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Inclusive Solutions Published termly Publishers: Colin Newton, Derek Wilson Email: inclusive.solutions@ntlworld.com Web Site: http://www.inclusive-solutions.com
Dear Friend or associate,
You are receiving this Ezine because you are a friend of Inclusive Solutions or you have directly requested a subscription. Subscribe and Unsubscribe instructions are at the end of this Ezine.
CONTENTS
1. Introduction 2. What's New? 3. Web site 4. Book CD and Video Resources 5. Scotland 6. International Inclusion Newsgroup 7. Training opportunities 8. Facilitated Communication 9. Work with young people 10. Consultation and evaluation work 11. Inclusion - Links of Interest 12. Back Issues of Ezine 13. Share This Ezine 14. Suggestions & Comments 15. Copyright Information 16. Subscribe & Unsubscribe Information
1. INTRODUCTION
Hi Welcome to our latest Ezine.
'In a time when we attend very much to the mechanisms and techniques for delivering curriculum, we need to keep remembering that teaching is first and foremost a matter of the development of human beings as moral actors, as citizens, as people who are going to live in, and need to make a difference to, a very diverse and very complex world. And that requires far more than simply the delivery of instruction as marked by test results. It's a matter of the heart as marked by the kind of relationships and the sense of community that develops over time in a school.'(John O'Brien).
2. WHAT'S NEW?
*Inclusive Solutions provided training on Fresh Approaches to Managing Behaviour in Concord, New Hampshire and a workshop on ‘Circle of Adults’ at the TASH international conference in Boston, December 2002. We also provided a workshop at short notice on ‘Circles of Friends’ to launch a day on ‘Friendship’. Colin, Jackie and Derek were well received as reflected in the feedback ‘You were awesome’!
*Following TASH (www.tash.org) we were approached by a community agency providing a variety of services to people with special needs and their families in the greater Greenwich and Stamford, Conneticut area, near New York, to provide a full-day training session for parents of children with special needs, teachers within local school districts, and interested friends. So our international work begins to develop.
*Sharon Scoffingshas changed her role with us to that of associate trainer and graphic artist! Many thanks to Sharon for all her hard work! We are pleased to welcome Emma Pyatt and her Nottingham based team to support our administrative needs from now on. Emma can be contacted on: 0115 9408550 by email at nottingham@dbhservicedoffices.com or by fax on 0115 9408501
*Jackie Deardenhas now started to work regularly with us. She has take a lead role in our work on ‘Circles of Adults’ located in Nottingham and in new Person Centred Planning work being carried out with an enthusiastic group of practitioners in Birmingham.
*Laura (Mole) Chapmanhas also started to work with us as a more regular associate trainer and consultant. She is a disability equality trainer who brings a fine sense of humour and masses of energy to our work. She uses her personal experience as a disabled woman very powerfully in her work.
‘Equality training is different from Awareness training, it is not based on impairment specific or politically-correct thinking, participants are not blindfolded or put in wheelchairs. Traditionally, disability has always been seen as a medical problem. Doctors, academics or specialists in the medical profession have always done any research in this area. Disabled Peoples' Movement thinking, in contrast, argues that this is not a helpful way of dealing with the situation. Most disabled people cannot be changed (or cured) therefore we need to look at the social side the issue. It is only by looking at disability in terms of social equality that we will get a true picture of the injustice disabled people face in society today. It is possible to live with an impairment, but it is not until physical and social barriers have been removed from our society, that people with impairments will feel that they are no longer disabled.’(Mole Chapman 2003)
3. Web site.
The web site has even more useful links on it now as well as contributions from around the UK. Keep sending your stories.
If you would like to contribute articles, tips, links of interest, interviews, special event dates or other resources to
Make inclusive education even more possible throughout the UK and beyond let us know.
