Inclusion, and all its underlying benefits, has been one of the best things to happen to my family and I am therefore delighted to be telling our story. My eldest son Daniel has Down Syndrome and while, since his birth, he has always been accepted and loved, there is no way to describe the concerns and anxieties which go through your mind after you are told your child has a disability. From the time of his birth six years ago, his education and the opportunities open to him after school have been a major concern. However, since Daniel's extremely successful inclusion at our local school, for me, many of these fears have been alleviated and some new joys discovered.
Daniel's early years were spent with frequent visits to the Early Intervention Centre and the usual involvement in local playgroups. It was not until he turned three that I was required to make a decision about his educational placement. We decided against the recommended special school and chose instead to enrol Daniel in a small special education unit attached to a pre-school located within our region. Here we were told that Daniel would receive the benefit of a small class structure and a special education teacher.
When Daniel turned four he continued in this unit and I approached our local pre-school for part time enrolment. As no additional support was available for Daniel's integration, the pre-school teachers were concerned about the lack of resources they could provide. They decided to first visit the unit to meet Daniel and see the programme. What a shock they received and I know they must have wondered what they had let themselves in for. The day of the visit was not one of the better days. In the unit two staff members coordinated six children and yet it still seemed like organised chaos with each child going in a different direction - each child needing different assistance and each child operating at a different level, with my Daniel requiring the most guidance. Some of their many concerns were: What could the local pre-school offer with a class of 25? How would they cope? Would Daniel be safe?
Daniel did commence at pre-school and to everyone's relief it was a huge success. Daniel melded with the class wonderfully. As 24 children said "Good morning" so did Daniel, as 24 children learnt the daily routines so did Daniel, and as 24 children moved from one activity to another so did Daniel. Unfortunately Daniel was not amongst the 24 children who moved inside after outside play and he managed to give the staff a merry chase around the equipment. The teachers however saw this as little imposition given the benefits all had received from his enrolment and, within a few months, this too was no longer an issue.
He definitely preferred attending the local pre-school over the special unit and as a mother it was very heart-warming to see Daniel involved with the neighbourhood children and so readily accepted.
The successes at the local pre-school made me realise that what I really wanted from Daniel's school community was for them to operate under the same philosophy as our family's - one of acceptance, respect and a desire to assist Daniel to live a normal and fulfilled life.
While I could see inclusion offered all these benefits, I had so many reservations about enroling my lovely son in the far less protected environment of primary school - would he be teased? would he have any friends? would he cope? would I cope? and would his academic progress be maximised?
It was so difficult to balance all my thoughts when the majority of views, (including my husband's), were to keep Daniel in the special school system. I decided to 'sit on the fence', and 'give him another year to mature'.
Daniel commenced his primary school education in a special unit included within a mainstream school on the other side of town. The most compelling reason that had kept me from exploring further a mainstream setting for primary school was the thought of my son being lonely, sitting by himself in the playground and possibly being ridiculed. I had also been led to believe that a small setting was necessary for Daniel to learn the required academic skills.
During that year I started to read literature for and against inclusion, and spoke to a number of parents with differing experiences resulting from inclusion.
The real turning point for me however was, through my association with an advocacy agency, being able to attend a conference on Social Role Valorization and, after that, for the first time, beginning to see what an isolating and unnatural environment Daniel was placed in.
He was travelling two hours a day on a bus, with children ranging in age and ability, to attend school in a class with eight children - all with developmental delays. Time in the playground was spent isolated with a small number of children who also had disabilities, as the staff were concerned Daniel would wander if placed in the big playground.
Here he played on his own.
Daniel had developed some valuable skills, but there were such limited opportunities for him to interact with mainstream children and to learn and grow with them. While I was still concerned with Daniel's academic achievements in mainstream, I now felt convinced that, even if I needed to supplement this with some home tutoring, the most important thing was that my son be given the opportunity to be included in our community. With this, Daniel was enroled at our local school.
Daniel has now been a kindergarten student for nine months. The school's philosophy is of total acceptance and all staff have truly embraced his enrolment. His teacher is fabulous and, despite having no previous experience in special education, has been able to structure the classroom lessons to incorporate a wide range of activities enabling Daniel's full participation. The Department of Education and Training has been extremely supportive and provided part-time support by a person who also believes in Daniel's abilities and, while in the classroom, works both with him and the other children. To date, other than the usual after-school work, I have not explored home tutoring as he is exhausted after such a full day at school.
The change in Daniel has been beyond expectations. This year has seen some enormous improvements in his speech, his comprehension, his self esteem and other academic achievements. He has thrived in an environment where he is able to learn skills in a natural and normal setting. Daniel loves school, he loves his teacher, he loves his friends and he loves the new skills he has learnt.
On top of all this he has been invited to five birthday parties and to play with friends after school. He has friends come and play at the weekends and sometimes join us for outings and barbecues. He had 15 friends attend his birthday party.
These gains are thanks not only to the teachers and support, but equally to the other children. The advantage is that they too have learnt enormously. They have learnt about difference and acceptance and that this is something to be valued. The children celebrate Daniel's achievements and assist and guide when things get tough. We will never know what long term consequences this will have but I am sure their lives are enriched, as mine is, for knowing Daniel.
There are many spill over benefits and thrills for us resultant from our involvement in the community school. I now have the opportunity to assist in the classroom, to talk regularly with the teachers, the other children and their parents - all things you miss out on when your child is travelling a long distance to school. Daniel has the opportunity to play in the local sporting team, see friends outside school and feels that he belongs in our community. Daniel's brother Sean has no reason to see Daniel as unusual - a problem which may have occurred had we continued to send him away to school. This all sits more naturally with the way we view and treat Daniel and how we value him as a member of our family.
For us, the shift to the local school has been a turning point in our lives... but the easy transition and benefits have only been possible due to the firm belief of the school that, as a member of the community, this is where Daniel belongs. This culture of inclusion has influenced the children within the school and their parents. It is not always easy and I have the greatest admiration and gratitude to all involved in making inclusion a success. I firmly believe that the community, my family and Daniel have all been winners.
Reference: Connaughton, K. (1996). The Turning Point. Interaction v.10 #2 p.25-26.
Reprinted with permission from the National Council on Intellectual Disability.
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