The Inclusive Community

Hi everyone!  Where I teach in the south, it is now day two of Fall break!  I know, many of you just got back into the classroom and are wondering what in the world I am talking about. Well, here we go to school six weeks in and 1 week off until the summer and then the kids get eight and teachers get about six. It is like having year round school with several breaks built in. I really like it as a teacher because the kids get a little break after having to go back on August the first. I also like it because it gives me time to look at my students goals and reflect on what I want them to learn and what their needs are at this time.

Ironically, as I sit and reflect on the activities and learning in my classroom, my mind keeps going out into the community where my students work, live, and play. Many people do not realize it, but the community is my biggest classroom! Generalization of skills becomes reality at its best.  My high school students have the opportunity to participate in real on the job training in store locations that you and I visit all of the time. In fact, every Friday, my students run a grocery service for the teachers at our school. Teachers have the opportunity to order subs from the deli and send us a list of small items that they need picked up.  My students collect the money and lists and together we head to the grocery store for some real life skills training. It is awesome!  My students practice locating items, comparison shopping, making change, writing checks, ordering from the deli, and simple steps in the grocery store such as getting the shopping cart and moving out of the way of the next person coming into the store.

My group consists of myself, my paraprofessional, and a combined 6-8 students from two classes. The students range in abilities from mild to moderate intellectual disabilities to various places on the autism spectrum. The ages range from 15-21.  We shop in a middle to upper class neighborhood where most of the students live. In the past, in other districts, I have taken up to 13 students.  I love it! The more, the merrier! We break in to two groups, divide the shopping lists, and conquer the store. Yeah, yeah, I make it sound like it is no big deal...actually it's not. All of those behaviors, all of the goals, all of those practice money sheets we repeatedly do over and over in the classroom, come to life. The student who grabs things when walking gets to push the cart to keep his hands occupied. The student who is my strong reader but has a hard time following directions becomes the "leader" of the group and helps other students find the correct item. The student who likes to ask a million questions is the student who has the task of finding a store worker and asking for help finding an item. It works.

The biggest obstacle that remains is getting others to see how awesome we are. Indeed, we have come a long way in inclusion in the classrooms. The students of today are familiar with the students who come to their class in a wheelchair, or who may have a paraprofessional to help them with writing or reading, or who may have behaviors that they have learned to ignore.  They have been together since kindergarten. Going out into the community, while better, still raises it's ugly head to ignorance every now and then.  Most people mean well, will smile, and say hello to the students. Most of the cashiers knew us and were excited that we had returned from summer break. But then there was that one cashier, who we have never had. Our favorite lady cashiers were running long lines so we did what generalization says to do; we moved on to a similar situation, moved lines, and got a new cashier. I also had a new student who had never made a purchase.  As the student made her way to the cashier, and  placed her items on the counter, my grocery cart holder became restless. My other student put a few extra groceries that did not belong on the counter in front of the cashier. The line behind us seem to grow. I could tell by the cashiers face he was not happy we were in "his" line. I could feel the tension as he waited for one of my students to take the money out of her envelope to hand to him. I do not  think I have ever seen anyone take the money so quick, not count it back, and rush to the next customer (still us).  The amazing thing was the people behind us. The customers who would wait patiently, smile, and tell us to take our time. One of them even told the cashier "Let them take their time. They are fine. We can wait."  The cashier finally stepped back and waited for each coin to go back into the envelope we had for each order. When we had completed our last purchase, he looked at me and I happily said, "We will see you next week, same time, same place." I read his name tag and told the students to tell him we'll see him next week. Will I go through his line again?  Absolutely! Will he be a little more patient?  Let's hope. Did my students notice his rushed manners or lack thereof? Probably not. Becoming an inclusive community means training the community about our students needs. When we are out there as teachers working with students to generalize to various situations, we also have a responsibility to teach the community and  prompt them to get involved. People first, disability to abilities, and a place for all is my goal. What's yours?