Email: inclusive.solutions@ntlworld.com Web Site: http://www.inclusive-solutions.com
4. BOOKS, Articles, CDs, DVDs & VIDEO RESOURCES
We are currently re-publishing a fuller version of our original workbook ‘Circles of Friends’. Let us know if you will want a copy. inclusive.solutions@ntlworld.com
We have a video/DVD resource available on the ‘Circles of Friends’ and the ‘Circles of Adults’ processes.
We are currently actively working on:
1) Facilitators Handbook (see web site: via ‘Ideas Workshop’ button). This is already in use in Leicestershire adult services 2) Circles of Adults booklet (see web site: via ‘Ideas Workshop’ button) Inclusion – It doesn’t Just Happen – guiding ideas for LEAs in increasing inclusion
You are welcome to view work in progress or to contribute ideas that might fit in with such work.
We have available for sale via our web site a range of books and CDs. Kevin Reeves can sell you videos, CDs and books that we recommend and plenty more.
INTERNATIONAL
1)INCLUSION NEWS 2002 - and the New Catalogue are OUT!!! Order a single copy - or a case. (100 per case). Shipping cost per box $50 in North America (except Alaska/Hawaii) Order NOW!!! http://www.inclusion.com/PI-INCLUSION.NEWS.html
2)TOOLS FOR CHANGE - NEW CD-ROM - The CD IS OUT. New users report it is great for training teams. New courses are being created to assist you to work with the CD. For a brochure or demonstration disk e-mail: inclusionpress@inclusion.com You can also visit our web site for preview of the CD-ROM and to the licence agreement. http://www.inclusion.com/PI-CD.ROMS.html
3)Redesigned Inclusion Press Web Site: http://www.inclusion.com
Kevin Reeves: ‘Inclusion Distribution’, 29 Heron Drive, Poynton, Stockport, SK12 1QR, England 01625 859146
5. Scotland
We are working increasingly around the regions of Scotland. We have provided training in North and South Lanarkshire, the Highland Region and are planning training in Argylle and Bute, and Dumfries and Galloway. We have also worked with one of the lead organisations on Inclusion in Scotland, Equity and the Learning Network they have developed. In some ways Scotland is leading the way in the UK with some of the governmental proposals on the future of ‘Records of Need’ that are emerging. For example check this out:
News Release: 17/01/2003 http://www.scotland.gov.uk/pages/news/2003/01/SEed174.aspx
New proposals to modernise the framework that provides pupils who need additional support for learning were announced today.
The draft Education (Additional Support for Learning) Bill seeks to revamp a system that has been in place for over 20 years. It also represents a move away from special educational needs (SEN) terminology to the concept of Additional Support Needs (ASN) which will apply to all children who face difficulties in accessing education to achieve these, rather than focusing on the weaknesses and deficiencies of individuals.
A move away from Special Educational Needs terminology to the wider concept of Additional Support Needs which will include all children who, for whatever reason and at any time, face difficulty in accessing and benefiting from education. The aim is to identify and address their needs whether their barriers to learning are social, cognitive, linguistic or due to disability or family/care circumstances.
Education authorities will be obliged to identify and take steps to address the support needs of all children for whom they provide education. Other agencies, particularly health and social work services, will also have a duty to help.
Parents and young people will be able to get more involved. Education authorities will have to publish their policies, arrangements and provision for additional support needs in education. Parents will also be provided with a named contact person who can give them information and advice on the system.
The Record of Needs will be discontinued - a new Co-ordinated Support Plan (CSP) will be introduced for children with complex or multiple barriers to learning who require additional support from outwith the education authority. The CSP will focus on the educational outcomes for the child and the support required.
6. International Inclusion Newsgroup
If you wish to join an international email/newsgroup forum on inclusion then follow these instructions:
Instructions for subscribing and unsubscribing are located at the following URL: http://www.ualberta.ca/htbin/lwgate/INCLUSION/
OrSend an e-mail message to: majordomo@majordomo.srv.ualberta.ca and in the body of the message type the following two words only subscribe (unsubscribe) inclusion.
