Buddy Walk

Every year my friends and family participate in a city wide fundraiser called the Buddy Walk. This is a program set up by the National Downs Syndrome Society. I have two amazing kids in my church that have downs syndrome so my entire community goes and walks to show their support for the families. This year the walk was in October but I was not able to go because I was at school. I was very upset.

The walk is only one mile long. You can visit the website to find a walk coming up in your area. Anyone is welcome to join a walk, age doesn't matter! Also you do not have to know someone with downs syndrome to show your support. If you aren't able to walk, you can join the cheering section or even walk half of the time. If you want to really get involved, you can create your own walk by visiting the website and following the links.

Positive Inclusion Experience

Since I have been doing a lot of writing about inclusion and mainstreaming of special needs students into regular education classroom. There can be two different outcomes from an inclusion experience. To have a positive experience here are a few things you have to do:

• The general education teacher must believe the special-needs student can succeed
• The school must be committed to accepting responsibility for the learning outcomes of special education students
• Parents must be informed and supportive
• Services and physical accommodations must be adequate for the student's needs
• The principal must understand the needs of special education students
• Enough teacher and staff hours must be devoted to the child's care
• Continuing staff development and technical assistance must be provided
• Evaluation procedures must be clear
• Special education teachers must be part of the entire planning process
• A team approach is used by teachers and other specialists
• A variety of instructional arrangements must be available (team teaching, ability grouping, peer tutoring)

I got this information from http://psychology.jrank.org/pages/600/Special-Education.html and was very informed from the other information so check it out! :)

A Glance Into Reality

Over the summer I was a nannie for two little girls. One of the little girls had a disability and since I spent so much time with them I saw the effect of her disability on her sister. Kate was a normal nine year old tom boy; Kara was the normal girly thirteen year old with a disability - lets just say they butted heads a lot. Since Kara had a disability she was slower with a lot of things and Kate always got frustrated with her. Kate also hated that her sister was disabled becuse she stuck out sometimes and just wanted to be a normal girl. When I spent time with them I really tried to encourage Kate that her sister's disability was something that made her special but she still had a hard time dealing with it.

When we look at someone with a disability we think about how it effects them but in reality it effects so many others as well. I honestly did not notice the effects of a situation like this until I spent time with these amazing girls.

Its the Little Things.

Every Tuesday I go bowling with the Special Olympics bowling team. I always have so much fun watching them bowl and getting to talk to them. This Tuesday I was really stressed out and had a ton of homework to do. I was debating on just going to get my paper signed for class and leaving but Betty has been asking for a picture for three weeks and I kept forgetting. So I felt awful that I was just leaving without giving her a picture. After a lot of debating I stayed and really had a great time! Betty ended up being worried about me and was really glad I was there. Hanging out with them really helped me lose all of my stress and just relax for a little while. That is what I really needed. It made me realize that it really is the little times in life that get you through it.

Sepcial Needs Cheerleading

I saw this video and though it was the cutest thing. You can do anything as long as you set your mind to it and these children did just that.

More Participation in Inclusion

Martha Thurlow wrote “NCLB and the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in the Accountability and Assessment Systems” This article is about how the past few years the participation and success rate of students with special needs on the assessment tests has gone up greatly. In Massachusetts from 2000 to 2003 the rates on the reading part of the tests has gone up 26%. Also, because a student has a disability it does not mean they cant learn and be successful in every aspect of their life. Since teachers and parents have low expectations, pushing their child or student could seem pointless. Thanks to the No Child Left Behind Act school districts are paying more attention to all the students and their scores on the achievement tests. The addition of the subgroup for students with disabilities on the act has been one of the best things for the special education world.

The Difference Between Elementary and Secondary Schools

Jay Matthews wrote the article “Mainstreaming Special-Ed Students: a Question of Time” This article explains the varying differences of the mainstreaming process in elementary schools and secondary schools. In elementary schools it is easier to incorporate the special education student into the class but harder when it comes to high school and the classes are more specialized. Also student with special needs are hindered by not having the one-to-one help with a teacher when they are in a regular education room.

Doing analysis on the school districts to see what works best for the students and also the teachers should be done if mainstreaming is being considered. This article’s purpose is to point out the differences between elementary and secondary education mainstreaming. I like this article because it really shows the importance and time involved in making mainstreaming work for everyone.