tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7539001391742187750.post1639328644786128712..comments2023-08-23T08:09:55.244-07:00Comments on Educational Rights Alliance: Unconference on inclusion in education: come and share your views!Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7539001391742187750.post-85348028813253136912014-09-08T02:16:47.338-07:002014-09-08T02:16:47.338-07:00We agree and we think one of the key issues is get...We agree and we think one of the key issues is getting to grips with what we mean by inclusion.chaoscollectorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16736326192499916566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7539001391742187750.post-12930582465974604562014-07-25T02:28:48.764-07:002014-07-25T02:28:48.764-07:00Inclusion is not about the physical space a person...Inclusion is not about the physical space a person occupies. You cannot place a child with social communication difficulties in amongst typically developing children and claim this is an adequate inclusive education. Starlighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18303145451385026574noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7539001391742187750.post-56346568089370808172014-07-21T04:20:16.082-07:002014-07-21T04:20:16.082-07:00Sorry - I removed my post above because of the gla...Sorry - I removed my post above because of the glaring amount of typos!<br /><br />Thanks for this! You raise some extremely important points, especially about respecting difference and not forcing kids to be something they're not.<br /><br />We are all parents of disabled children ourselves and agree that the attendance of parents/carers/individuals is crucial. <br /><br />I think the point you raise about the nature of education and teaching is also very important and should be very much part of the discussion. <br /><br />I hope you will take part in our discussion in some way. I can keep a record of your comments if you can't attend or you can email me.<br /><br />Or perhaps we can figure out a way of involving those who can't be present!<br /><br />Watch this space!chaoscollectorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16736326192499916566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7539001391742187750.post-46962628803900533672014-07-21T04:18:02.017-07:002014-07-21T04:18:02.017-07:00This comment has been removed by the author.chaoscollectorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16736326192499916566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7539001391742187750.post-23085324483234470342014-07-21T03:55:40.531-07:002014-07-21T03:55:40.531-07:00Forget to add that I hope your roundtable discussi...Forget to add that I hope your roundtable discussion goes well though I do hope you get more families/carers/individuals to attend as well. For me personally, whilst inclusion/exclusion is an important concept to debate I think the questions of what is the purpose of education and what/how we teach our children is becoming equally more important. For me, I have given up on state education because I do not think it can deliver the quality of education I want for my aspergers daughter. Welcome!https://www.blogger.com/profile/07758516334730930643noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7539001391742187750.post-88271622794575938242014-07-21T03:04:55.783-07:002014-07-21T03:04:55.783-07:00What concerns me about inclusion is when people de...What concerns me about inclusion is when people define it as meaning being in a mainstream school. In practice (and something I witnessed with my own children) whilst a child may be physically present it doesn't meant they're included. Far from it the inclusion in a MS setting can be torturous for some of our children which can lead to poor health and school refusal. It also implies that education other than being in a MS school is a form of exclusion which I'm not sure about because what do we mean by exclusion - exclusion from what? Education? Opportunities to mix with non-disabled pupils? Whilst I don't agree with disabled or SEN children being shut away from society I don't believe that a MS setting works for every child in which case we need to be more creative (and flexible) in how or whether we integrate non SEN and SEN children. <br /><br />I also have issues in labelling our SEN children 'special' - this marks them out from the start as does 'special schools', 'special educational needs' etc. For my son, he felt a bit mixed up about going to a special school; he disliked the 'specialness' and the 'disability' aspect of it but loved the ethos there and indeed it was the only place suitable for him. I can't see how MS could have ever worked; the large scale of such a school would have been a sensory and social nightmare as well as the added pressure from a curriculum he could not have kept up with. Even if there was a separate unit, I can't see how this would have worked unless he was able to dip in and out of MS classes which I doubt he would have managed. His school was like a much smaller version of a MS secondary in which he had freedom to move around between classes, play sports, go to lunch etc. I thought this was preferable to a unit in MS school. Also having peers with autism spectrum disorders meant he has formed friends who have similar interests to himself. I am doubtful that this would have happened in MS because of the bullying which he has previously experienced from the kids at that school. <br /><br />I do get fed up of listening to people commenting abut the need for pupils to socialise and particularly for SEN and non-SEN pupils to interact. I understand the need to educate society to become more tolerant of disability but we shouldn't put that principle ahead of the needs of individual SEN children. For example, some SEN children cannot (or don't want to) socialise and some may struggle with being physically near to other people. Its part of their disability and its about time we respected that difference rather than press them to be something they can never be. As a parent I hate the idea that my kids could be USED to educate non-SEN pupils about disability/difference particularly when my children are placed in a position that is deeply stressful/traumatic to them. I also dislike the idea that autistic kids learn social behaviour from being with non autistic kids and hence that is why they should be in a MS school. In my experience this is nonsense and shows little understanding of the depth of difficulty such children have with social communication.<br /><br />The other concern I have is the use of pupil referral units as a dumping ground for SEN kids who are struggling in MS. This has happened to both my children because the LA didn't know what to do with them when they became unwell and dropped out of school (due to lack of support). Whilst Im sure there are some good staff in these places (though personally I found there wasn't enough understanding of autism/aspergers) there is still an issue with how these places are perceived. Many people view PRUs as being for unmanageable or violent kids which is a stigma my children could well do without. Again this marks them out as being different. <br /><br />As for the equality act I know very little about it and I do believe that training in this would be beneficial for parents like me. Welcome!https://www.blogger.com/profile/07758516334730930643noreply@blogger.com