To send a message to the inclusion list, simply forward your message to: inclusion@majordomo.srv.ualberta.ca
International training opportunities:
SPRING INCLUSION INSTITUTE
April 6-12 2003 in Portland, 2003. SIGN UP NOW - NOT MANY SPACES REMAINING!! Modelled on the Toronto Summer Institute, you can be part of inventing a new 'gathering'. For information, contact Flory: (503) 932-9602 ormailto:flirky@aol.com and stay tuned to http://www.inclusion.com/N-Wkp.SpringInclusionInst.html
DESIGN for CHANGE
March 6-8 2003 in Durham, NH. Very few spaces available. 2nd course: New England Center, NH on the 5-7 June Check it out: http://www.inclusion.com/N-Design.for.Change.Mar6-8
NEW CIRCLES GATHERING
July 26-28, 2003 in Manchester, CT. We are creating a new circles learning gathering - for a weekend - in Manchester,CT. Spaces are limited. We will listen to Circles stories. See the web for developing information: Inclusion Network: http://www.inclusion.com/C-Circles.gathering See also: http://www.inclusion.com/N-Workshops.html
7. Upcoming Training Opportunities
Fresh Approaches to Hard to Manage BehaviourA one-day workshop which has run in various places around the UK. We will be running sessions in:
Manchester: June 19th 2003 Edinburgh: July 2nd 2003 Cardiff: October 2nd 2003 South East LONDON: November 20th 2003
Full details are posted on our website and you can download a flyer/application form via the yellow ‘Training’ button. We are likely to run this session again in the New Year and are looking for accessible venues in the North West, North East, South West and South East. Let us know of any recommendations.
Including Children with Autism in Mainstream SettingsThis highly successful 2 day event was re-run in Scotland in February at Bellshill Hilton Hotel, North Lanarkshire, Scotland. Featuring Carol Tashie from The Institute on Disability, University of New Hampshire, USA and the Inclusive Solutions team, we provided an intensive learning experience over the 2 days. We are planning a London event of a similar nature around June 2003. Log your name with us if interested.
Doing It BetterMULTI-AGENCY APPROACHES TO INCLUDING YOUNG PEOPLE IN PUBLIC CARE A ONE-DAY WORKSHOP is going to be provided in
Lambeth, London 6/6/03 Bristol 11/7/03
This work willfeature our lead associate Jackie Dearden (Senior Educational Psychologist, Looked After Pupils, Nottingham LEA)
‘Circles of Adults’ – Teams Reflecting and Problem Solving around Emotional Needs and Challenging Behaviour10 monthly twilight sessions began in October 2002. Venue Facilitated by Colin Newton, Derek Wilson and Jackie Dearden of Inclusive Solutions, these sessions are modelling an in-depth problem solving process for use by Teams challenged by the inclusion of young people with significant behaviour difficulties. We are running these workshops again from next term. We have a video or DVD available illustrating the process if you are interested, or you can read about the process on our web site. Let us know if you would be interested in further workshops.
A range of training opportunitiesare available from Inclusive Solutions, tailor made to suit the needs of your team or organisation. (See web site under heading ‘Training’)
Early Years and Inclusion We are offering Consultation and training opportunities to Early Years Teams across the UK. This work features the involvement of Mole Chapman, mentioned earlier.
Training days we currently offer include:
Practical Keys To Inclusion
Participants in this day will gain a deeper set of answers to the question ‘What is Inclusion’ and a range of tools and guiding ideas to enable them to put this into practice in their own work settings
Including Children With Autism In Mainstream Settings
A practical workshop day that will extend participants’ understanding of the experience of autism and consider effective accommodations to meet needs.
Young People In Public Care
Meeting the needs of young people in public care
Building Creative Staff Teams
Provides answers to the question ‘What makes an effective Team?’ and strategies for developing this. This day can also be delivered with a particular emphasis on developing effective multi-agency working
‘Collaborations’
Collaborative working with parents in the Early Years
Emotional Needs Of Boys
Meeting the emotional needs of boys.
