What Is Inclusion ?

A short video produced by Down Syndrome Queensland in conjunction with Griffith Film School and Pullenvale State School. The 4-minute video showcases the difference between integration, perceived inclusion and true inclusion in a classroom environment.
The vignettes are staged to demonstrate the differences between integration, perceived inclusion and true inclusion. Pullenvale State School is itself well on the journey to true inclusion and kindly participated in this video to help grow the understanding of what schools should be striving for.

[mayintusk]

As the father of a girl with Down syndrome I completely understand this video, we are dealing with the same challenge at our school. I hope this message gets spread far and wide.

[dominator]

Wow, it all sounds so simple! Only those that have 0 experience and therefore 0 genuine understanding of the situation, could be so emotionally taken in by this message.

[shermagustave]

She simplified everything in this line. "Treat me the same as many others and let me flourish".

[g.vanimations]

I was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome in kindergarten, tho I only learned recently of my condition, so I completely agree with this type of mentality. I was thrust to the world just like anyone else and had to adapt.

Was it hard? Yes. Where my classmates harsh to me in the beginning? Definitely. Did I learn to grow and adapt so that I don’t place my success on the hands of others? Absolutely.

I was never treated like if I needed to be protected, and over the course of the years I’ve learned to control myself in social situations and learned to not take everything I hear literally, I’ve been so good at it that not even some of my closest friends were able to notice my condition until I outright told them about it. I seem completely normal in public and let the act drop when in doors or in company of people I trust.

I now have a classmate that suffers from the same condition as me but was never allowed to grow or adapt, and that genuinely pisses me off, he has so much potential to improve but the school, his parents and even himself prevent him of doing so. I genuinely want to help him, but because he was always told that he is essentially “a child in an adults body” he now believes so too, and doesn’t wish to break his shell because logically from his own perspective is the easiest choice to make.

I feel powerless because I genuinely want to see him succeed, but it may be already too late for him to adapt before he steps into the real world.

[Javi-zusz]

In my different practicums as a future English teacher I've seen cases of children being excluded. This video is so meaningful and it shows the exact point we all need to know: there has to be a change of perspective.

[annagill-k]

Brilliant. At Kinephonics, all individuals have an inner voice and we never assume that we know what it is saying. Our mission is to give everyone an outer voice.

[jacktherripper]

Question: How many down syndrome kids actually go to school and complete college? The reason we all applaud one for completing college in the news is because they beat the odds. How many jobs/careers/places higher people who had inclusion classes (with all the extra help, tutors and guidance) Do you honestly think that a place of real proprietorship will be will to help accommodate people with down syndrome every minute of their work hour? I am a teacher, I love my kids, but one of my 11th graders today grabbed an open half eaten muffin from breakfast from the trash and started eating it, I had to tell him to stop, and when I did he got mad a through desk through the window. My point is we alway see the successes of down syndrome we never see the opposite.

[codyrichard]

I absolutely agree with this for the younger years, but there comes a time when some students are so far behind their peers that they cannot learn the same things as their peers. I worked in a high school as a TA and the student sat in class, took notes, and participated in all activities with peers. He did not understand the subject content and could not discuss it in activities. He was brillant creating things with his hands. I wish we would have allowed him to focus in on his talent, perhaps teaching him to be a book illustrator so that he had a career after leaving school.

[valentinalamaj]

Great video. This should be shared and been seen by educators to understand their needs and thoughts.

[nathanjohnson]

My son who has Down Syndrome starts kindy next year... this was super helpful thank you.

[nglijie]

I am a person who was diagnosed with mild Autism since the age of three and it has been twenty years since that fateful time. Inclusive education is not easy, but has long-term benefits. When teaching all children (regardless of disabilities), you need to have courage, wisdom and a spirit that is over 100 times of an average layman. In other words, your heart must be magnanimous and your spirit must be like iron.

As an ancient Buddhist saying goes: "Iron, when heated and pounded, becomes a fine sword."

[Mahfouz-xtiv]

Sometimes she is right, other cases might feel they can, but sadly they can't since they are not fully aware of their cases....

[ftenzer]

I want a law to be created and passed that explicitly states and rules
that if a youngster used to disrupt classes but no longer does so, that
even if he/she has all regular mainstream subject classes and a regular
mainstream homeroom class, that it is illegal for the youngster’s
regular mainstream homeroom teacher to refuse to give permission for
him/her to go on a regular mainstream school club trip and that it is
illegal for the youngster’s regular mainstream homeroom teacher to tell
him/her to get the permission from a special education teacher. This is
no way to reward a youngster for behaving him/herself and it causes the
youngster irreversible psychological damage. Furthermore, whoever the
youngster is made it clear that he/she turned over a new leaf, that
he/she wants to be in the regular mainstream only, that he/she does not
want anything to do with special education or any other stigmas
whatsoever, and that he/she wants to be treated exactly like everybody
else! This is not too much for the youngster to ask for!
Please reply.

[Jennifer___y]

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[auti]

This doesn’t work for everyone I did beter in special Ed

[stayroxy]

This video just wants her to fend for herself, and do work that is not accessible to her so she can " be like everyone else" ... Is the parents ego forcing their child to "just be like everyone else, do the same things others are doing".... What this egomaniac is suggesting is that their child flounder in anxiety and be forced to do work that is inaccessible to them so that their egos are stroked . I am sure the EA does let her do as much work as she can independently. This is so idealistic and unrealistic truly. The video also suggests the EA go away so that a Peer can help instead but putting that responsibility and job onto another young 7 yr old is really unfair to them.

[lnhnyzp]

Well done Bella! We are all proud of you!😊

[ME]

I agree that the child should be included wth their classmates, but if they are not able to keep up wth certain subjects, some children just get bored, switch off and start acting out.. Even wth differentiated work, many children still need the help of a special needs assistant (in Ireland) and fall secerky behind if not supported by an SNA.. Its very insulting to the person trying to help the child...

[AmirELT]

What a beautiful, enlightening video for very many of us teachers. Thanks.

[valeo]

Great video and little actor, but...why is the adult helper doing the work for the student and "whispering the answer" for lawds sakes? It bugs me that was included. All SSO's are not that clueless.