On Separate Spaces, and Why They Are and Are Not Needed
On Separate Spaces, and Why They Are and Are Not Needed
Are there ever times when we need separate spaces for people with disabilities? The answer is not as straightforward as we all want it to be.
Photo by NATHAN MULLET on Unsplash [Image] A man with Down syndrome in a white dress shirt hugging a woman in a sleeveless dress at a “Night to Shine” event
Segregation by disability is a problem.
Make no mistake. We have a problem. We separate disabled people all the time.
Segregation creeps into our daily life, and it becomes normalized. Take, for example, "special needs proms," the practice of creating an event so that people with disabilities can get dressed up, eat, dance, and have a good time together. The goal of creating spaces so that disabled individuals can access them is laudable. But why do we consistently create areas that are only for people with disabilities?
Guest blogger, Orah Raia, takes this subject on this week with her piece called, From the Red Carpet to the Couch.
"As a parent of a young man with developmental disabilities, I have several issues with this event. My primary concern is the amount of effort, coordination, and money spent on a one-time occurrence. What happens to these honored guests the day after, a week, or a month later? Statistics reveal they are most likely to be sitting at home on their couch, under or unemployed, and lonely, with very few friends. Many times, the only people they spend time with are family members and those who are paid to be in their life."
Nikki Heiman, a parent of a son with Down syndrome, gives another view in a piece called Are Special Needs Dances Inclusive? A Parent's Perspective.
"...the day that the general public is as welcoming of all individuals the way the "special needs" community accepts everyone is the day we will no longer have a need for special needs specific activities...the truth is that we are a long way from that and until then, I think we should encourage special needs specific activities and practice living life the way they do, with kindness and acceptance, empowering everyone around us to be the best they can be."
What about disability-specific classrooms?
Recently I wrote about this at Noodle.
"As a special education teacher, I taught in a self-contained special education classroom for thirteen years. Nearly every day, I wished I didn't have to.
It wasn't because I hated my job; I loved it. It also wasn't because I didn't feel supported. For the most part, the three elementary schools that I had the pleasure of working with were loving, accepting places that invested time, energy, and resources in making me a better educator.
Despite the work that we did for our students, there was something in the back of my mind, like an itch that I couldn't scratch. I knew then and know now that non-inclusive classrooms rarely provide the support that is necessary for students with disabilities to achieve the promised outcomes."
Read the whole article here, The Truth About Self-Contained Special Education Classrooms.
I want to be clear that I prefer inclusive schools and classrooms. But what do parents and educators do while we are advocating for inclusive practices?
In another article for Noodle, I write about when to consider a self-contained special education classroom.
Here is an excerpt:
"Placement decisions are often difficult to navigate, filled with big emotions from both parents and educators alike. So, if I believe that students should always be educated in the least restrictive environment, when is it (ever) appropriate for a student to be taught in a self-contained special education classroom?
I can hear my inclusion allies yelling at me from all around the world, 'Don't answer that question! It's a trap!' But the reality is that hundreds of thousands of special education teachers and families confront this dilemma every time they come to an IEP meeting. Inclusion advocates don't do anyone any favors by reducing a school team's options down to a false dichotomy of 'included' and 'not included.'"
So what is the answer?
Separate spaces are and are not needed. That is the answer. The more classrooms we make, the dances we plan, and the more organizations that are founded that focus only on serving disabled people, the more we create the need for them. Since our schools and communities are not already setup to think inclusively and bring disabled people into the planning, separate spaces are needed when typical environments fail to accommodate different needs.
We need to listen to each other y'all, and we can't bury our heads in the sand when someone challenges the idea that inclusion doesn't work. If you are feeling hopeless, think about one thing you can do to move inclusive forward. I'd love to know what you are doing in your neck of the woods.
In The News
A Northern Illinois School District Expands Co-Teaching to All Their Elementary Schools
Report: Principals want more support to serve special needs students
Thousands of delayed special education complaints in NYC spark a class-action lawsuit
What I’m Reading
Why I Hated Being in Special Education!
No Time to Read to Your Child? 6 Ideas to Try
The Education Reform Movement Has Failed America. We Need Common Sense Solutions That Work.
What I’m Watching
I know that the Iowa and New Hampshire primaries are over, but the videos of Samuel Habib interviewing presidential candidates are too good not to share. If you aren’t aware, Samuel was the subject of a film called Including Samuel, about a boy with significant disabilities who was fully included in his school. Check out the videos that he created with his father Dan.
And be prepared, his interview with Biden is more than a little creepy (yikes).
Free Book!
Autistic Community and the Neurodiversity Movement: Stories from the Frontline
Thank You
Thanks for being a subscriber to the Weeklyish. In our next edition, I’m going to share how you can support the work we are doing at Think Inclusive. If you liked this newsletter…
it with your favorite inclusionist. Let’s keep having great conversations y’all.
Tim