Fresh Approaches To Managing Challenging Behaviour
A tour through a range of cutting edge and inclusive strategies for bringing about positive behaviour change and for meeting challenging emotional needs
We are working with Nottingham City and Southwark Early Years teams providinga comprehensive range of training to Early Years settingsincluding using PATH and MAPs to carry out visioning and problem solving with statutory and non statutory sectors.
Nottingham based leading ideas training workshops:
Multi agency working plus Circles of adults: Exploring effective models of multi-agency working. Learn about a process that ‘listens deeper’ to generate reflective problem solving, creating lasting behaviour change and effective behaviour intervention plans. A particularly valuable process for those looking to enhance their leadership and facilitation skills:July 15th 2003
Restorative Interventions:principles and practice of this approach to resolving and restoring relationships without reliance on punishment: 29th September
Inclusion: It doesn’t just happen:What is really needed to bring about change in LEAs and schools? Creating Inclusion Facilitation Teams: October 20th
Alternative and augmentative communication:Other ways of communicating from technology, through signs to Facilitated communication.18th December
Diversifying the curriculum: the differentiated classroommaking sense of differentiation using models and ideas from the USA and elsewhere to make the teacher and pupil’s life easier 12th Jan 2004
Phone: 0115 9408550 Email: inclusive.solutions@ntlworld.com Web Site: http://www.inclusive-solutions.com
8. Facilitated Communication
NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN FACILITATED COMMUNICATION
Too many disabled children lack an effective means of communication and are vulnerable to the highly dangerous assumption that because they cannot communicate, they have nothing to say. Facilitated communication, although it remains a controversial method of supporting communication, can provide ways forward for communication when no other methods have been accessible to the disabled child.
The organisation FACT (Facilitating Approaches to Communication Training) aims to develop a network of disabled and non-speaking people who use alternative means of communication and their families.
FACT has, over the last three years, developed a network of interested and committed people in the field of Facilitated Communication Training (FCT) in this country and internationally. FCT is a teaching strategy of particular relevance to individuals with severe communication impairments who do not have severe physical impairments but have none the less have difficulty acquiring handwriting and manual handwriting skills. Through FCT numbers of such individuals have achieved functional communication often revealing unexpected understanding and academic potential. This teaching strategy is new to this country but through the work of FACT there is now more awareness of it.
FACT has also been successful in influencing the development of a new module on the Bachelor of Arts programme for undergraduates at Bolton Institute. The new 15-week module ‘Facilitating Communication’ will be piloted in February 2003 with a group of twenty students. The module has been written to provide more detailed information and understanding of facilitated communication and its value in promoting inclusive education.
Joe Whittaker, who is a senior lecturer in the department of education and a member of the FACT management committee, sees the work of FACT as one of the most significant development in the area of education:
‘For far too long disabled people have been denied their rightful place within mainstream education. The developments of facilitated communication will add strength to those individuals who do not use speech, and who experience discrimination, to find their own voice and challenge fundamentally some of the damaging assumptions our society makes about disabled people.’
Further information about FACT contactSandra Barrett PO Box 23, Newton le Willows WA3 1XA Telephone: 01942 205690 Andabout courses at the Bolton Institute contactJoe Whittaker The Bolton Institute, Chadwick Campus, Chadwick Street, Bolton BL2 1JW Telephone: 01204 903221; Fax: 01204 903201; Email: jw6@bolton.ac.uk
9. Work with young people
We have been working directly with young people in some new ways over recent months.
