BCACL thanks everyone who helped make Community Living Month 2009 so successful. We look forward to another great month in 2010!!

Inclusive Education

As you may know, the theme for the last community living month was inclusive education.

October is a time to celebrate the gifts that people with developmental disabilities bring to our vibrant and diverse communities. These communities start at school where all students learn to live alongside peers. They learn together; they play together; they grow and are nurtured together. As a result of the past 20 years of inclusive education practices in BC, people with developmental disabilities have better access to real work for real pay, post secondary education, economic security and better overall health and well-being.

Here are a few inclusive education resources people used to organize activities in their communities:

• BCACL's fact sheet on inclusive education - gives background information about what we need to do to further inclusive education in BC. It also includes questions you can ask your MLA.
• The inclusive education section of the BCACL website - includes the history of inclusive education, updates in the field, inclusive practices, and other resources.
• BCACL's inclusive education brochure. To order your own copies of the brochures, email BCACL at info@bcacl.org.
• Suggestions for inclusive education activities.

What is inclusive education?

Inclusive education means ensuring that all students have equitable access to learning and achievement, but also that all students are welcomed, valued and supported in the public school system. Inclusion means fully engaging and supporting students with developmental disabilities to participate in a holistic learning environment with their non-disabled peers. Inclusion involves more than the physical placement of a student in a regular classroom. It is a set of practices that promote participation, friendship and interaction. Inclusion is about membership and belonging to community.

Neighbourhood schools are the heart of our communities, and BCACL believes they are essential for a quality inclusive education system. Therefore we believe it is important to support a public education system in B.C. We believe that all students have a right to be welcomed and appropriately supported in their neighbourhood school.

Other Resources:

How Community Living Month Came About

Inclusive Education in the News:

Because every student counts - The New West Record, September 30, 2009 (An article on The Universal Design for Learning program)

Learning and teaching how to be a friend. The Vancouver Sun. June 25, 2009.

Making Inclusive Education a Priority. BCACL special to the Vancouver Sun, November 6, 2008

Individual attention lacking in school system. Burnaby Now, September 10, 2008