Business Week blog: ‘Do kids with disabilities strengthen or strain schools?’
September 28th, 2009
In Business Week’s Working Parents blog, Anne Newman poses this provocative question in a discussion of Including Samuel, which is being aired nationally on PBS. The award-winning documentary by Dan Habib chronicles his family’s efforts to include son Samuel (left), who has cerebral palsy, in all aspects of daily life, including education.
Newman says her earlier blog post on the film drew support from many who saw inclusion as the next civil rights movement, but a vocal minority questioned whether scarce resources should be spent on it. Wrote one: ‘Why do we even bother paying for education for these kids?”
She passed the questions on to Habib, who responded with a list of myths and realities about inclusion. “People are not limited by their disability,” he replied. “They are limited by a lack of opportunity.”
Newman asks: “What about it, readers? … Do students with disabilities in your schools learn along with their peers? Are your schools strained or strengthened by including them?”
See also:
Film teaches inclusion of students with disabilities — [Madison] Wisconsin State Journal
An excerpt:
… the film’s sponsors are leading efforts to have young people around the world hold viewing parties and take action for inclusion.
“We will get there when families without disabilities are advocating for this,” Habib said of inclusion.
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September 30th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
The problem with blaming stereotypes is that it’s all about somebody else not doing what you think they should.
In all really our roommate with DS is pretty stereotypical, and not very hirable. She works a little, volunteers a little, hangs out in Starbucks and talks to herself a lot. Several employers have given her a shot and we learned that a little bit of work was much better than too long. We found what she could do and went with that, but we never felt that people were unfairly judging. It is up to us, not them to find the fit. The reality is that she is very limited, stereotype or not.
September 30th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
Heather. Some people think it’s their disabilities that cause all their problems, other believe it’s society. It surprised me to hear this after talking with people on a disability chat board.
September 28th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
Thanks, Ivy. It’s good to hear your first hand experience. Do understand correctly that it’s the stereotype that is more limiting than the disability itself?
September 28th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
I have CP and was mainstreamed into regular classes. Was it worth it? I and my classmates will say yes. It was a good experience for all. My facebook is loaded with classmates I still talk to. But I often feel it was a waste in regards to my employment future. Why did I waste my time and the time of the teachers if there’s a stereotype that everybody seems to have that people with disabilities are worthless in the workplace?
September 28th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
I firmly believe that my six-year-old daughter – who has Down syndrome – has a great deal to offer her teachers and classmates.
Whether they accept what she has to offer is up to them.