‘One for all’ is a new team of young people operating out of Nottingham, Maresa, Lindsey and Lucy. We have been proud to support their early development as a formidable team of young people speaking up for and training on inclusion. They can be contacted for free inputs to training and conferences on Email: one4_all2003@yahoo.co.uk or by Phone: 0115 9297526
Enhancing the work of educational psychologists in high profile inclusive casework in Nottinghamshire, Nottingham City and elsewhere using processes such as:
MAPs, COACH and empowering consultation and collaboration Legal expert witness work where pupils have not been well included by schools and LEAs Visioning to get the ‘best exam results I can possibly get’ in a Nottingham city comprehensive school and a Derbyshire Comprehensive school Setting up Circles of Friends in Windsor and Maidenhead, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire and elsewhere around young people who are challenging, disabled or different enough to make inclusion a tough challenge Free Advice to parents struggling with inclusion and the education system
10. Evaluation and consultation work
We are still offering to audit the inclusive practices of LEAs who have the highest levels of segregation in the UK. We are keen to examine in detail the administrative and professional processes and decision points which can trigger special school or unit placement instead of allowing more creativity around local mainstream placements. If you can help us get inside such doors, let us know!
We have completed three major evaluations of LEA Inclusion projects and a Behaviour Support Project. If you are interested in our findings or our recommendations for increasing inclusive practice let us know. Email: inclusive.solutions@ntlworld.com Web Site: http://www.inclusive-solutions.com
11. INCLUSION LINKS OF INTEREST -
Starting with new sites of interest:
Disabilty Archive http://www.leeds.ac.uk/disability-studies/archiveuk/index.htm The aim of the Disability Archive UK is to provide disabled people, students and scholars with an interest in this and related fields, access to the writings of those disability activists, writers and allies whose work may no longer be easily accessible in the public domain.
Empower http://www.empower2001.org.uk is a group of young people who started in 2000 with the purpose of running a training course for disabled people and young people who want to become assistants to them.
And then the essentials:
1) INCLUSION PRESS! http://www.inclusion.com MAKING INCLUSION WORK this is still the place to start!
2) Inclusion Distribution UK - books and videos, including Inclusion Press materials E-mail: mailto:kreeves@inclusiononline.co.uk
3) Alliance for Inclusive Education – UK’s leading campaigners for inclusive schools and communities. http://www.allfie.org.uk
4) http://www.parentsforinclusion.org/ Parents for Inclusion are an excellent UK source of support and advice for parents and professionals on inclusive education. They walk the talk
5) Disability Equality in Education - UK Training Network for Disability Equality Training. Email- info@diseed.org.uk Website: www.diseed.org.uk
6) 4) Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education (CSIE)- UK source of information and advice about inclusive education and related issues http://inclustion.uwe.ac.uk/csie/csiehome.htm
7) Great sweatshirts and T-shirts, posters, stories and links at www.thenthdegree.com Maintained by Dan Wilkins a leading US disabled advocate.
8)A good source of Articles and books to buy on Autism is at www.autcom.org. This is the only autism advocacy organization dedicated to "Social Justice for All Citizens with Autism" through a shared vision and a commitment to positive approaches. The organization was founded in 1990 to protect and advance the human rights and civil rights of all persons with autism.
12. BACK ISSUES OF "INCLUSIVE SOLUTIONS EZINE"
To read back issues of Ezine, visit: http://www.inclusive-solutions.com
13. SHARE THIS EZINE
Share this Ezine by email - forward it to your friends & associates. This Ezine may be reprinted with permission. Email us at: inclusive.solutions@ntlworld.com
14. SUGGESTIONS & COMMENTS
Send any comments, suggestions, questions or advice to: Email: inclusive.solutions@ntlworld.com Web Site: http://www.inclusive-solutions.com
15. COPYRIGHT INFORMATION
Copyright 2003 Inclusive Solutions UK Ltd
16. SUBSCRIBE & UNSUBSCRIBE INFORMATION
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Our thoughts are with you all. Keep including and don’t dive alone!
Colin Newton and Derek Wilson
Co-Founders
Inclusive Solutions
Making Inclusion Happen!
http://www.inclusive-solutions.com/ Email: inclusive.solutions@ntlworld.com
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