Professional Development on Inclusion eNews, July 2009

July 2009

In this issue

• Inclusion Institute Update

Discussions

• Speaking of Inclusion Blog

Resources

• Early Childhood Inclusion: A Summary
• Recent and Upcoming Presentations

Inclusion Institute Registration Still Open

Registration is still open for the 9th annual Inclusion Institute to be held July 14-16, in Chapel Hill, N.C.
Learn more \ Sign up today

Join the Inclusion Institute Online After-Party

Don’t get the Post-Inclusion Institute Blues, come out to the conference’s after-party! Coming the first week in August, this virtual panel will be your place to continue the discussions that have made the Inclusion Institute a success for nine straight years. Look for details in the August eNews.

Discussions

Speaking of Inclusion Blog

Visit NPDCI’s blog “Speaking of Inclusion..."Each week we invite your comments on inclusion insights, stories and resources.

July blogs focus on topics that will be presented at the Inclusion Institute. Join us to find out more about upcoming sessions.
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Christine's Chronicles: A Chance to Hear Both Sides
by Christine Lindauer — Jul 06, 2009
The National Early Childhood Inclusion Institute is just a week away and I’m looking forward to attending.  Along with the CONNECT team, I’ll be presenting Luke’s story in a session called “Embedded Learning Opportunities to Support Inclusion”.  I’ll also have the chance to attend some of the other sessions.  One I’m particularly excited to hear is “Inclusion:  Illusive or Conclusive – Three Moms’ Perspectives”.  Three moms will discuss their experiences with both inclusive and self-contained settings.  Ever since I’ve jumped on the inclusion band wagon, all the information I’ve been presented with and people I have spoken to have continually praised the benefits of inclusion.  But I do realize that it is not the only way. 

I have an older sister with special needs, Stacy.  She attended the same public schools that I did, but was always in the special education classroom with the other special needs kids.  And though she was technically not in an inclusive setting in school, Stacy has always been and will continue to be included in her community.  My family has never made exceptions for her, and she participates right along with everyone else.  When I was just ten and told that it was time for me to start helping out at the family restaurant, my sister was right there beside me, doing dishes in the back. 

We want our children to grow up tolerant of people’s differences and inclusion is the place to start.  But kids always find someone or something to pick on.  My sister was one of the lucky ones in her class who generally didn’t get much of that.  Or maybe they just knew better than to say anything in front of me.  But either way, I know her personality got her far.  She has a bubbly loving energy about her that can’t help but to make you smile.  Upon learning of my own son’s disability, I was disappointed, and it was my younger sister, Leigh who reminded me “But look at all the joy that Stacy has brought to everyone around her.”  And isn’t that what life is all about.  Whether it’s full inclusion, self-contained, or somewhere in between, we all need to remember what the point of it all is – happiness.

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More Blog Postings: 

Quality and Accountability Measures to Enhance Services for Children
by Heidi Hollingsworth — Jun 30, 2009
All children need the support provided by a quality early childhood program, but finding a high quality program can be daunting. [ read more | add a comment ]

Early Childhood Competencies: On the Shelf or Driving the System?
by Tracey West — Jun 30, 2009
While early childhood professional competencies have been developed, they have been underutilized.
[ read more | add a comment ]

Resources

Early Childhood Inclusion: A Summary
When the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) teamed up to develop a joint position statement, early childhood inclusion became less of a mystery. Now there's a one page synthesis of Early Childhood Inclusion: A Joint Position Statement of the Division for Early Childhood (DEC) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) to help make the joint position statement more accessible to a broad audience. Use this new resource as a handout to constituents, colleagues, and policy makers, as an insert to newsletters, or as a tool to support professional development and advocacy.
Download the Summary
View related video:  CONNECT: Foundations of Inclusion, Birth to Five

Recent Presentations

By NPDCI and CONNECT personnel from the June, 2009, NAEYC 18th National Institute for Professional Development:

• CONNECT - Web-based Professional Development Resources to Support Inclusion of Children with Disabilities
• Playing Well with Others: Supporting Cross-Sector Approaches to Professional Development
• Using NAEYC's Definition and Position Statement to Support Inclusion
• AND rather than OR: Maximizing Tools for State Professional Development Systems
  

Upcoming Presentations

By NPDCI and CONNECT personnel at the 2009 Inclusion Institute

• Integrating Quality and Accountability Measures to Enhance Services for Children with Special Needs
• New Opportunities for Inclusion
• Recognition and Response (R&R): Results from an Implementation Study
• Using the Joint Position Statement on Early Childhood Inclusion to Support Change
• Embedded Learning Opportunities to Support Inclusion
• Early Childhood Competencies: Sitting on the Shelf or Driving Inclusion
• The Right Stuff: Resources for Supporting Early Childhood Inclusion

By NPDCI and CONNECT personnel at the OSEP Project Director’s Conference:

• Which Way Should We Go and How Do We Get There? Charting the Future Directions in Early Childhood

"Word of Mouse"

This newsletter is a monthly mailing from the National Professional Development Center on Inclusion (NPDCI).