Week 1- Including Samuel

The presentation tonight of the documentary “Including Samuel” has made me reflect upon the whole process of inclusion and what success in inclusion means. On paper inclusion seems simplistic enough, all students with all ability levels and challenges in a classroom, school and community together. Unfortunately inclusion is often presented in educational texts as a simple process which spontaneously happens and is immediately successful. As educators know however inclusion requires a great deal more than having a place where all students are together, it requires planning, troubleshooting and a full team approach from all persons involved.

Throughout the documentary the family shared their experiences, successes and stressors which were very meaningful, powerful and inspiring. As a family they have redefined their version of what is ‘normal’ and furthermore have enlisted and expanded their community in redefining ‘inclusion and normalcy’. I believe every family who experiences a diagnosis of a challenge with one of their children go through a similar process of grieving for what they had originally dreamed and a struggle to redefine their expectations. Samuel’s family however in their redefinition has not placed limitations on their son but instead have accepted his challenges and embraced and fostered his growth and abilities through everything they do and allow him to experience.

The other families and people with challenges featured in the film also emphasize the importance of families not limiting their children when given a challenging diagnosis (mental or physical) but rather the importance of seeking ways to ensure that they can discover their strengths and accommodate their challenges in the majority of environments. Keith Jones notes how important education was and how his parents ensure he was truly educated in a time when people with challenges where given their own classroom with lowered expectations. Through his interviews it is easy to understand his struggles with a physical disability at a young age when it was considered a life sentence in the education system and his community. The contrasts of Keith Jone's experiences at early elementary with Samuel’s would be very interesting. Throughout the film Samuel’s inclusion within a variety of activities is included including Scouts, t-ball and the riding an adaptive bicycle.

A current contrast to Samuel’s experience at the elementary level is Alana Malfy’s high school experience in which inclusion is the label given to having her present in the room and the frustration of the experience expressed by her and her teacher. The film highlights the need for a standard in inclusive practices across schools, boards and the country.

Inclusion is not simplistic and becomes more complicated as a child grows, however social connections for all people change and become more complex with age. Knowing how to foster an environment which accepts diversity becomes more and more important. I appreciate in the film that the family is not just focused on the education of their son but on the social experiences and connections he has and will have. Social isolation I believe is the most difficult part for students with challenges and is often innocently overlooked by educators so focused on providing academics and life skill training.

As part of my undergraduate degree in Child and Youth Studies I complete a practicum as an aide for a high school student with Downs Syndrome in a private school. Throughout my practicum I wondered if this was the right environment for her, she was in classrooms but often at the back, during noon hour she found a particular bench at a central location in the school and would perk up for a hello from passersby’s, I soon realized she ate alone everyday and furthermore, she did not really have shared experiences with any of the other students. After that practicum I started to question what the purpose of inclusion was, I wanted to know her perspectives and feelings on her own experiences in an ‘inclusive’ environment; I wanted to know her parent’s feelings, hopes and fears for her.

That next fall I began work on my Honours thesis, I knew immediately what I was going to cover I felt I had to. I spent the entire academic year with her in school and in her community. I spoke with teachers, other students and family members. Reading previous research on social inclusion was alarming (mostly because there is a very limited database to draw from and often from the early 1980’s when the notion of inclusive environments first developed). It struck a cord in me that all these professionals were so proud of the ‘environment and community’ that they had created for her and that they had neglected to ask her about her experiences in it. My study concluded that she was lonely and wanted to be truly included. She expressed an interest in finding friends with mutual interests but felt that in this school she could not. She also noted that she was always the only one that was different in her community and that this frustrated her. Her fears for the future echoed her parents; she expressed resentment at her peers for planning their next phase of life and in the process leaving her behind.

The project took place several years ago now…I wonder if she still feels the same way or if she has made transitions and found true friendships. I wonder if her parents have accepted her transition to early adulthood and if they have assisted in finding true inclusive places for her to be.