For an insightful and sensitive podcast about inclusion by Kathern Burke (Executive Director, Learning Disabilities Association of Alberta, Canada) and parent of children with special needs, download the podcast from http://www.blogtalkradio.com/specialneedstalkradio/2011/09/09/inclusive-classroom. Below is Inclusion: Why Can’t We Be Friends?, a post that she let us reprint.

 Why Can’t We Be Friends?

Guest Post by Kathryn Burke

Executive Director

Learning Disabilities Association of Alberta

Alberta, Canada

Some memories are so vivid it almost seems like a DVD is being played in your brain when they are being recalled. The memory I want to share is like that for me – so vivid I am still able to recall everything from the smell of the room to the buzz of the fluorescent lights.

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Why Can’t We Be Friends?

Guest Post by Kathryn Burke

Executive Director

Learning Disabilities Association of Alberta

Alberta, Canada

Some memories are so vivid it almost seems like a DVD is being played in your brain when they are being recalled. The memory I want to share is like that for me – so vivid I am still able to recall everything from the smell of the room to the buzz of the fluorescent lights.

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Is inclusion always good? No. It’s not. That’s why the “I” in IEP stands for individualized. That why the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) requires schools to have numerous placement and service options. That’s why IDEA requires IEP Teams to base all decisions about children’s programs on their needs, not their special education classification.

Inclusion is often good, but not always. Many children with reading disabilities need instruction that differs dramatically from that offered in general education classes. Even with major changes in curriculum and assignments, many general education classes are inadequate for teaching children with reading disabilities how to read.

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