Although they were fully aware that the program they had chosen would not provide any Jewish education, they underestimated how strongly they would feel about the lack of a Jewish education for their child and the effect they felt that this would have on his complete development. They noticed their friends’ children coming home with art projects reflecting Jewish holidays and themes, singing Jewish songs, and learning stories from the Torah. The Cohens wanted these experiences for their son. They wanted him to feel connected to all things Jewish, to develop the same relationships they viewed their friends’ children developing. In short, they wanted the same type of education for their son that he would have received had he not been born with Down Syndrome.

Even though Mr. Cohen had been involved with the formation of the Etta Israel Center, the programs offered were not what the family had in mind for their child. The Etta Israel Center opened in 1992 with a mission of providing services for Jewish children with special needs. At the time the Cohen family began their search for a suitable educational program, the center ran a Sunday school program and recreational activities for school-age children and young adults with developmental disabilities. Additionally, they had created an afternoon self-contained preschool program for children with disabilities who were currently enrolled in public school special education programs.

However, a self-contained program where their child would be spending most of his day only with other children with disabilities no longer felt right. Instead, the Cohens had become interested in the concept of full inclusion and began their quest for admission for their son to one of the local day schools. Fortunately, they were greeted with both open arms and open minds, and their son began to attend preschool in a Jewish day school. Being very involved parents, they monitored all aspects of their son’s progress and rejoiced in all of his successes. They attempted to provide their child and his teachers with the supports they needed. Eventually it became evident that inclusion could work for their child, but they needed help modifying and adapting the curriculum.

No research existed in the field of full inclusion in Jewish day schools. They found no child who was successfully included in a program that required students to deal with an entire dual curriculum as well as with learning a second language. Clearly, there existed significant challenges ahead. They turned to the Etta Israel Center for assistance. Together with local experts and extensive research, the Etta Israel Center began to develop a program to assist children with developmental disabilities learn and grow while participating in a regular day school program.

The full inclusion program is now in its fifth year and the Etta Israel Center continues to develop and refine its philosophy of inclusion as well as the specifics of the program.

DEFINITION OF FULL INCLUSION

Full inclusion refers to the process of educating all children in what would normally be their home school, regardless of the nature of their disabilities. Students participating in a full inclusion program follow the same schedule as their classmates and participate in age-appropriate academic classes. They do not receive special education services in separate or isolated places. Students with disabilities are not required to be “ready” and do not have to “earn” their way into regular classrooms based upon their academic skills. A well-run full inclusion program provides an appropriate educational program for all students. It does not ignore children’s individual needs or parents’ concerns. It does not sacrifice the education of the student with special needs nor that of the general run of students.

Socially, full inclusion provides a myriad of opportunities for students with and without disabilities to interact in a mainstream environment. Students with disabilities use the school cafeteria, library, and playground and participate alongside their non-disabled peers in extra-curricular activities such as art, music, gym, field trips, assemblies and graduation exercises. Inclusion teaches all children to understand and accept human differences and provides all students enhanced opportunities to learn from each other’s contributions. Friendships between students with and without disabilities become a possibility in a school that accepts full inclusion students.

Full inclusion provides the appropriate supports for everyone involved in the inclusion process. A full inclusion program will not “dump” students with disabilities into regular classes without preparation or support. Teachers are provided with time, training, teamwork, resources, and strategies. No unreasonable demands are placed upon the teachers or the administrators. General education teachers are not expected to teach students with disabilities without the support that they need to teach all children effectively.

RATIONALE FOR INCLUSION

Judaism philosophically supports the concept of full inclusion. From a Jewish perspective, all life is viewed as precious and of value. Each individual contributes his or her unique part to the world, whether great or small. Perfection of the world lies in the development of each and every Jewish individual to his/her maximum potential. God did not create us all the same, yet we are all created in God’s image. We do not all possess the same talents or the same degree of talents. We are not intended to duplicate what everyone does. Each of us has his/her own task to complete, his/her own potential to be realized. Only by working together as a team, to assist everyone to maximize their abilities, do we bring completion to the world. All children are capable of receiving a Jewish education according to their capabilities. Children with developmental disabilities are capable of learning about their Jewish heritage and sharing our rich history and lifestyle.

