Why, You Ask?

Many people don't see the point of putting severely disabled children in a 'regular' classroom. I have one such student. She is a quadriplegic, has a seizure disorder and Cerebral Palsy. She can't speak in any way, she is just starting to eat baby food for the first time, she can can't control her head or arm movements or move her legs at all. She requires complete support & help for everything. So why put her in a classroom where she can do nothing?

Because she can do something amazing.

She can teach my kids that people who are different are people too. She can teach them compassion & empathy. She can teach them to be kind, accepting & loving of others, regardless of what they can or can't do.

Still not convinced she's a valuable addition to a classroom?

One of my kids asked her mom if she could bring treats to school for her friends for our party on Friday. Her mom said sure & they went shopping to buy some candy for her classmates. At this point my student (remember, she's not even 4 yet) remembered her friend M can't eat candy because she drinks from a bottle at snacktime. So she asked her mom if they could buy her a toy because she knew she could hold a toy. So they bought her a stuffed pumpkin.

Not ashamed to say I cried on Friday.

That is the value of inclusion.