View from a classroom in Ecuador

Researchers from the CPD went south last month, as part of a collaboration with Ecuador’s Ministry of Education to evaluate programs there.

They were there as part of a planning grant, investigating the possibility of working with the ministry to evaluate programs in Ecuador. The proposed projects would deal with preschools, inclusion of children with disabilities in the schools, newborn hearing screening, and infant programs for children ages 0 to 3.

“We got to see preschool programs throughout the entire country, from the jungles to the cities to the coasts to the highlands,” said Dr. Gina Cook, a collaborator on the planning grant.

“The recent visit to Ecuador was an important learning experience,” said Dr. Eduardo Ortiz, another collaborator on the grant. “It was powerful to see how comfortable and knowledgeable young children were talking about their surrounding plants, animals, and nature.”

The team saw some schools with lots of resources, and others with few. American educators often have similar challenges, adapting programs to make sure they work in schools no matter what materials are available to them.

The learning is definitely a two-way process, said DDE Center for Early Care and Education Director Lisa Boyce, a CPD faculty fellow who went with the researchers. She is another collaborator on the planning grant. “I have yet to see so many teachers being so responsive to children. I have found that I can teach educational strategies to teachers, but I struggle with being able to teach the level of connectedness that I observed in those schools.”

The group will return to Ecuador next month to train government officials on conducting evaluations and incorporating research into its programs.

In addition to her work with the CPD, Gina Cook is now an adjunct research assistant professor in the Family, Consumer and Human Development department at USU. She also provided the photos that accompany this blog post. For more images from schools in Ecuador, visit our Facebook page.

Getting the help a child needs in the school system can become a double-edged sword once the label of “special education” is attached to him or her.

Parents have a hard time admitting that their child needs special education services. Other parents may refuse to put their child in special education, even when they know their child would benefit from the services. Many parents hide the fact that their child is in special education because they know that  once a child is labeled, that label will stay with them throughout their school years.

As a former special education teacher said, “There is still a stigma for our special education students…Sadly, when some students are labeled, they are ripped out of a general education classroom and put into a special education classroom that is sometimes segregated away from the rest of the school.”

Any student placed in a separate special education class may be at risk of being made fun of by their peers, because they are seen as “different.”

“The stigma is not just coming from other students,” one local special education resource teacher observed. Her greatest concern as she starts a new school year is getting the general education teachers to accept and welcome the students with special needs into their classrooms.

Teachers are working so hard to help their regular students meet the requirements of No Child Left Behind,  that sometimes making the necessary accommodations or adaptations for students in special education may become overwhelming.

But, it is the student with special needs who suffers the most.  Low self-esteem is the result of being seen as different or needing specialized help with school subjects. Low self-esteem hinders, if not stops altogether, the motivation needed to face and overcome the challenges of having a learning or developmental disability.

Changing the stigma attached to special education is the key to success for these students.  Once society accepts the importance of special education services and learns to value differences, not scorn them, these students will move forward at a quicker pace.

“The fact is that special education is a blessing for students who are struggling due to their need for a smaller classroom environment, more support from an additional teacher or paraprofessional, or help outside of the classroom in a specific area,” says Tiffany Rubin, a special education teacher in New York City.

Changing the stigma will require change from the top down.

Administrators must make sure that their schools have zero tolerance for teasing and discrimination based on ability and differences.

Teachers must have the skills to address the academic needs of students mainstreamed into their classes, and model treating all students with respect.

Student must understand that being different is okay, and that their peers are more like them than they are different from them.

Rubin summarizes her thoughts about special education: “Special education is a necessary part of the educational system. When it is done properly, with good educators, and active parents, it can have a positive effect on the families and students. It can serve as a life preserver in a sea of confusion, despair and the unknown.”

Changing the stigma can start today with each of us doing our part.

San Francisco is involved in a new battle that would mean transferring all of its 6,000 students in special education classrooms into mainstream programs in the public schools.

The Unified School District spends about $122 million a year on special education services.  It is facing a $25 million budget deficit this coming year.

School officials claim that integrating special-education students into mainstream classrooms would leave the students less isolated and would provide more support.

Parents argue that the decision is based on budget concerns, rather than on what is best for the students.

This month’s Let’s Talk topic asks parents and professionals…

What would you do if your child was being moved into a mainstream classroom situation from a more intense, specialized educational environment?

Do you think that teachers are prepared to receive children in special education into their already full classrooms and meet their educational needs?

Ready, set….Let’s Talk!

Let us know of other topics that you would like to talk about.

(Note:  All comments will be filtered to maintain confidentiality and appropriateness.)

Congratulations to the Utah Conservation Corps on their recent Inclusion Champion Award presented by the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation!

The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation announced the first recipients of the 2011 Inclusion Champion Award at their MEAF 20th Anniversary Luncheon in Washington, DC on March 11th.

This is the fourth year that MEAF has awarded their Inclusion Champion Award (ICA).  The award honors organizations and individuals who have made measurable and sustainable impact in promoting the inclusion of youth with disabilities.  The award includes a trophy and a $1,000 contribution to the recipient’s organization.

The Utah Conservation Corps, a part of the Conservation Corps Network, was honored for its “innovative work” that was designed so young people with disabilities could fully participate in national service programs, like Americorps. UCC established inclusive service crews to work in national forests, parks and urban settings gaining valuable career skills.

The Center for Persons with Disabilities at USU worked with the Utah Conservation Corps to help them include persons with disabilities more fully into their programs by developing the Disability Inclusion Toolkit that is available to help other Conservation Corps programs become more inclusive.

The UCC was one of eight inclusion awards presented during the MEAF  evening events.  The celebration ended with a viewing of the UCC’s video of their Cache Valley Accessible Community Garden project.

In total, 20 awards will presented throughout this 20th anniversary year to honor current and past grantees for their efforts to promote the full participation of young people with disabilities in society.

The TOP Sports program, a local program sponsored by the CPD at Utah State University, is starting a new year of activities with a new coordinator!

Joshua Lefevre, new TOP Sports coordinator

Joshua (Josh) Lefevre, a USU student, started working with TOP Sports in November, at the start of their basketball season. Josh loves to work with kids and to see their happiness when they succeed in something new.

Josh’s interest in working with children with disabilities began when he was a child and suffered from a brain tumor that left him blind in one eye.  He participated in activities offered by the national Candlelighters organization (now known as the American Childhood Cancer Organization, a group that provides information and support to families of children who have cancer. Josh remembers hiking, bowling, and making crafts surrounded by other children who were going through the same kinds of things that he was.

TOP Sports offers children and youth with disabilities living in the Cache Valley area recreational opportunities that they might otherwise not have.  These activities are fully inclusive and accessible, and are geared for many different ability levels. Volunteers from USU and the community help the athletes develop the skills they need and to be able to participate as much as possible.

As coordinator of TOP Sports, Josh has created a TOP Sports facebook page and is working on developing a web site that will be completed early next year.

TOP Sports basketball is just over, with about 14 children playing each week. Bowling begins in January and will go through February, meeting once a week. Bumpers and ramps will be available for those who would like to use them.

Those interested in bowling can sign up by email at topsports@cpdusu.org, or by phoning 435-797-2043.

Families, including siblings, are invited to join.