0:00:10.362,0:00:11.696
Imagine.

0:00:11.696,0:00:14.605
Imagine that schools recruit children

0:00:14.606,0:00:17.989
who have the most different[br]thoughts and behaviors.

0:00:17.990,0:00:20.811
Imagine that children[br]who learn differently

0:00:20.812,0:00:23.516
are considered children[br]with special rights.

0:00:24.205,0:00:28.930
Imagine that educators have[br]all the tools and strategies they need

0:00:28.931,0:00:32.287
to meet all the needs[br]of the learners in their classroom.

0:00:33.057,0:00:35.489
Imagine that families are viewed

0:00:35.489,0:00:38.898
as equal partners[br]in their child's education.

0:00:39.598,0:00:44.042
Imagine that there is a true convergence[br]of all abilities in classrooms

0:00:44.043,0:00:48.160
that promote and change[br]the way we think about the world.

0:00:48.161,0:00:51.829
This is the vision[br]and hope of inclusive culture.

0:00:51.830,0:00:55.200
This comes from my years[br]of professional experience,

0:00:55.201,0:01:01.150
but also comes from my experience[br]as a granddaughter, as a sister,

0:01:01.151,0:01:03.939
as a wife and as a mother,

0:01:03.940,0:01:07.399
and it is those relationships[br]that have made me most passionate

0:01:07.400,0:01:10.523
about the impact of inclusive education.

0:01:12.158,0:01:14.090
The roots of our educational system

0:01:14.091,0:01:17.066
actually begin[br]with the Industrial Revolution.

0:01:17.067,0:01:21.138
With the best of intents,[br]we ask our education system

0:01:21.139,0:01:26.317
to promote learners who will be[br]competitive in the next century.

0:01:26.317,0:01:28.472
We ask that they have

0:01:28.472,0:01:32.623
high academic achievement[br]and competitive test scores.

0:01:32.624,0:01:33.787
But sometimes,

0:01:33.787,0:01:38.952
it is these attitudes and expectations [br]that are actually counterproductive

0:01:38.953,0:01:43.145
to the demands[br]of the 21st century workforce.

0:01:44.384,0:01:47.097
Consider our classrooms today.

0:01:47.098,0:01:52.121
We expect that students have the capacity[br]for universally accepted behaviors -

0:01:52.122,0:01:56.122
the ability to sit still,[br]the ability to listen to the teacher,

0:01:56.123,0:01:59.115
the ability to focus and attend.

0:01:59.116,0:02:00.535
And we assume

0:02:00.536,0:02:04.731
that all students have the capacity,[br]neurological and physiological,

0:02:04.732,0:02:06.792
for those behaviors.

0:02:07.572,0:02:11.998
And when a child is not meeting[br]academic expectations, what do we do?

0:02:11.999,0:02:16.886
We provide more study time,[br]less recess, more tutoring,

0:02:16.887,0:02:21.877
fewer after-school activities,[br]all in the name of academic achievement.

0:02:22.660,0:02:26.083
And what happens when a child[br]doesn't have those behaviors?

0:02:26.084,0:02:29.050
When they're fidgeting,[br]when they can't sit still,

0:02:29.051,0:02:32.077
when they're nudging a child next to them?

0:02:32.078,0:02:35.815
Do you know what grade level[br]has the highest expulsion rate?

0:02:35.834,0:02:36.917
Pre-school.

0:02:37.819,0:02:41.553
Just when children are learning[br]to separate from their parents

0:02:41.554,0:02:44.810
and be in a setting[br]that promotes socialization.

0:02:47.006,0:02:53.023
This often leads to a sense,[br]or a lack of a sense, of belonging.

0:02:53.843,0:02:57.078
And we all know[br]what belonging is correlated with.

0:02:57.079,0:03:00.655
It's correlated[br]with intellectual achievement,

0:03:00.656,0:03:04.181
and it's correlated[br]with our sense of health.

0:03:04.182,0:03:09.851
Isolation, loneliness,[br]low social stature,

0:03:09.852,0:03:14.166
all contribute to our ability[br]to participate in the classroom.

0:03:16.744,0:03:21.963
Does this feeling, or lack of feeling,[br]of belonging and connectedness affect

0:03:21.963,0:03:26.504
what we see in schools today[br]with bullying and exclusion?

