A school in New York City is expanding the definition of diversity, and putting kids of varying developmental ability side-by-side in the classroom. The IDEAL School of Manhattan is breaking new ground on inclusion education, creating an environment where students with developmental disabilities are never pulled out of class, and are taught the same lessons as students without special needs.
Article at MSNBC about a school which fully integrates students with and with out disabilities and has a focus on civil rights. Follow the link to the video of the discussion of the Ideal School.
One feels that the neurodiversity movement is springing up too late, thus why I feel saddened by people not being brave enough to post pro-actively on your forum
It’s never too late to fight for change, respect and inclusion. Granted these are things that should have been available to individuals with autism long before now, but better late, then never. We all need to work together. I feel our biggest obstacle and the strongest source of resistance comes from many parents of autistic children who for some reason don’t feel autistic adults have the right to speak regarding their child because their child is ‘more severely affected’ then those who can speak and have lived their lives overcoming adversity, struggling through life in a world that largely didn’t acknowledge their existence, and to a large degree but shrinking every day, still doesn’t today. I think that those who oppose the neurodiversity movement just don’t truly understand that what it is about is exactly what they want for their own child who may not be verbal, may never be verbals but still has value as a human being and is still greatly loved and deserves respect and inclusion in life to whatever degree their ability level allows them to be. The first thing we need to do is get everyone within the autism community on the same page, working toward the same end goals. Then we just might be able to convince the rest of the world. We have to keep fighting, because the fight continues until it is won, or we all surrender, and I’m certain nobody really wants to surrender so we keep fighting.