play together as citizens of their community.

Inclusion Matters are those important steps and tools that empower a team of educators and parents to develop a successful educational experience for a student with disabilities and his or her peers. This manual is a collection of those matters found to be critical to planning and implementing inclusive education.

We offer Inclusion MATTERS! as a resource to empower your team to attain the positive outcomes that inclusive education provides for individuals with disabilities in many communities throughout our country. In the words of educator Lou Brown (1989):

"It is now time to engender a society that allows all people regardless of disability, race, creed, language, gender, or sexual preference, reasonable opportunities to live, work and play in integrated environments and activities. One of the best ways to approximate such a society is to have children grow up together in schools with their brothers, sisters, friends and neighbors. . . ."

PLEASE NOTE!!!
Not all of the information in this manual will be needed to plan for an inclusive education for a particular child. We have included a wealth of information so that you would have a fairly comprehensive reference. Therefore, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the TERMINOLOGY, read ORGANIZATION AND USE OF THE GUIDE, then turn to the STUDENT SPECIFIC PROCESS CHECKLIST as an initial reference point. Each topic on this list has a section to support it so that you can find the information you need.