I’ve been wrestling with, fighting for, and wringing my hands over inclusion for a long time now. I have to share this one fabulous example of a great project that Aidan did in English class, dreamed up by his aide who believes in him and has high standards for his learning. Word Book What is it? Aidan chooses two or three words on his talker and his classmates write or draw in response. Here’s what...
Reposting for Paralympics in Rio – Also check out Paralympics.org to watch the Games! As we tune in to the Paralympics, it’s worth pondering how we speak about, think about, and perceive the athletes and people with disabilities in general. If you have spent anytime reading online, you’ll know that some people care a whole lot about what words are used to discuss disability while others care less about the words and more about the tone (that...
Meet Owen, Aidan’s cousin. In our family we like to point out that Owen is a Lover not a Fighter. There is no one who loves Aidan quite the way Owen does. Owen is 13 years old and never misses an opportunity to go in for a forhead kiss with Aidan. Without training, without a degree, without it being written in a legal document, Owen includes Aidan because kids are awesome and we should learn...
Let’s talk about the elephant that arrived in the mail a few months ago. I got a letter from Aidan’s school congratulating him for making High Honors, one of three students to do so. I laughed a little and asked his teacher about it. Aidan has an IEP (individual education plan) which basically means that he has very specific goals and just has to show that he’s making progress with them. He’s not graded in the...
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