0:03:27.214,0:03:32.352
What then is the effect[br]of the standardized system on educators?

0:03:32.353,0:03:35.013
Educators are more pressured than ever

0:03:35.014,0:03:38.148
to show that their children[br]can make the grade.

0:03:39.268,0:03:44.785
They are judged by their children's[br]performance on standardized tests,

0:03:44.786,0:03:46.128
and they are judged

0:03:46.128,0:03:49.907
by the performance of the schools[br]and their academic ratings.

0:03:49.908,0:03:54.342
Educators are more isolated[br]and lonely than ever before.

0:03:56.345,0:03:58.527
So for children with disabilities,

0:03:58.528,0:04:03.273
that sense of isolation and separation[br]has been there throughout history.

0:04:03.923,0:04:10.330
Institutionalization was a long-accepted[br]strategy until 25 or so years ago.

0:04:10.331,0:04:13.088
It wasn't [br]until Brown vs. Board of Education

0:04:13.089,0:04:17.033
was passed by the Supreme Court in 1954

0:04:17.041,0:04:22.029
that the racial segregation ruling[br]paved the way for de facto segregation

0:04:22.031,0:04:24.720
of children with disabilities[br]from their peers.

0:04:26.321,0:04:28.955
It took another 20 years

0:04:28.956,0:04:34.788
for Individuals with Disabilities[br]Education Act of 1974 to be passed.

0:04:34.789,0:04:38.911
That was what finally gave[br]children with disabilities, aged 5 to 21,

0:04:38.912,0:04:45.386
the educational entitlement to be[br]educated in same schools as their peers.

0:04:46.296,0:04:50.529
Yet still, many of the children[br]labeled with special education

0:04:50.530,0:04:54.287
are in segregated settings,[br]or what we call 'pulled out',

0:04:54.288,0:04:57.420
where they are pulled out[br]from the regular classroom

0:04:57.421,0:05:00.253
and given specialized assistance.

0:05:00.259,0:05:03.578
42% of children[br]with special education needs

0:05:03.579,0:05:05.298
are learning-disabled.

0:05:05.299,0:05:07.472
By that very definition,

0:05:07.473,0:05:11.111
they have average[br]or above-average intelligence,

0:05:11.112,0:05:13.872
and yet, they are still pulled out[br]of the regular classroom

0:05:13.873,0:05:16.753
on a regular basis in many settings.

0:05:17.773,0:05:22.751
For children with disabilities,[br]that sense of segregation,

0:05:22.752,0:05:25.213
they suffer more than others.

0:05:25.214,0:05:29.781
Children with disabilities are[br]twice as likely as their same-aged peers

0:05:29.782,0:05:32.442
to be suspended or expelled.

0:05:32.443,0:05:37.627
Yet, just one suspension in 9th grade[br]increases the likelihood

0:05:37.628,0:05:44.047
that that child will drop out of school[br]eventually, and/or serve jail time.

0:05:45.676,0:05:48.814
That is why suspensions[br]and expulsions are often cited

0:05:48.815,0:05:51.582
as the school-to-prison pipeline.

0:05:52.383,0:05:55.866
So we have the disability rights movement.

0:05:55.867,0:05:58.867
People with disabilities[br]throughout history

0:05:58.868,0:06:02.106
are the most marginalized[br]in all of our society.

0:06:03.686,0:06:05.195
Think about what we've taught,

0:06:05.196,0:06:08.225
how we referred[br]to people with disabilities:

0:06:08.226,0:06:14.502
deviant, sick, crazy, special, retarded.

0:06:14.503,0:06:18.854
It's taking a different way of viewing[br]people with disabilities

0:06:18.855,0:06:23.066
in a strength-based way,[br]to not blame the child for her disability.

0:06:23.067,0:06:26.634
And families are also often judged

0:06:26.635,0:06:30.744
for taxing an overburdened[br]education system,

0:06:30.745,0:06:34.215
for bringing their school's[br]test scores down.

0:06:34.965,0:06:37.691
So now, consider inclusive education.

