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Why Fit in When You Were Born to Stand Out?

Advocacy, Education, Our Blog

With this month having been National Down Syndrome Month as well as National Disability Month, it’s been exciting to see some of the activities going on in our schools to bring awareness and appreciation for diverse learning abilities.

At one public elementary school in Cambridge, one period in October was dedicated to a week-long effort to weave activities into the curriculum that would foster awareness and educate about different disabilities with the on-going goal of creating a respectful and inclusive environment so students of all abilities feel welcomed.

image1 (1)Timed to coincide with National Disability Month (also National Down Syndrome Awareness Month), the activities culminated in a day-long celebration on Disability Awareness Day. The morning kicked-off with a parents breakfast, viewing and discussion of the documentary film, “Including Samuel” by Dan Habib, a film about the Habib family’s efforts to have their son with cerebral palsy included in a general education 3rd grade classroom. During the course of the morning, teachers and parent volunteers led the students in activities designed to promote understanding and acceptance of individual differences. The message: universally we all have strengths and vulnerabilities, whether this is due to a disability or our current circumstance, however we can use our strengths to overcome our challenges. The activities provided an opportunity to engage in ongoing conversation with the goal of strengthening students’ abilities to take the perspective of others and develop problem-solving skills to support all members in their learning community.

image1The highlight of the day was an all-school assembly led by Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress (MDSC) representative, Kerri Tabasky on the importance of respect and valuing differences.   The assembly including interviews with teachers on challenges they faced when they were younger and how they overcame them.   The best part was when students came up to the stage to share what they had learned from the week’s activities. One student empathized that she now understood how difficult it what to follow along when you couldn’t really hear. She had participated in an activity designed to simulate hearing loss and we talked afterwards about the importance of compensating strategies such as lip-reading, to help overcome this challenge. Another student said, “I didn’t realize Down syndrome was just one part of who he is.” In my experience, the biggest barrier to inclusion is fear, but when we include students with Down syndrome in the general education classroom, peers begin to see the child first, and Down syndrome just becomes one part of who their new friend is.

To plan a Disability Awareness Day at your school, contact us for more information.

October 31, 2015/0 Comments/by Admin
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Register Now for the MDSC 11th Annual Educators Forum

Education, In the Media

By MDSC.org

SAVE THE DATE!
11th Annual Educators Forum
Wednesday, November 18, 2015
College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA

Register Here!*


Join hundreds of educators each fall at the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress’ Annual Educators Forum, where you will be treated to a full day of presentations by experts in the field of inclusion. A range of stimulating workshops will bring to life the best practices for educating students with Down syndrome in an inclusive classroom. Our participants will be exposed to innovative, research-based educational strategies on a variety of topics.

Sessions often cover the following subjects: technology, literacy, behavior, socialization, teamwork, differentiated instruction, the paraprofessional’s role, transition, and gaining meaningful access to the general education curriculum.

In the spirit of collaboration and inclusion, we value various districts coming together to learn, build capacity and ultimately enhance and improve the educational experiences of all students!

*Note: If you are part of the Learning Program Boston, please contact us at [email protected] for information about a group discount by October 24, 2015.

October 3, 2015/0 Comments/by Other
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Social Security Disability Insurance Program – Updated facts

Education, Health, In the Media

By SocialSecurity.gov Official Social Security Website

We recently released new fact sheets and a national issue paper on the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program. The SSDI program provides benefits to millions of workers and their families in every community across America. These State fact sheets contain statistics on the number of people who receive benefits and the average payment amounts. The national issue paper describes the five principles Congress used as a basis for establishing the SSDI program almost 60 years ago.

http://www.socialsecurity.gov/policy/docs/factsheets/cong-stats-DI/2014/index.html

October 2, 2015/0 Comments/by Other
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This Is What Sex Ed for the Intellectually Disabled Looks Like

Education, Health, In the Media

By Broadly.vice.com

A lack of sexual education has an impact in all aspects of a person’s life, so why are intellectually disabled people given so few opportunities to learn about sex on their own terms?

https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/a-look-at-the-sex-ed-curriculum-taught-to-the-intellectually-disabled

October 1, 2015/0 Comments/by Other
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