equity – Mrs. G. Wiz

The Inclusion Myth

Inclusion is one of two words I would like to see no longer used.

Okay, some of you now quit reading and others are curious enough to hear me out.

The definition of “inclusion” requires two groups of people. One is the majority group or the one that represents the goal. Another group is seeking to join the majority group. Said another way, there is one group with the power to allow or deny admittance of another group. Note, permission to be admitted doesn’t mean you become an equal member or are even guaranteed the opportunity to participate in all the activities or conversations.

I don’t want students with disabilities to be granted permission to go to general education, I want them to belong as a member of the learning community.

Seeking inclusion is less than belonging. This is not a new idea but one that Dr. Erik Carter at the Baylor Center for Developmental Disabilities has explored for many years along with several other researchers within the faith community and education.

The drive for inclusion accidentally said that those without disabilities get to decide if students with disabilities are welcome in their educational space. That is a myth. Students with disabilities are students, and all students are welcome in public schools. The rules don’t say that one group gets to make the rules while the other group must wait for permission. One group isn’t “students” and the other “guests”. No, our public education rules calls them all “students.”

So you see, I want a single student body of learners whose needs are met by the incredible groups of educators who work in our public schools. The problem is, I don’t know what to call this model. I dream of a day when we don’t need to find a word because all learners belong. I hope to help make that dream happen. When we do, our communities will be stronger because everyone will contribute by paying taxes, working in the community, and creating meaningful relationships with neighbors and friends.

In short, we will all belong.

Victory

Today was the day I had planned to go running. I had not run all week. I needed to go running. But, I really, really, really didn’t want to. I wasn’t “feeling it.” I simply wasn’t in the mood. I had a stomach ache, a headache, my legs were stiff, and I was tired. But I knew, at the end of the day, I would be sorry I didn’t try. So, I put on my workout clothes and shoes, found my favorite podcast, and stepped outside. And then, I did something different. I chose the most difficult and challenging route possible. I figured, if the run was super hard, it was the routes’ fault, not mine.

The first step, then the second, turning towards the toughest route possible, thinking about where I would run, and moving through it. At the end of the run, I felt amazing! My pace was no different than any other day. Not only did I complete the run, but I also overcame the hills and tough elevations of the route! It was more than an accomplishment, it was a celebration of the results of my efforts. It was…victory!

I wonder, how often is the exact experience for our students? How many mornings do they wake up thinking, “I don’t want to do it today?”

I previously posted my humble gratitude for their courage, but what about the struggle that proceeds the courage?

How often do our students arrive thinking, “I can’t”, or “I don’t want to”, and still, they try?

And then, it occurred to me. That while yes, I did complete the run, the real victory was in overcoming the challenge. It was the arduous route, not simply the step out the door that turned my run from completing the “to-do” list of the day into a feeling of strength, confidence, and victory.

Offering our students a chance is not enough. We need to offer them a challenge. We need to provide them the opportunity to be strong, confident, and victorious. We need to let them choose the path that will lead them to their goal. We need to do more.

I have been a strong believer in the need for all students to have equitable access to instruction. But it occurs to me today that it needs to be a bigger commitment. All students should have access to challenge or productive struggle. It is only when we offer more that students can truly achieve.

Seeing Is Believing

They say that hindsight is 20/20, perhaps they meant, 2020.

2020 will always be remembered as the year of the pandemic, changing our entire world in what felt like a single moment. As state governors declared schools closed, we all naively believed that within two weeks we would return to normal. Instead, the closures continued, offices moved from skyscrapers to kitchen tables, and the longstanding inequities in each community were exposed.

School districts and community leaders could no longer deny the impact of inequity on the most vulnerable citizens: children. Teachers work tirelessly to create equity in their classroom, but those strategies did not translate in a virtual, distance learning environment. Some students went home to their own computer, complete with microphone, camera. They attended class uninterrupted from their private bedroom or an extra room in the home now referred to as the “classroom.” Other students went home to shared spaces that inhibited concentration and focus sharing a single smart phone and rationing data minutes to attend the most essential classer. Some students went home to parents who now worked from home while others had parents who were still working and now needed the children to care for and support each other throughout the day because daycare centers were closed.

Inequity occurred across the country and affected students of all ages. Students dropped out of college, no longer able to adequately access class, or because they needed to work multiple jobs to help their family pay basic expenses of rent, food, and utilities. Cries were heard across the country to open childcare so essential workers could remain working. Children were not able to visit parents in assistive or senior living to ensure their health or safety.

Individuals with disabilities have lived with the struggles of inequitable access, bias, prejudice, and unnecessary obstacles every day of their lives.

The pandemic made it increasingly more difficult for individuals with disabilities. Home care workers were fearful. Resources and food were harder to access. Essential medical treatment, medications, and personal protective equipment were allocated to essential workers and the “able” or “healthy.” Family members or support personnel were no longer allowed to accompany them as they entered hospitals or doctors’ offices.

Living through the pandemic was so hard, but we can look at it as a learning experience. We can no longer hide from inequity. We can no longer excuse inequity. We can no longer close our eyes to the suffering of the members of our community. We saw it all in 20/20 clarity.

Moving forward we need to keep the clarity of hindsight and use it as a spotlight of focus. We need to find the solutions that not only create an opportunity for equity but ensure it. Can we ensure each family has the same space, materials, wealth, or technology? No. Can we ensure that a person can access the resources they need and have the opportunity to earn the life they want? Absolutely!

I thank 2020 for the clear vision of a future for everyone. We do not need to return to the past. Together, we can believe in the ideals of equity and make it our reality today.