Legally, the United States Government has already passed numerous laws reinforcing that children are to be educated in the least restrictive environment, with the accommodations and supports necessary for the student to benefit from his or her education (IDEA, 1997).1 A United States Department of Education memorandum stated that placement in the general education classroom is the first option that the IEP team must consider. The law further states that each public agency shall ensure to the maximum extent appropriate that:

• Children with disabilities are educated with children who are non-disabled.
• Special classes or separate schooling occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability is such that the education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aides and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.

From a humanitarian viewpoint, we believe that all children share equal value and status. Exclusion, therefore, is devaluating and is discriminating. Continued segregation of children with disabilities only helps to foster stereotypes and teaches children to be fearful, ignorant, and prejudiced. Inclusion has the potential to reduce fear and to build friendship, understanding, and respect. It reduces or eliminates the stigma associated with disabilities as familiarity and tolerance increase. The child without disabilities learns to value the contributions of all children, despite any disabling conditions. It helps the mainstream child to be tolerant of his own weaknesses and appreciate his own strengths. Additionally, involvement with children with special needs can build positive character traits, such as patience, empathy, and acceptance. Full inclusion prepares all children for the roles they will play in mainstream society after finishing their schooling.

RESEARCH ON FULL INCLUSION

The limited research on full inclusion for children with developmental disabilities has studied the achievement of children with disabilities, outcomes of full inclusion programs, and teacher and parent perceptions. A sample of the results indicates that full inclusion is beneficial. Children with disabilities in inclusion programs performed better on all measures of achievement, and in some Michigan schools graduation rates for students with disabilities increased after the implementation of full inclusion programs. The National Center on Educational Restructuring and Inclusion reported that inclusion programs led to positive outcomes for teachers, disabled students, and non-disabled students and added to a school’s strength, while enhancing the provision for all children. After a year of full inclusion in one Michigan school district, the percentage of teachers who agreed with the proposition that inclusion is unfair to regular children dropped from 80 percent to 12 percent. In a survey of more than 300 parents of elementary school-age children, more than 89 percent would enroll their child in an inclusive class again. More research is needed on this subject, yet we continue to be encouraged by the results of studies already completed.

SETTING UP A PROGRAM

Through our work in inclusion, the Etta Israel Center has discovered that each family approaches the process in their own unique fashion. Additionally, each day school looks at inclusion in a different way. Many families and schools believe in the philosophy of inclusion and embrace the concept with great enthusiasm. Other families and schools arrive at inclusion almost by default. The parents are dissatisfied with current educational options for their child and decide to give inclusion a try. The school may take the child in because the rest of his/her siblings attend the school. They may not be sold on the idea of inclusion, yet they are open to including a child with disabilities.

In either case, the procedure remains the same. Parents enroll their child in the chosen school; they hire a full-time inclusion aide and contract with the Etta Israel Center to provide inclusion coordination. We will discuss the role of each player in the inclusion process in depth.

THE PARENTS

Parents of fully included students face multiple obligations if their child is to succeed in the program. Primarily, they must commit their financial resources along with a significant amount of their time. The parents shoulder the financial responsibilities of paying day school tuition, the salary of the inclusion aide, and inclusion coordination from the Etta Israel Center. They are responsible for finding and hiring the aide. On a daily basis, parents are required to communicate with the aide, generally in writing, through the use of a daily journal. Parents must attend monthly team meetings and be prepared to assist their child with homework for approximately one hour every day. Homework includes regular class work, reviewing material learned that day, previewing material to be taught the next day and role-playing behavioral issues as they arise. Finally, they must also be prepared to schedule any auxiliary therapies that the student does not receive on site, such as speech or occupational therapy. This often necessitates chauffeuring the child back and forth to the therapies.

THE CLASSROOM TEACHER

It is the classroom teacher’s responsibility to relate to the inclusion student as they would to any other child in their class. Teachers are informed before beginning the school year that they are not expected to spend any more time with the inclusion child than they would with any other child in the class. They are responsible for developing a relationship with the inclusion student just as they would with any other student. They are invited to join in the monthly team meetings.

We have found teachers, for the most part, to be accepting and warm to the student with developmental disabilities. Many teachers have taken it upon themselves to make necessary accommodations for the inclusion student and have adopted teaching techniques that benefit all the students in their class. Other teachers have left the modifications entirely up to the aide. Both approaches work; it is a matter of individual style. In traditional special education programs, teachers adapt their style to the individual needs of each child. In an inclusion program, the inclusion student is taught how to adapt to the style of the teacher.

