California MAP* to Inclusion and Belonging…
*Making Access Possible
March 2023
2023 MAP Resources for Inclusion Facilitators!
California MAP to Inclusion & Belonging… Making Access Possible regularly supports the Beginning Together Inclusion Facilitator’s Institute with the latest resources helpful in promoting, implementing and supporting inclusion. This year MAP is sharing a set of 12 resources for inclusion facilitators gathered for the 2023 Institute with past Institute participants and the whole early childhood field through this MAP Newsletter.
The theme and the goal of the Inclusion Facilitator’s Institute is “Change the World.” Judy Heumann was one of the most influential disability rights activists in US history. Her entire life was dedicated to changing the world for people with disabilities. The MAP Team is dedicating this issue of the newsletter to Judy Heumann.
Here are the 12 sets of resources for inclusion facilitators found in this newsletter:
In this issue:
- Judy Heumann, Mother of the Disability Rights Movement
- Getting Started with Inclusion
- Promoting High Quality Inclusion for Young Children
- Must have books for your inclusion library
- Working with Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities
- Embedded Instruction
- STEMIE Guides for Inclusion
- Benefits of Inclusion for All
- Learning About Families of Children with Disabilities
- Professional Development on Inclusion
- Inclusion at Felton Institute
- Documentary on Inclusion
1. Judy Heumann, Mother of the Disability Rights Movement
This newsletter, created specifically for the 2023 Inclusion Facilitators Institute, is dedicated to Judith Heuman. She died March 4, 2023 at the age of 75. Judy’s work elevated the importance of disability rights and helped create laws to make education and employment for people with disabilities possible. We might not be talking about inclusion if it weren’t for Judy.
Listen to Judy talk about the disability rights movement in the United States in this short video from PBS news .
Being Heumann
Anyone interested in the history of disability rights and the right to belong should read her memoir, Being Heumann
Paralyzed from polio at eighteen months, Judy’s struggle for equality began early in life. From fighting to attend grade school after being described as a “fire hazard” to later winning a lawsuit against the New York City school system for denying her a teacher’s license because of her paralysis, Judy’s actions set a precedent that fundamentally improved rights for disabled people.
For more about Judy Heumann see and hear the NPR obituary: Activist Judy Heumann led a reimagining of what it means to be disabled, March 4, 2023 .
2. Getting Started with Inclusion
What is Early Childhood Inclusion? Wisconsin Department of Children and Families
Wisconsin's Department of Children and Families hosts the YoungStar Early Childhood Inclusion web pages to provide both providers and parents with valuable information, helpful tips and relevant resources around inclusion and caring for children with disabilities. Using a question and answer format and the DEC/NAEYC Joint Position Statement on Inclusion and the 2015 Joint Policy Statement on Inclusion as well as other respected resources basic questions about inclusion are answered to help early care and education providers get started with inclusion in their programs.
The Benefits of Inclusion PowerPoint (PDF) lays out the benefits of inclusion for children with and without disabilities, child care providers, and parents of children with and without children with disabilities. Everyone benefits!
Ways Child Care Providers Can Prepare for Enrolling a Child with Special Needs
August 15, 2019
Starting a new school is a BIG event, and not just for the child! Especially for very young children, starting a new child care program is both exciting and worrisome for children and parents, and even child care providers! And this is especially true for children who have been identified as having a disability or special learning need.
This article, referenced on the YoungStar early childhood inclusion web pages offers practical and specific recommendations for family child care providers, early childhood teachers, and child care program administrators to prepare the family, early learning and care providers and other children for enrollment of a child who has a disability or is at risk for developmental delays. With preparation, you can help the transition into your program go more smoothly for everyone.
3. Promoting High Quality Inclusion for Young Children
Inclusive Care (for Infants and Toddlers)
Use this resource to help communicate the importance of implementing inclusive care for infants and toddlers with disabilities and other special needs. It will help promote essential program practices to ensure quality in family child care and center-based programs that serve infants and toddlers.
High-quality relationship-based care is central to children’s early brain development, emotional regulation, and learning (Center on the Developing Child, 2012). The Program for Infant/Toddler Care recommends six essential program practices as a framework for relationship-based care. One of these practices is inclusive care—the practice of actively including infants and toddlers with disabilities or delays in group care settings, with appropriate accommodation and support (Lally & Mangione, n.d.).
The article discusses the following:
- Why Is Inclusive Care Important for Infants and Toddlers?
- How Does Inclusive Care for All Infants and Toddlers Support Positive Child Outcomes?
- Planning to Implement Inclusive Care in Diverse Child Care Settings
Inclusion of Young Children with Disabilities: A Critical Quality Indicator for Early Childhood Education
September 20, 2022
“This brief explores the importance of inclusion for young children with disabilities and the relationship between inclusion and quality in early childhood education. The brief includes a table with state examples of inclusion-related indicators in Quality Rating and Improvement Systems, and a list of related resources.”
