Disabled Kids: The Next Civil Rights Movement?

My mother was a special education teacher in the public school system when I was growing up. As a kid I heard her talk often about he importance of integrating kids with learning disabilities along with the rest of the school. Kids who might need a little bit extra will still need to learn how to work, study and play in the world at large. And that world is made up of all kinds, not just other kids like them. Not to mention the so called “normal” kids can gain something (patients, kindness, humility) by working, playing and learning along side kids a bit different then the “norm”. The world isn’t segregated and our schools shouldn’t be either.

Yes it is the next civil rights movement. My son has a rare syndrome, Cornelia de Lange and Autism. He is 12 years old. Inclusion can work, but it cost money. Y ou need one-on- one aides, and these aides need to be educated, not glorifed babysitters.

Also I am worried about my son's future. When he turns 21, what will his life be like?Again, it's money. Programs for the 21-and-older group are not funded the way they should be. I live in NH and my son has somewhat been included, but he has some behaviors that make it hard. It is hard to find a specialist to help out.

Again, it's the money. We need the federal government to fully fund special ed. We also need a federal mandate to fund the over-21 age group and make sure they have a true quality life! I have shown Including Samuel to schools and families, and one of things I point out to the groups who are viewing the movie is that this is a civil rights issue and we need to do something about it. We need to march in Washington and demand that our children have an equal education and have a chance at having an equal life!!!

I do believe that disability rights is a civil rights issue. It's a civil rights issue that affects us all...though most people are in total denial. Any of us or our loved ones can join the ranks of those with disabilities in the blink of an eye.

Itzhak Perlman has said that we should look at the absence of disability as a window of opportunity. We all face disability at some point in our lives unless we meet a sudden death. It is our wisest self that informs us to not only make accomodations, but to seek opportunities to include people with disabilities in our life and in our work. I believe that when we isolate and exclude people with disabilities from our communities, we doom ourselves to the same fate.

I am living this very issue right now with my daughter Madison, who is 7 and is the first child in our school district to be fully included. It is a struggle that we are continually working on. Helping the school to look at things differently and change the culture is a full-time job. But the benefits for Madison and the other kids are definetly worth it.

When a child is "included," he or she is not only encouraged and taught to participate but is or needs to be held accountable, to the best of their ability, in the same way anyone else would be. That is what creates inclusion in the mind of the child or adult that is being included. Double standards can't apply or it defeats the purpose.

Yes, I had the pleasure of viewing Includingg Samuel at the University of Vermont this year. I brought my film Living the Autism Maze to the attention of Samuel's Dad in the context of cognitive disabilities and inclusion. My film displays more of the struggle to have inclusion when expertise is not plentiful and funding is so short-sighted. We in Vermont are very grassroots-oriented trying to make important gains for our children. The maze has not ended. We are still working relentlessly for full inclusion not only in our schools but in our communities by campaigning for good legislation. Take a look, and good luck always to the Habibs! ~ Anne Barbano

Whoa! What's this about the 'next' civil rights movement? My son was born with Down syndrome almost 25 years ago, and this civil rights movement had been a struggle for teens and adults with developmental disabilities for many years when he was a baby.

Growing up included meant as much for my son's classmates as it did for him. Every child faces challenges and *feels* differences in themselves that they struggle to hide when they otherwise pass as 'typical' - even when they are academically recognized as gifted and talented.

It is frustrating to know that children with developmental disabilities and their families are facing the same obstacles and fighting the same battles as my son and I did more than twenty years ago.

People of color know that the 'next' civil rights movement is the same one families moved forward a quarter of a century ago - we all want opportunities and support for our children so they can make the most of their potential, to enjoy a quality of life and richness of experience greater than our own.

We need all our children to be able to live rewarding and satisfying lives, and to move the country forward. It goes beyond civil rights to the basic human right to belong, to contribute, and to be counted.

I am so glad that parents of young children are still fighting for civil rights, but so sorry that they must.

Yes it is the next civil rights issue. too often everyone's self-interest keeps these kids from being in the mainstream - the local pre-school whose funding comes from running programs for atypical children, the local pre-schools who do not want to make the adjustments, the local CPSE chairs who do not have the courage to promote inclusion and the local school districts who do not educate all parents as to the real gains for everyone in inclusion. I know many schools for whom it all works beautifully - they are headed by visionary leaders who are not afraid to stand for good values and ethics and include everyone.

I'm still disappointed that it took a federal law to force our schools to educate my child. I would think that as a compassionate society, and educated society, this would be a natural assumption. I'll never completely understand what blacks went through, but I understand the burden of knowing that it took legislation to force others to allow you equal access. It still hurts that I have to fall back on the law when my school isn't supporting my daughter as they should.

Inclusion is definitely about civil rights. My almost six-year-old son with mild to moderate autism spectrum disorder can't even attend his home school. We were pressured to pick a different school and place him in a special ed class. No full inclusion for us. Why distract the regular teacher and the typical kids?

If I sound bitter, it's because I am. But I am also tired of fighting with the district; it gets you nowhere. We need the federal government to enact better laws and fully fund special education. Then maybe our precious special children would not be thought of as burdens and expensive, but individuals with rights like every other kid out there.

