Schools & Families as Inclusion Partners 

Grade Level: All public and private venues 
Length: Keynote Presentation 

Students with disabilities are now included in general education classrooms, school and community activities, and employment venues. Legislation and societal actions have turned inclusion into a reality. Diversity teaches us lessons about others and ourselves. Inclusion is more than rhetoric or a practice; it is now thankfully a culture-a way of life. Quite often peers, educators and workers are willing to accept individual differences, but are not sure about what to say or how to act. This session increases sensitivities about everyone’s abilities with inclusion preparation with educators, families, support staff, students, peers, communities, and all organizations included. Resources and knowledge about differing cognitive, emotional, social, behavioral, developmental, sensory, physical, and communication skills will be outlined and shared with literature, movies, books, and appropriate inclusion strategies and awareness activities. The ultimate goal is to continually cultivate an inclusion environment that yields productive lives for individuals of all abilities.