THE INCLUSION AIDE

The inclusion aide shoulders many daily responsibilities and is crucial to the success of the program. The aide is responsible first and foremost for the child’s safety and well-being. The aide provides behavioral intervention when necessary and modifies and adapts class work. The aide participates in the monthly team meeting and communicates with the parents on a daily basis through the use of the journal. On occasion, the aide will be asked to provide some direct instruction, usually centering on a behavioral goal, although sometimes in relation to an academic goal.

Many programs call the inclusion aide a “shadow.” We have purposely moved away from this terminology because of the negative connotations. Inclusion aides are not shadows attached to the inclusion student, expected to remain by their side at all times. The aides, although funded by the parents, are introduced to the class as another teacher or aide. They are encouraged and expected to assist other students and the teacher as per the teacher’s instructions and when it does not interfere with their primary duties with the inclusion student.

The aides receive their training from the inclusion coordinators and do not need to possess any academic qualifications. The best aides love children, are flexible, take direction well, are good team players, good communicators, and are creative.

THE INCLUSION COORDINATOR

Generally, the inclusion coordinator provides support to all team members. She visits the school once a week to observe the student and provide training and feedback for the aide and possibly the teachers. In the monthly inclusion meetings, the coordinator serves as the moderator and helps the team members to problem-solve as well as to determine goals for the coming weeks. The coordinator is readily available to all members of the team to discuss concerns and difficulties as they arise rather than saving them for the monthly meeting. The immediate reaction is often more useful to the student’s progress, and the team members are encouraged to contact the inclusion coordinator as frequently as necessary.

MODIFICATIONS AND ADAPTATIONS

As a general rule, the inclusion student utilizes the same curriculum and materials as used by the rest of the class. In some instances, the inclusion student is able to do the same work as his or her classmates with modifications. Modifications could include additional time on assignments and tests or reduced material. In most cases, adaptations to the curriculum are necessary. The student may receive the same work yet have a different goal to accomplish. For example, while his classmates are working on subtraction that includes regrouping, the inclusion student may work on any number of appropriate tasks depending on his academic level. He could work on number recognition, practice numeral writing, demonstrate one-to-one correspondence, or perform addition practice or simple subtraction.

As contrasted with usual special education practices, inclusion students are not required to demonstrate competency before moving on. If the class moves on to another unit, so does the inclusion student. Experience has shown us that the inclusion student often rises to the challenge and is not hampered by what would normally be viewed as educational gaps. The inclusion program could be considered to be curriculum-driven as opposed to student-driven. As the teacher continues through the yearly curriculum, it is the inclusion team’s challenge to determine the appropriate educational or behavioral goal for the student and to make the necessary adaptations or modifications.

Jewish studies provides its own specific challenges. Learning to read and sometimes write in Hebrew before solidifying those skills in the child’s primary language is not a task any educator would recommend for a child with special needs. Yet our inclusion students have surpassed even our highest expectations. Each one has succeeded in learning to read Hebrew, and most have continued on to learn Torah in Hebrew. Acquisition of Hebrew reading and writing has not hampered their ability to learn to read and write in English.

IN CONCLUSION

The Etta Israel Center’s full inclusion program for children with developmental disabilities continues to build upon its successes. The number of students enrolled in the program has increased, and the model is attracting interest from other communities. More importantly, Jewish children with developmental disabilities are finding their rightful place among their peers and becoming an accepted part of the Jewish community. Jewish educators are discovering that these children are capable of learning and that their inclusion may be the source of previously unrecognized benefits for their non-disabled students. Parents are being provided with another realistic educational option for their Jewish children, an option that will provide their children the richness of a Jewish education that they so richly deserve.

Five years after enrolling their son in a yeshiva day school the Cohens still face daily challenges and worry about the future. For now, they have a happy, fully included nine- year-old who attends a third-grade Jewish day school class. He joins in the morning prayers, knows what blessings to say, understands what kosher means, sings Hebrew songs, and has Jewish friends. He faces many challenges in the years to come, and it remains to be seen if full inclusion will continue to meet his needs. For now, he is connected to all things Jewish and is benefitting from the Jewish education he deserves to have.

Beth Jawary currently serves as the educational director of the Etta Israel Center in Los Angeles. Mrs. Jawary has her masters degree in special education and has been active in the field for over twenty years, working in Israel and the United States. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and seven children.

For more information about the Etta Israel Center and its various programs, call 310-285-0909, visit our web site at www.etta.org or e-mail the author directly at bjawary613@aol.com