I have always felt there is so much healing in knowing you aren't alone. If the parents and/or the school district can afford it, why not have disabled students spend at least part of their days together?

I am so glad I stumbled on this post today - the comments contains so much wisdom! My 2 year old has sensory integration disorder (SID), which is causing all kinds of development delays. My older daughter has Down syndrome and is 5 - and is being integrated into kindergarten in September. I haven't found any local parents (it's a new area), but I'm learning that many parents have horrible experiences with even good public schools and that it is a battle.

I've learned some lessons in advance in dealing with my kids' daycare. It's been a STRUGGLE, and it's almost a job unto itself to manage, but I can see the benefits of mainstream for both my kids as a result.

It's striking me that more and more children seem to be excluded or ignored or lumped together, because we in the U.S. seem to be really occupied with keeping up the standard and raising it higher all the time. I feel like we are stressing out our kids; as a mom of child with SID, I know how important it is to keep stress OUT of their lives for as long as possible.

I think daycare programs and preschool programs really need to get on board with this issue as well. Train your staff, at least a LITTLE, on working with special needs kids, rather than excluding them or overworking your caretakers.

enough said, can't wait to see the film.

Inclusion is certainly a civil rights issue. Implementing it wherever possible is the just thing to do, and will enrich and strengthen our society.

But inclusion is not free. And in our town, at least, parents of so-called gifted children have argued in public forums that their kids are entitled to exactly the same services as special-ed kids, including in-class aides. Where will that funding come from? And where would that leave the vast middle?

So implementing inclusion demands a Solomonic answer to a basic economic question: How do we best distribute scarce resources? (How we increase resources—ending the war, using less oil, etc.—is another question.)

Yes. The rights of children with disabilities should likely be the next Civil Rights movement. I assist parents of such children, and their stories become more diverse and dire as the days go by. Parents are telling me that public schools are now hiring legal counsel to intimidate parents and remove any hopes of advocating in their children's best interest. Other parents dread the yearly adversarial IEP meetings with school officials, who mostly argue against providing services beyond what they deem as appropriate. Other parents live a constant struggle with implementing IEPs.

The challenge, however, lies in a public school's ability to spend public funds on high-powered legal counsel to undermine IEP meetings and threaten non-lawyer parents with "practicing law without a license" when they know the law, or removing parents from IEP meetings when a child becomes 18 years of age—generally relating to children with Autism or mental retardation. And yes, we still face blunt discrimination against children who are blind or deaf, or who use a wheelchair. One has to wonder where the U.S. Department of Education stands on some of these issues.

I see inclusion as a societal need, as well as a civil right, and those thoughts are not mutually exclusive. Having worked with many individuals living with disabilities, and organizations serving the needs of that population, it is abundantly clear to me that the desire, beyond all else, is to be treated fairly, equally and inclusively, just like everyone else. The ultimate goal is independent living, although that is not always possible. People living with disabilities deserve to be regarded with decency, and without fear. We are still a society afraid of those who appear to be different from us.

From an educational standpoint, in the broadest sense of education, our classrooms should absolutely integrate kids with disabilities with typically developing kids. It seems obvious to me that that is the only way we will raise a generation of young people who will look past appearances, without fear of wheelchairs, crutches, differences. I think this is the single most important concept in the evolution of our education system, and our community at large. Otherwise, we will continue to be beset by fear of those different from ourselves. It should be a priority, not just in the interest of self-esteem and respect, but essential to the growth of a healthy society.

Centuries of raising children apart from those with unique needs has created a society of "typically developing children" who fear anyone with visible or audible differences.

But we can change the meaning of "typical" fairly easily.

It's NOT a civil rights issue. Why do we even bother paying for education for these kids? Their parents chose to have kids and now their disability and special needs amount to a rise in taxes. Their parents just get a lawyer and fight and fight until the school district ends up paying for special programs. Why? Why not divert the funds for gifted and talented students instead of kids who will need societal support their whole life?

Lilly, These children and their parents are CITIZENS of the United States and have an unalienable right to life, liberty and the PURSUIT of happiness. Therefore they have a right to EQUAL protection of the law of the land and that includes a RIGHT to a free and APPROPRIATE public education.

I believe however, that inclusion (as defined in this article) is not an issue of civil rights but an issue of individual rights. Every student in a classroom has a right to a free appropriate education. So if a child's behavior (due to disability or not) inhibits instruction, is it appropriate for that child to remain in the general classroom? Each decision should be made individually and the weight of consideration should be toward including the child as much as APPROPRIATE in the general classroom.

I find these comments very mild. Disability as the next civil rights movement is a must. Children with mild autism being labeled as bad kids must stop. Dividing regular-ed students and parents against disabled students and parents is an atrisoty that must come to an end. If the public schools do not want to provide a free and appropiate education to a child with special needs then give the parents the money and allow them to find a school that wants their child. Quit singeling out these children and their families for public ridicule and allow them the dignity and quality of life others enjoy. The right to be educated and be happy.