A recording of the webinar hosted by the National Center on Early Childhood Quality Assurance based on the brief is available on Zoom and can be viewed here .
Recommendations to Promote High Quality Inclusion for Infants and Toddlers With Disabilities (PDF)
Abstract – “All children should have access to the environments in which they want to participate, including early care and education (ECE) settings. With the influx of funding provided by the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and continued efforts by lawmakers to increase funding for Part C and ECE, it is important to be poised to expand systems in ways that promote inclusion for the youngest learners with developmental delays and/or disabilities. This article outlines best practices in Part C related to Ethe CE settings, describes current and future funding sources, provides insight into the funding of Part C lead agencies, and shares recommendations for use of funds to promote the inclusion of all young children.”
4. Must have books for your inclusion library
Every Child Can Fly: An Early Childhood Educator’s Guide to Inclusion
Jani Kozlowski | May 30, 2022 | Available on Amazon
Every child belongs. Every child is unique. Every child has strengths. Every child has the potential to fly.
Inclusion benefits all children! Jani Kozlowski, experienced trainer and technical-assistance provider on inclusion and disability services, dispels the myths and shows that implementing high-quality inclusive practices in your program is easier than you think!
Throughout Every Child Can Fly, Kozlowski explores the defining features of high-quality inclusion and shows readers how to provide access and support for children with disabilities. Learn how to help them feel included through strong family involvement, peer relationships, individualized teaching practices, collaborative teaming, ongoing evaluation, and staff professional development.
- Learn why inclusion is important.
- Unravel the jargon and acronyms.
- Understand screening, assessment, and referrals.
- Learn how to support children in achieving individualized learning goals.
- Explore inclusive evidence-based teaching practices.
- Discover how to foster a sense of belonging and acceptance in your program.
“Memories of times when we have felt included, either as a child or as an adult, can guide us as educators. Early childhood inclusion can be the experience that launches a child into a lifetime of feeling welcomed and included in all community settings. Throughout this book, you will learn how to make that happen for the young children in your program. Together we can foster inclusion for all of the children, all of the families, and all of the baby birds as they learn to fly.”
Enhancing Early Education Classrooms with UDL
“The Inclusion Lab brings you lots of practical posts about enhancing K-12 classrooms with universal design for learning (UDL). But does UDL work equally well in early childhood settings?” Yes—and this post gives you some simple starting points to help all young children be successful and meet learning standards. It’s excerpted and adapted from Six Steps to Inclusive Preschool Curriculum (Eva M. Horn et al.), a practical book on building a UDL-based plan for inclusive preschool instruction.
- Multiple means of representation to give learners a variety of ways to gain access to information and content
- Multiple means of engagement to gain and maintain learner interest
- Multiple means of action & expression to provide learners with a variety of ways for demonstrating what they know
Six Steps to Inclusive Preschool Curriculum is available from Brooks Publishing. Check out the free resources at the above link including an infographic, a webinar, presentation and a blog post. It also provides an infographic: How to use Six Steps to Inclusive Preschool Curriculum and Building Blocks for Teaching Preschools with Special Needs Together (PDF)
Inclusion Includes Us: Building Bridges and Removing Barriers in Early Childhood Classrooms
Mike Huber | November 2022 | Available from Amazon
For early childhood educators, creating an inclusive early childhood environment is more than adapting interactions and the learning environment to help specific children. Every person views the world based on their needs, culture, and life experience, and identifying our personal culture can empower us to find ways to work with the needs and culture of the children we care for, instead of using strategies to help children adapt to the classroom culture. Replace binary thinking (typical vs. atypical, acceptable vs. challenging, the norm vs. the other) with constellation thinking, considering each person based on their own unique combination of strengths.
To learn more about Mike Huber and specifically strategies for facilitating play for children with disabilities in inclusive settings watch the Early Childhood Investigations webinar, Removing Barriers in Play to Include All Children, by Mike Huber, MAEd, August 11, 2022 2:00 pm Eastern . In this webinar , produced by Early Childhood Investigations, early childhood expert and author Mike Huber will help you ensure all children engage in play and find a sense of belonging.
