Sean McElwee is 23 years old and happens to have Down syndrome. Sean thrived in inclusion in primary school and survived exclusion in secondary school. He is an entrepreneur, creating t-shirts with his funny sayings that can be seen at seanese.com. He also works at a trampoline park and enjoys public speaking, encouraging his audiences
On Tuesday, May 2nd, the Thompson Policy Institute held its 2nd Annual DisAbility Summit. At the Summit, a group of like-minded individuals gathered together for a morning of research, and the celebration of local dedicated professionals who were honored for the excellent work they have done in the field of disability. The Summit provided groundbreaking
Scot Danforth, Professor and Assistant Dean of Research in the College of Educational Studies at Chapman University, is a well-known scholar working in the fields of disability studies in education, and inclusive education. He is author or editor of over seventy publications, including ten books. His scholarship examines political and ethical issues involving disabled young
Scot Danforth, Professor and Assistant Dean of Research in the College of Educational Studies at Chapman University, is a well-known scholar working in the fields of disability studies in education, and inclusive education. He is author or editor of over seventy publications, including ten books. His scholarship examines political and ethical issues involving disabled young
Raising a child with a disability brings a unique set of joys and challenges for a family – increased struggles with daily routines, finances, and navigating the maze of doctors and support services. This can be complicated by decreases in the amount of time parents spend engaged in the community, with friends or as a
Welcome to the last part of our three part series on UDL in Early Childhood Education (ECE). In part one, we shared the importance of inclusion and introduced our topic with essential questions we must ask as we begin to understand UDL in ECE. Part two of the series discussed the history and evolution of UDL.
As early educators, understanding the foundational concepts of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is necessary before understanding how UDL applies to the early childhood world. This brief overview of the history and principles of UDL will help continue the discussion as we move into the last part of our series on UDL in ECE next week.
Education has been a dichotomous system consisting of two distinct programs, general education and special education. Each system consisting of its own programs, teachers, funding sources, classrooms, curriculum, and students. These systems have guided our educational practices, including how and where students are educated. Regardless of these distinct systems, today’s classrooms represent a broadly diverse
Analyzing how to meet the needs of all students, regardless of ability, is critical in the field of education. Research shows that inclusion of students with disabilities in general education has lasting effects on their educational outcomes (Causton-Theoharis, J., Theoharis, G., Cosier, M. and Orsati, F., 2013, Danforth, 2014). Florian (2012) defined inclusion as the moment teachers begin to
When I first started working for Thompson Policy Institute, I lacked an understanding of the nuances between different types of disabilities. Without even realizing it, I had lumped together very different conditions into similar categories and after doing some reading, I see why I was confused! The classification between intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and