Professional Documents
Culture Documents
EDUC 605Inclusion
Bill Porter is my newest student. He has just joined my class as a third grader and has
been identified as having speech-language and orthopedic disabilities, requiring an IEP. During
birth, an injury to Bills brain caused cerebral palsy (CP). In Bills case, his cerebral palsy
affected his muscle movement and speech. In order to help achieve a goal of 100% inclusion, the
following detailed plan has been created to help ensure Bills success in academics and life.
Disability Awareness
The first thing I did when I learned Bill was going to join my class was get in contact
with his family. Letting Bills family know that I was excited for Bill to join my class was very
important as that began our positive line of communication. I also contacted his previous teacher
for some insight into his capabilities and limitations. The most important person I talked to,
though, was Bill himself. I think often times children with disabilities are overlooked as it is
assumed they cannot communicate or articulate for themselves. This creates an even larger
disparity for our students. In the mornings, I always greet my students with a high-five,
handshake, or hug at the door. This variation in greetings allows me to meet the needs of my
students. Since it was difficult for Bill to shake my hand, I gave him a high-five, which he
seemed to enjoy. During breakfast time, we all go around and share one thing from the night
before. Giving Bill a chance to speak made other students aware of how challenging speaking
was for him and allowed students to become comfortable with his voice. Community building
strategies like this are also great get-to-know-you tactics, especially helpful for reticent students
like Bill.
In order for Bills transition to be as smooth as possible, the staff, parents and students
needed to have a better understanding of who Bill is and what his disability means. To introduce
the staff to what cerebral palsy is, I played an informational video titled, What is Cerebral
Palsy? created by the Cerebral Palsy Alliance during a professional development day. In the
presentation, Prue Golland, a senior physiotherapist with the Cerebral Palsy Alliance, did a nice
job explaining what cerebral palsy is and what causes it. Since Bill was our schools first student
with cerebral palsy, I thought it was a good idea for all staff to learn about his diagnosis. An
additional video I showed was a TED Talk with Maysoon Zayid who has cerebral palsy. This
TED Talk titled, I Got 99 Problems Palsy is Just One, has Maysoon presenting information
on her CP with humor. Both of these videos benefited the staff: the first video gave detailed
information about cerebral palsy and the second video gave teachers an opportunity to get to
In addition to gaining support from the staff, another important component was to inform
families that Bill was joining our class so they could join me and the school staff in making
Bills family feel comfortable. A brochure created by the Frank D. Lanterman Regional Center
on cerebral palsy created a talking piece, so parents could answer their childs questions at
home and understand what was happening in the classroom in reference to Bill.
Students were possibly the most important group that needed to be well informed about
Bills condition. They became his friends, mentors, and confidants and became knowledgeable
of who Bill is and how best to help him. Kidshealth.org provided a kid-friendly article about
cerebral palsy. Students did a jigsaw reading of the informational article and then created
presentations to tell their class about what they read. Students chose their own methods of
delivering the information. One group made up a song the different types of cerebral palsy;
another group made flashcards to help students remember the medical terms associated with the
disease. Bills group opted for an online presentation. Bill chose the pictures since speaking
before the class at that early point in the year was uncomfortable for Bill. Disability awareness
was incredibly important to creating an open, welcoming community for Bill and his family. Bill
had a team of supporters including myself, other staff members, families, and his peers. All
members of this team familiarized themselves with Bills situation in order to ensure a positive
school year.
There are many barriers that Bill faced this year. First, it was difficult for Bill to keep up
physically with boys his age, which made it hard to create friendships. Since Bills muscles have
been weakened by the cerebral palsy, running and jumping at recess created challenges for
playful interactions. Unless students knew someone with a disability, it was hard for them to
understand and connect with Bill. One way I modified this barrier was to demand playground
equipment that provided more accessibility. The school board ordered a special swing, so Bill
could swing alongside his classmates. This way, without straining his weakened muscles, Bill
was able to play with kids his own age, instead of hanging back and watching. During playtime,
the other students and Bill were be able to get to know each other (often times without a word
needing to be spoken).