The Powerful Role of Play in Early Education, Chapter 5: Using Play to Support Inclusion (PDF)
“Inclusive play is beneficial for all children. It allows the opportunity for children with [disabilities] to experience the positive impact that play has on their development and overall well-being. It allows typically developing children to view the world through a different, more diverse lens. Kids with a diverse range of abilities playing together in the same space will develop a sense of equality and togetherness they will never experience if they remain separated in play. It allows them all to interact with one another, exposing their differences, but highlighting their similarities at the same time, helping them to develop an awareness, respect, and understanding of people with all abilities.” (Allen 2018)
Chapter 5: Using Play to Support Inclusion:
- Defines inclusive play as an explicit human right for all children
- Provides an overview of key legislation created to protect the rights of people with disabilities
- Highlights the importance of play experiences and social inclusion for children with disabilities
- Describes strategies to promote access to play, encourage children’s participation to the best of their ability in play, and make curriculum modifications in classroom environments
- Outlines the concept of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and its application to designing quality inclusive play environments
- Introduces several vignettes to show examples of inclusive play environments designed for children with disabilities.
5. Working with Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities
Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities
Head Start | December 2022
This resource collection is focused on understanding and using highly individualized teaching strategies to meet the unique learning needs of infants and toddlers with disabilities. Use these resources as professional development tools for staff who are supporting inclusion for infants and toddlers with disabilities and suspected delays across early learning programs and environments. Included are specific disability fact sheets, tip sheets on working with infants and toddlers, partnering with Part C providers, Teacher Time: Infant Toddler Inclusion and Belonging and infants with significant disabilities.
Tips for Working with Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities
These resources provide quick tips and answers to common questions related to offering services for infants and toddlers with disabilities and their families. Share these professional knowledge guides with education staff to reference when they are implementing inclusion practices for infants and toddlers across program options and learning environments. Included are resources for Universal Design for Learning, Suspension and Expulsion: FAQs, Practiced Based Coaching: FAQ’s, Working with Part C Providers, Individualized Service Plans Tips, and Embedded Learning Opportunities.
6. Embedded Instruction
Embedded Instruction: Tools for Early Learning
May 20, 2021
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire)—In 2019, more than 716,000 preschool-age children received special education services. Yet only 38 percent received these services through the early childhood program they attended. Ivanhoe has details on an intervention that supports all children’s learning in their everyday activities and routines at school, at home, and in the community.
Embedded Instruction: An Interview with Patricia Snyder, Ph.D. (Video)
May 16, 2021 | Length: 8:10 mins | YouTube
In this Q and A with Patricia Snyder, she describes embedded instruction and the education of children with disabilities along side their typically developing peers.
In California Embedded Instruction is available through the California Department of Education Special Education Division for inclusive preschools through an application process. For more information visit The California Embedded Instruction web page .
7. STEMIE Guides for Inclusion
STEMIE: A Guide to Adaptations (PDF)
At STEMIE, we use adaptations to ensure each and every child, including young children with disabilities can fully participate and engage in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) learning opportunities and experiences at home, in early childhood programs, and in the community. However, some young children may require additional instructional supports from adults and/or peers to successfully engage in STEM learning opportunities and experiences. For more information and strategies see STEMIE’s A Guide To Teaching Practices.
STEMIE: A Guide to Teaching Practices
In this document, we define and describe evidence-based teaching strategies, as well as provide examples of each teaching strategy that adults may use to ensure young children with disabilities can participate fully in STEM learning experiences.
What are teaching strategies? Teaching strategies are practices used by adults (e.g., family members, practitioners) or, in some instances, by other children to help facilitate children’s participation in everyday routines, learning experiences, and activities. Using these strategies engages children in activities, maintains their interest, and provides opportunities for them to learn concepts and thinking skills that support STEM learning when using adaptations (see STEMIE’s A Guide to Adaptations for more information) is not a sufficient support.
8. Benefits of Inclusion for All
Top 9 Ways that Preschoolers Benefit from Inclusion (Infographic)
How do young children in early childhood classrooms benefit from inclusive environments where all kids with and without disabilities are welcomed and fully participate? Today’s post is an infographic that sums it up in nine key points. These are adapted from the excellent guidebook First Steps to Preschool Inclusion: How to Jumpstart Your Programwide Plan , by Sarika S. Gupta, Ph.D. (which you can sample right here ).
10 Reasons for Inclusive Schools
The Inclusive Class | Nicole Eredics | 2012
- All children have equal access to education.
- All children learn alongside their same-age peers.
- The focus of education is on the child's abilities, not disabilities.
- Children become accepting and understanding of one another's abilities, talents, personalities and needs.
- Meaningful relationships and friendships develop as students spend quality time with one another.
- Students develop confidence in their ability to interact with one another and the world around them.
- Teachers in inclusive schools are highly trained and skilled at delivering appropriate, student-centered curriculum through differentiated activities according to ability level.
- In addition to the classroom teacher, children with special needs are supported by special education teachers, paraprofessionals, and specialists such as Speech/Language Therapists.
- Various resources and assistive technologies are available to students in inclusive schools in an effort to reach and teach all learners.
- Inclusive schools value input and participation from the whole community, not just students. Everyone is welcome!