0:06:38.827,0:06:41.141
Perhaps we could imagine a school

0:06:41.142,0:06:45.454
where all the sports are played[br]by children in wheelchairs,

0:06:45.455,0:06:52.314
where the mathematician moves to think,[br]where the scholars are non-verbal,

0:06:52.315,0:06:56.511
where everyone belongs[br]and everyone participates.

0:06:57.593,0:07:01.830
There are some models now[br]for inclusive education across the globe

0:07:01.831,0:07:05.982
that are paving the way,[br]and the outcomes are startling.

0:07:05.983,0:07:09.695
The academic outcomes[br]for all the children are increased

0:07:09.696,0:07:12.719
by looking at inclusive education.

0:07:12.720,0:07:15.016
There is a recent movement [br]in the past 10 years

0:07:15.017,0:07:16.792
called neurodiversity.

0:07:16.816,0:07:19.721
It means that we look[br]at the human diversity

0:07:19.722,0:07:24.026
that is inherent in the classrooms,[br]and we celebrate it in our education.

0:07:25.200,0:07:27.451
Dr. William Henderson is a principal,

0:07:27.452,0:07:30.191
well-renowned in the Boston[br]public school system

0:07:30.192,0:07:34.069
who started the Henderson School[br]as an inclusive model.

0:07:34.070,0:07:37.674
He quotes three effective practices[br]that make a difference

0:07:37.675,0:07:40.352
in the effectiveness[br]of inclusive education.

0:07:40.353,0:07:44.588
They are culture, curriculum,[br]and collaboration.

0:07:45.924,0:07:49.895
Start with culture - all learners belong.

0:07:49.896,0:07:52.613
In fact, the environment is enhanced

0:07:52.614,0:07:56.766
by having all people of all abilities[br]within that classroom.

0:07:57.616,0:08:00.636
Consider the person [br]with an anxiety disorder

0:08:00.637,0:08:04.596
who has the sensitivity[br]to help and tutor another child.

0:08:04.597,0:08:07.593
Consider the child[br]who is a visual-spatial learner

0:08:07.594,0:08:11.043
who can create PowerPoints[br]for another child.

0:08:11.064,0:08:15.259
Consider that classrooms can be places[br]where there are rich environments

0:08:15.260,0:08:18.245
to be taught social[br]and emotional confidence.

0:08:18.246,0:08:22.108
And conflicts can be avoided by the time[br]the children move to the playground.

0:08:22.728,0:08:24.547
Curricular approaches.

0:08:25.467,0:08:29.811
In addition to neurodiversity,[br]we have what is called universal design.

0:08:29.812,0:08:34.039
That is a set of principles[br]that helps educators design curriculum

0:08:34.041,0:08:37.831
for the highest of learners,[br]as well as the lowest of learners.

0:08:37.832,0:08:42.899
The result is that it's good[br]for all the learners in between as well.

0:08:44.184,0:08:46.969
Jonathan Mooney[br]is an expert in neurodiversity,

0:08:46.970,0:08:49.062
and himself, a self-advocate

0:08:49.063,0:08:54.442
with attention deficit[br]hyperactivity disorder and dyslexia.

0:08:54.443,0:08:57.636
He has developed a program[br]called Project Eye-to-Eye,

0:08:57.637,0:08:59.367
which is a mentoring program,

0:08:59.368,0:09:02.852
and there is a component of it here[br]at the University of Denver.

0:09:03.852,0:09:05.940
He talks about using arts

0:09:05.941,0:09:11.424
as a way of leveling[br]the playing field for all children.

0:09:11.425,0:09:13.629
And what else do children learn?

0:09:13.630,0:09:16.802
They learn abstract reasoning,[br]they learn logical thought,

0:09:16.803,0:09:18.826
they learn creativity.

0:09:18.827,0:09:21.258
He also talks about technology.

0:09:21.259,0:09:25.442
Technology, despite all the advances,[br]is still so underutilized

0:09:25.443,0:09:28.624
in our education system[br]for kids with disabilities.

0:09:28.625,0:09:34.209
iPads, note takers,[br]audio books are all tools

0:09:34.210,0:09:38.328
that help make meaningful content[br]to children who learn differently.

0:09:39.978,0:09:42.928
And last but not least,[br]collaborative teaming.

0:09:42.929,0:09:46.440
Let's take away the isolation[br]that educators feel,

0:09:46.441,0:09:48.262
and partner them with a specialist

0:09:48.263,0:09:52.243
who can help them with the children[br]in the classroom tap all those abilities.