Another barrier Bill faced was discrimination. Stereotypes of disabled students include
the notion that students with IEPs cannot learn or that a physical disability automatically means
an intellectual disability. Despite Bills muscular and speech limitations, he was able to
cognitively function at the same level as his peers. By assessing Bills knowledge in ways that
met his needs, his classmates could see his academic level was on par with theirs. Another way I
dealt with this stereotype was to have Bills parents come in and speak to the students about his
abilities and disabilities. His parents helped break these stereotypes as students learned his family
was more alike to theirs than it was different. The more I talked with students about stereotypes
the more they will hold back the judgements that come from stereotypes.
A third barrier, communication, provided other challenges for Bill. Even though he was
in speech therapy, understanding Bill was still difficult, and Bill and those communicating with
him became frustrated or simply avoided conversing with him. Giving Bill the Augmentative
Alternative Communication device allowed him to communicate through signs, letters, pictures,
and voice. This device also introduced the other students to new a mode of communication as
well.
Accessibility for Bill was another barrier. Our 1901 building does not have an elevator,
and the gym is on the 4 floor. It took Bill seven minutes to climb all of those stairs to participate
th
in gym. There is no ramp for strollers or wheelchairs in the building either, so the assumption is
that everyone visiting and attending our school has the ability to climb stairs. One way I
modified this problem was to have gym outside (where Bill would only have to walk down a few
stairs) or in the classroom. There were many games and activities that, with slight modification,
The last barrier Bill was indirectly affected by was the lack of funding for special
education programs. Many devices and tools, such as wheelchairs, augmentative communication
devices, and mechanical lifts that could be useful to Bill, cost a great deal and our school was
already on a tight budget. To pay for the augmentative communication device, I applied for a
grant.
Writing and reading were two subjects that Bill had an increasingly difficult time in.
Writing was difficult because of the spasms Bill has; his handwriting is nearly illegible. A tool
called the Steady Write Writing Instrument was created for people that are plagued with
involuntary muscle movements like Bill. This made a great modification for Bill, making him
feel a part of the writing class. In regard to reading, Bill had a difficult time communicating his
thoughts verbally. However, with the use of the augmentative communication devices, Bill still
had an opportunity to communicate his ideas to his class with symbols, pictures, or letters.
One of the first plans to socially integrate Bill with his peers was to make certain that he
participated in recess every day in as many activities as possible. Whether an adaptive game of
football or walking the perimeter of the playground, being around his peers during recess was a
pleasant time for Bill because of socialization opportunities. Too often are students taken from
recess for adaptive therapies; I believe recess should be counted as an adaptive therapy. The
second plan to allow Bill socialization opportunities was for him to work collaboratively with his
peers in class. Many times, a student with an IEP has one or two helpers that assist them
throughout the day. This assistance creates great bonds. Giving Bill and the rest of the class
opportunity to expand his horizons and try some extra-curricular activities. We have a
Forensics team at our school that focuses on speech. This was a great option for Bill, even
though he struggled with his speech. Bill used his augmentative alternative communication
device as a tool to present his speech. Just because he was not able to clearly articulate his
thoughts, he knew what he had to say was important because we made the effort to hear him.
Another extra-curricular Bill participated in was our Boys and Girls Club. This club gives
students a myriad of smaller clubs, activities, and sports. Student choice leads to student
engagement which leads to socialization. Bill was be able to try many activities before
committing to pottery club. Lastly, Bill loved sports even when he couldnt play, so he helped
keep stats for the basketball team, and Bill sure did smile big when the coach gave him a jersey
to wear.
Outside Agencies/Organizations
helps to ensure the human and legal rights of people with disabilities. Disability Rights
Wisconsin helps people gain access to services, opportunities, and legal expertise. This
organization was incredibly helpful to Bill and his family, especially by starting the process to
implement a lift at the staircase, so Bill would not have to move schools next year to attend 4th
grade on the 4th floor. In addition, Disability Rights Wisconsin connected Bills family to a
personal care attendant and will continue to help with services and opportunities for Bills post-
secondary career.
The second organization, Goodwill Industries employs people of all abilities. In addition
clothing vouchers and medical rehabilitation. Working with Goodwill will give Bill practical
The third organization, the Wisconsin Board for People with Developmental Disabilities
with developmental disabilities. Bill is the type of young man who appreciates and values his
The fourth organization, the Wisconsin Healthy & Ready to Work Project aims to support
youth with special care needs as they transition from high school to higher education, working
and living within their communities. Since public education supports special education
programs, Bill will be supported throughout his high school career. Many organizations, in
addition to the previous mentioned, help disabled students transition into the next phases of their
lives.