9. Learning About Families of Children with Disabilities
Raising a Rare Girl
Heather Lanier | Available on Amazon
We allow a human soul to come through us and into the world, in whatever “Lanier’s memoir is now on the short list of books I’ll give, when the time comes, to my own pregnant daughters. It’s not just because a wise woman ought, in this as in all else, to be prepared for disaster even as she hopes for delight. It’s not even because Lanier’s writing is clean and beautiful.
"Lanier shines a clear light on what we sign up for when we allow a human soul to come through us and into the world, in whatever 'interesting and beautiful package' that soul might find. . . [She] teases out the glory, charm and humor of these moments, letting us adore her child with her.” —Kate Braestrup, New York Times Book Review
The Santa Barbara County Office of Education hosted a webinar featuring Heather Lanier talking about her book, Raising A Rare Girl, a memoir about her experience of raising her daughter, Fiona, who has a rare disability. Parents of children with disabilities will easily connect to Heather’s story of the preparation and birth of her daughter who she immediately fell in love with, but who she wasn’t expecting. Early interventionists may see themselves in the specialists that followed Fiona’s development. Early childhood educators may gain insight into the power of high expectations! No matter what your perspective Raising a Rare Girl is well worth reading. You can get a glimpse of Heather and her story by watching her TED Talk, "Good" and "bad" Are Incomplete Stories We Tell Ourselves .
TED Talk: "Good" and "bad" are incomplete stories we tell ourselves (Video)
Heather Lanier | January 19, 2018 | Length: 13:27 mins | YouTube
Heather Lanier's daughter Fiona has Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome, a genetic condition that results in developmental delays -- but that doesn't make her tragic, angelic or any of the other stereotypes about kids like her. In this talk about the beautiful, complicated, joyful and hard journey of raising a rare girl, Lanier questions our assumptions about what makes a life "good" or "bad," challenging us to stop fixating on solutions for whatever we deem not normal, and instead to take life as it comes.
10. Professional Development on Inclusion
Inclusive Routines in Early Care and Learning Webinar Series, National Center for Pyramid Model Innovations (NCPMI)
The NCPMI hosted a 3 part series of webinars on inclusion, Inclusion Benefits Everyone (Children, Families, Providers, and Directors). You’ll hear how a high quality inclusive program in Colorado structures their program with routines, collaboration and joyful leadership to create a positive workplace culture.
Watch the entire 3 part series on Inclusive Routines in Early Care and Learning. Descriptions of each session are below. Links to all three are available here .
Supporting Inclusive Practices (SIP) 2023
Annual Inclusion Virtual Conference to be held on May 4-5, 2023
You won’t want to miss this opportunity! REGISTRATION OPEN NOW !
This Free VIRTUAL EVENT is open to all educators, staff, families, and students. Funded by the California Department of Education, Special Education Division. For more information and to register see the SIP Events page
11. Inclusion at Felton Institute
Felton Institute's Early Intervention Programming: Inclusion in the Mission (Video)
October 26, 2021 | Length: 7:13 mins | YouTube
Felton’s Early Intervention & Inclusion services provide an inclusive early learning environment for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers with developmental delays from ages birth to five. Services for children birth -three are funded by the Golden Gate Regional Center (GGRC) and 3-5 are funded by the Office of Early Care and Education and California Department of Education. The program allows for children to learn and grow in natural environments in early care and education (ECE) settings, rather than in a clinic. These children with special needs are integrated into smaller ratios (1:1, 1:2, or 1:4) in a center-based program with typically developing peers.
12. Documentary on Inclusion
Forget Me Not
“Forget Me Not”, a new award-winning film by director Olivier Bernier documents his experience with his wife Hilda, to have their 3-year old son Emilio, who has Down syndrome, included in the United States’ most segregated school system, the New York City public school system.
The film, which first screened at the Human Rights Film Festival on 23 September 2021 and is sponsored by Human Rights Watch, Videocamp and the Alana Foundation, not only tells the personal story of Emilio and his family as they find themselves cornered in their fight for their son’s right to an inclusive education, but also investigates the personal stories of disabled students and their parents in the US, exposing widespread injustices currently taking place in the educational system and beyond for children and young people with disability.
The film provides a rare look at what a truly inclusive education can look like and how it can lead to a more inclusive society for all.
Direct questions or comments about this newsletter to map@wested.org
In this issue:
- Judy Heumann
- Getting Started with Inclusion
- Promoting High Quality Inclusion
- Inclusion Library
- Working with Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities
- Embedded Instruction
- STEMIE Guides for Inclusion
- Benefits of Inclusion for All
- Families of Children with Disabilities
- Professional Development
- Inclusion at Felton Institute
- Documentary on Inclusion
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