Tips For Including Kids with Down syndrome

Having your student with Down syndrome included in the general education classroom with proper supports can often seem like a pipe dream. Just look at the statistics: only 16% of our loved ones with intellectual disabilities (ID) are included in general education classrooms most of their school day.

But the research and federal law back up full inclusion with support, so how do we get there? Well, I was lucky enough to find inclusion expert, Nicole Eredics from The Inclusive Class. This amazing inclusion teacher has created a huge database of resources to support full inclusion for even students with Down syndrome. You can also buy her book (shown below) with over 40 modifications for students with the most significant needs.

Education, InclusionCourtney HansenFebruary 24, 2020Down Syndrome, Inclusion, advocacy, AwarenessComment

15 Reasons Why You Need To Watch The Peanut Butter Falcon Right Now

If you haven’t yet seen the movie, you’re missing out. Big time. But don’t just take my word for it. Instead, I turned to the Down syndrome community and asked them to give me one good reason why the public (you if you’re one of the few who has yet to see it) needs to watch The Peanut Butter Falcon. This is what they had to say:

This movie shows what a relationship should be like between an individual with Down syndrome and a typical person. People with Down syndrome want to be treated like everyone else. This type of relationship was beautifully displayed in The Peanut Butter Falcon! - Lauren D.

Inclusion, Advocacy and AwarenessLindsay RobertsonFebruary 10, 2020Inclusion, Down Syndrome, AwarenessComment

Clearing the Way for Systems Change in 2020

11-year-old Salome is a female of color with a disability. English is a second language for her immigrant parents, and her extended family lives far away. Many students like Salome and their families are disenfranchised by the special education process, and don’t feel like they can adequately advocate for inclusion and proper supports under the law.

“I’m always mindful of our privileges and challenges,” says Salome’s mother, Catalina Angel. “In many ways we are like any family with dreams of a good future and in may ways we struggle in a place where we constantly have to demonstrate that we have worth.”

Education, Advocacy and AwarenessCourtney HansenFebruary 3, 2020Inclusion, advocacy, EducationComment

Students with Intellectual Disabilities Can Use Federal Funds for College Opportunities

With more than 260 College Programs available for students with Intellectual Disabilities (ID), it’s no longer a question of whether the new generation of students with ID can go to college but how to pay for it…..College programs are expensive. Tuition is often as much or more than tuition for typical college students. This coupled with the fact that most families of children with ID have no savings for their adult child really creates a real barrier to these new college opportunities.

Education, InclusionCourtney HansenDecember 2, 2019education, InclusionComment

American Girl: A Follow Up To Our Open Letter

Earlier this year I wrote an open letter to American Girl with the hopes that they would see how much making a doll with Down syndrome features and characteristics would mean to so many. The only response I received from the company was a generic reply letting me know that they celebrate all kids and are constantly working to show diversity, but they had no immediate plans to create a doll with Down syndrome because they didn’t want to offend the community.

Discrimination, InclusionLindsay RobertsonNovember 18, 2019Down Syndrome, American Girl, InclusionComment

Dear Doctor

When we had Alice, all of the doctors in the hospital were incredibly negative with us. They told us that she had Down syndrome in a very depressing way. They did not congratulate us. They told us they were sorry. They acted like it was the end of the world for us. I would have given anything in that moment for one sliver of hope... but the doctors didn't give it.

As I've met and talked to so many other moms of kids with Down syndrome, I realize that 99% of them had the same experience. This is wrong, and it needs to stop.

Everyone Has A Voice

"This is a common misconception about all kids with disabilities, that they can’t or won’t learn, especially if they are non-verbal. When the most amazing teacher came in to the FLS class last year, she saw these kids as who they really were, and within one year of this new teacher, every single kid in the class grew leaps and bounds. Julia, who also has Down syndrome and had never been able to communicate now was pointing to “yes” and “no” cards, and making decisions for herself. That gave her so much confidence that she soon became the sassiest teenager I’ve ever met, sneaking out of the room when no one was looking and licking folders when she didn’t want to do her class job. But the biggest change was in Josue.”

Discrimination, Advocacy and Awareness, InclusionMallory BlackwellJuly 15, 2019Inclusion, Acceptance, Awareness, Down SyndromeComment

Ninth Circuit Court Rules Student with Down syndrome Can Be Moved to Life Skills Class at New School

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled an Arizona school district can move an elementary student with Down syndrome to a public school outside his neighborhood. The student would receive an additional 20 minutes of Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) in an “academic SCILLS classroom” at this new school.

Education, Inclusion, DiscriminationCourtney HansenJune 24, 2019down syndrome, education, supreme court, InclusionComment

Inclusion; It All Starts With a Hello

s parents of kids who are differently abled, we all strive for one common goal; inclusion and acceptance of our children. You would think it would be easy for kids to make friends with other kids or for people to accept others without questions or hesitations. However, that’s not always the case. But reaching out and educating others is something we can all do in order to help make a change. Kate Manduca, an Ambassador and contributing writer for Save Down Syndrome, did just that. She recently sent a letter to her newspaper, about inclusion and acceptance regarding individuals who have Down syndrome.

Advocacy and Awareness, InclusionKate ManducaJune 3, 2019acceptance, advocacy, Education, down syndrome, InclusionComment

20 Companies That Employ People With Down syndrome

“Decades ago, people with Down syndrome were institutionalized at birth. Doctors believed that people with Down syndrome "could not learn, could not add value to the world and could not be employed."

Obviously, this is extremely untrue. Thanks to full inclusion into mainstream schools, people with Down syndrome are learning right alongside their peers -- and doing great. Thanks to the generally positive nature and bright light of people with Down syndrome, they are adding exceptional value to the world. And, thanks to employers that recognize that people with Down syndrome are not only employable but also valuable assets to a workplace, many businesses have opened their doors to employ countless people with Down syndrome.”

Inclusion, EmploymentAnn PoirierMay 13, 2019Inclusion, down syndrome, employmentComment

Teen with Down Syndrome Wins Inclusion Case in Federal Court

Hamilton County School District in Tennessee wanted to place Luka for half his day in a self-contained classroom in a school outside of his neighborhood. “The segregated class follows no state curriculum or standards. There’s no homework or grades. No accountability,” Luka’s mother Deborah Duncan explains. Knowing Luka would not receive a Free and Appropriate Education in the Least Restrictive Environment if he stayed, Deborah moved her son to a Montessori school where he continues to attend today.

InclusionCourtney HansenNovember 12, 2018down syndrome, InclusionComment