ALL MEANS ALL

Gold Coast Down Syndrome Organization has been advocating for inclusion in school and community for individuals with Down syndrome and related disabilities for over 25 years.  We were excited to be present on May 24, 2004, when the Palm Beach County School District Board directed the Superintendent to develop a three year implementation plan for the Inclusion of students with disabilities in general education!  The actual development of a plan was long in coming but with hard work from many partners, a District Inclusion Plan was presented to the School Board in December, 2006.

Parents from our organization enjoy the snowfall in Denver while attending the PEAK Parent Center Inclusion Conference in 2006.   See below for links to Inclusion websites.
 

SCHOOL BOARD APPROVES DISTRICT INCLUSION PLAN!

Wow – a day we thought we would never see.  Three years of hard work finally paid off.  On December 6^th, at a School Board Workshop on Inclusion, all seven members of the Palm Beach County School Board endorsed the District’s Inclusion Plan.  Many parents, teachers and principals spoke in favor of the plan.  Even more importantly, no one spoke against it.  Every School Board member spoke glowing about the plan and the critical need for our county to move to Inclusive Models.

The Inclusion Plan lays out the path for every school in the district to move to an Inclusive Model in the next three years.  No longer will this be a Principal’s choice – now it will be required.  The Plan includes all the items necessary to make Inclusion work, including teacher training, resource re-allocation, and placement guidelines. 

So what does this mean to you and your child?  In the short term, it means that schools are now aware that they have to move to inclusion.  You now have more backing when you argue for an inclusive placement for your child.  Everyone knows it is easier to include a child who has always been included, so it doesn’t make much sense for a school to move your child to a segregated placement at this point.   

In the long term, it means that over the next three years, there should be fewer and fewer of us having to fight to obtain an inclusive placement for our children.  Does it mean that an inclusive placement will be guaranteed?  Unfortunately, no.  However, after three years, every school should be prepared to do Inclusion. This means that many of the obstacles that we have encountered in the past when trying to get an inclusive placement will be gone.  Over time, the hope is that placement decisions will be made based on what is best for an individual child, rather than what placements the school has available. 

Although we are certainly aware that this plan will not solve every problem, it is a huge step.  We have public approval of Inclusion by the School Board and the Superintendent.  It is a time to celebrate and recharge our souls while preparing for the next step - making sure the district implements the plan correctly!

LINKS:
http://www.tash.org
http://www.uni.edu/coe/inclusion
http://www.includeme.org
Institute on Community Integration