Enabling Change: Inclusive Classrooms

Introduction

We all play a role in ensuring every student comes to school able to learn. Education providers can help create an ableist-free school environment that fosters positive learning experiences, promotes acceptance, and includes all students in meaningful ways. Teachers also have obligations under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), and its Integrated Accessibility Standard Regulations.

A school that excludes students with disabilities from any component of the school community adversely affects both the school climate and the student’s well-being and their right to learn. Students feeling excluded or unable to participate, including at recess and extracurricular activities, is a serious issue and is unacceptable in the school environment.

One-way teachers can help is by integrating messages about preventing exclusion and how to include students who are blind or have low vision in their everyday instruction.

Enabling Change: Inclusive Classrooms is designed to help teachers:

• Generate ideas that will link these messages to the Ontario curriculum.
• Provide a quick reference to inclusion strategies.
• Provide links to more information and more detailed resources.

Why teach about exclusion in the core curriculum?

Each year, thousands of children and youth who are blind or low vision experience the frustration, low self-esteem, and isolation that stems from ableism and exclusion.

CNIB exists to serve people who are blind, partially sighted or Deafblind – a group of people who are often marginalized and underemployed.

In Ontario, the Ministry of Education’s Kindergarten to Grade 12 (K-12) Education Standards Development Committee recommends that inclusion and awareness training be built into the curriculum. We are promoting implementing these resources to all 72 Ontario School Boards and the Ontario Ministry of Education.

Practicing inclusive strategies is not a new concept which supports many other Board policies and initiatives such as:

• Human rights and equity initiatives.
• Policy/Program Memorandum (PPM) No. 119 – Developing and implementing equity and inclusive education policies in Ontario schools.
• Strategies and policies that promote mental health, well-being and equity.
• Outreach, engagement and learning that take place throughout the curriculum.

School should be a place of inclusion where every student can learn and reach their full potential. This includes social and emotional skills, as well as academic lessons.

School can also be a place where students can learn how to interact with others who have different abilities and how lessons, activities and games can be modified to ensure everyone is included. These messages can be introduced in an anti-exclusion curriculum and reinforced in different subjects and lesson plans.

Through language arts, social studies, or science lessons, students can grapple with the following questions:

• What is exclusion?
• Who is involved in exclusion?
• Who gets hurt?
• What are the effects?
• How do you make sure everyone is included?
• The key messages often will be in response to these questions.

Understanding Ableism and Exclusion

Ableism can occur when there is a perceived inferiority based on a physical or mental disability. This can result in a denial of opportunities or services and can lead to exclusion.

Exclusion is the inequitable distribution of resources and opportunities, in this case, based on ability. It can be intentional or unintentional. It can be a single instance or an ongoing pattern of behaviour. An individual, a group or a system can carry it out.

Some examples:

• A student who is blind/low vision is told they cannot be part of an after-school sports team because they might get hurt.
• A student who is blind/low vision is given other work to do during French because the reading hasn’t been made accessible.
• A school assembly presents a video with no audio dialogue and all messages in print on the screen.

If a student is being excluded, they:

• May feel embarrassed about being different and needing special accommodations, so they may be hesitant to speak up about their needs.
• May be unaware of what accommodations or opportunities are available to them, preventing them from asking for them.
• Other students may not know how to help and remain silent, causing the student to feel even more isolated.

Who needs to be involved in preventing exclusion?

Educators:

• Taking time to ensure a student with blindness or low vision has the accommodations they need. This includes adapting activities and games.
• Educators need support and resources to ensure every learner has equitable access to learning.
• Educators must be provided with information to understand universal design and inclusion strategies to ensure everyone can be engaged.

Students:

• Students who observe a classmate being excluded can exacerbate a situation by failing to say anything.
• Students can be actively complicit if they join in on excluding someone.

Exclusion can directly or indirectly affect every student in the school—undermining children’s sense of belonging, feelings of value, and ability to learn. It creates a climate of discouragement and disrespect that spreads throughout the school and extends throughout the community.

Perceptions and assumptions about a student's capabilities can significantly impact the educational experience for children with blindness or low vision. While teachers may have the best intentions, their misconceptions can inadvertently hinder a student's growth and independence.

How to prevent exclusion

Exclusion can be stopped when students are aware of it and speak up when it occurs. When teachers discuss ableism and exclusion with students, it’s important to explain that a student who needs some support can empower themselves by learning to respond assertively. Assertiveness means expressing one’s feelings and defending one’s rights while respecting the feelings and rights of others.

Assertive responses ensure that the student’s needs are clear. For example, “I can hear that everyone is excited to get started; I need someone to describe the image for me – could someone do that before we move on?”

Encourage students to think about alternative ways to speak up about their needs and what it means to self-advocate.

Other students can help create an environment that encourages inclusion by:

• Pointing out barriers.
• Supporting students who are being excluded.
• Offering solutions.
• Rallying support from others to help.
• Reporting the exclusion to an adult.

What to tell students:

• Exclusion is not acceptable.
• If you feel excluded, it’s okay to explain what you need to a teacher, classmate, or other adult.
• Responding to exclusion with silence does not resolve the problem. Teachers need to create an environment where students feel comfortable speaking up about their needs.
• Students need to feel comfortable being different, and all students need to know that they all learn differently.

It’s important to set aside extra time to plan for modifications and accommodations that will provide universal design in lesson plans, rather than thinking about how to change a lesson for one student. Design lessons with inclusivity in mind. It’s more important to ensure all students can learn than to move through the curriculum quickly.

Society does not need to be inaccessible. With thought and collaboration, changes can be made that ensure everyone can participate. School staff have the power to transform a school into an inclusive and accessible place to learn.