0:09:52.244,0:09:54.097
Look at speech language pathologists,

0:09:54.098,0:09:58.057
occupational therapists,[br]art therapists, counselors;

0:09:58.058,0:10:00.427
all of these people enrich the experience

0:10:00.428,0:10:03.749
and take away the isolation[br]of the regular educator.

0:10:04.879,0:10:07.933
Believe it or not,[br]the cost can be the same.

0:10:07.934,0:10:10.039
Those same resources and moneys

0:10:10.040,0:10:12.769
that go to support[br]pull-out-systems and supports

0:10:12.770,0:10:17.235
can be reallocated and redistributed[br]into the regular classroom.

0:10:17.236,0:10:19.424
So there is not an increased cost

0:10:19.425,0:10:23.239
to the tax payer,[br]the educator, the administrator.

0:10:25.265,0:10:30.135
So imagine the 21st century[br]in a school community

0:10:30.136,0:10:34.875
where all of the following[br]learn, belong, and thrive:

0:10:34.876,0:10:38.460
Helen Keller, Whoopi Goldberg,

0:10:38.483,0:10:42.152
Robin Williams, Stephen Hawking,

0:10:42.153,0:10:46.072
Albert Einstein, Nikki Giovanni,

0:10:46.073,0:10:52.728
my grandfather, your daughter,[br]my co-worker, your neighbor,

0:10:52.729,0:10:54.939
me and you.

0:10:55.989,0:11:00.779
Disability has inspired[br]many great things in our culture.

0:11:01.839,0:11:08.479
People who learn differently have created[br]some of the very things we use everyday.

0:11:08.480,0:11:10.588
We've learned to move differently.

0:11:10.589,0:11:14.918
Think about the Americans with [br]Disabilities Act and wheelchair ramps.

0:11:14.918,0:11:16.500
We've learned to create.

0:11:16.501,0:11:20.252
Think about the impact of artists[br]such as Vincent van Gogh.

0:11:20.253,0:11:22.031
We've learned to invent.

0:11:22.032,0:11:25.069
Alexander Graham Bell[br]invented the telephone

0:11:25.070,0:11:29.895
when he was trying to create a device[br]to help his parents who were deaf.

0:11:29.896,0:11:31.697
We've learned to communicate.

0:11:31.698,0:11:36.005
The typewriter was invented[br]to help the visually impaired.

0:11:38.225,0:11:42.842
In fact, what we've learned to do better[br]is to interact with one another.

0:11:42.843,0:11:48.585
So in inclusive communities,[br]we suspend judgment, we advocate.

0:11:49.670,0:11:54.076
We learn that living and being[br]in community together

0:11:54.077,0:11:56.962
creates better outcomes for all of us.

0:11:57.772,0:12:04.344
When we are all in inclusive cultures,[br]we create ways in which people belong.

0:12:04.345,0:12:07.449
We create roles that everyone honors,

0:12:07.450,0:12:12.957
we create a room for everybody[br]to show and demonstrate their strengths.

0:12:14.817,0:12:21.767
When we are in inclusive communities,[br]we teach socio-emotional skills,

0:12:21.768,0:12:24.487
so that we not only have[br]higher intelligence,

0:12:24.488,0:12:27.228
we have higher emotional intelligence.

0:12:28.518,0:12:32.217
We also create ways[br]where families' cultures are honored,

0:12:32.218,0:12:35.520
and all families learn together[br]in community.

0:12:37.460,0:12:40.413
We bring it together, we converge people,

0:12:40.414,0:12:44.283
like at TED, with different ideas[br]and different thoughts

0:12:44.284,0:12:46.915
to make a richer community.

0:12:46.916,0:12:50.762
By creating inclusive schools[br]where all ideas are honored,

0:12:50.763,0:12:54.978
and all abilities are valued[br]and cherished,

0:12:54.979,0:12:57.517
we transform the way the world could be.

0:12:57.518,0:12:59.043
It could be a better place.

0:12:59.044,0:13:02.725
In fact, and imagine,[br]that we change the world.

0:13:02.726,0:13:03.726
Thank you.

0:13:03.727,0:13:05.371
(Applause)