Full Participation for Students with Intellectual Disabilities

Jorgensen, C., & Lambert, L. (2012). Inclusion means more than just being “in:” Planning full       participation of students with intellectual and other developmental disabilities in the           general education classroom. International Journal of Whole Schooling 8(2), 21+.             Retrieved from http://www.questia.com/read/1G1-314254262/inclusion-means-more-     than-just-being-in-planning

            Jorgensen and Lambert (2006) remind educators of the United States special education law – IDEA which states that “…schools are accountable for all students with disabilities making progress in the general education curriculum” (p. 21).  Turning a nationwide policy into a daily practice proves to be a challenge for many teachers.  When students’ teams incorporated the Beyond Access Model to plan supports for student’s full participation in a general education instructional routines, positive results occurred.  According to Jorgensen and Lambert (2012), as previously stated by Biklen (1985), “this process helps to assure that students will not be an ‘island in the mainstream,’ but fully participating and successful leaners” (p. 21).

            The Beyond Access Model’s routine-based planning process is comprised of five questions that teams answer during regularly scheduled meetings before the coming week’s lessons.  This process has been modified for use in inclusive education. 

            The questions are:

            1. What is the general education instructional routine?

            2. What are the students without disabilities doing to participate in the instructional                       routine?

            3. Can the student with the disability participate in the same way in all components on the             instructional routine or does the student an alternative way to participate?

            4. What supports does the student need to participate using alternate means?

            5. Who will prepare the supports? (Jorgensen & Lambert, 2012, pp. 21-22).

To demonstrate this process, the journal article walks the reader through the lessons of two students with special needs.  In the first example, Amanda a ninth grader with an I.Q. of 55 related to a rare chromosomal condition that made her legally blind with challenging behavior, is in a general education science class (Jorgensen & Lambert, 2012, p. 21).  There is concern on how Amanda can best participate in a class that includes lecturing and note-taking.  After the team answers the five questions above, they conclude that a dedicated laptop or I-Pad and having a three-minute break during the lecture will ensure that Amanda is able to fully participate.  In the second example, Tomas a kindergarten student with autism who uses echolalia speech, is bilingual, legally blind and has sensitivity to noise and light, is in a general education kindergarten classroom (Jorgensen & Lambert, 2012, p. 21).  His teacher is worried how he will be able to participate in a 90 minute literacy block due to his anxiety over heightened noise.  After the team explores the answers accrued from the above five questions, they determine that Tomas needs to use his augmentative and alternative communication device to ask questions or make comments and his paraprofessional will guide him in following along by using her finger to track the text.

            With the use of the Beyond Access Model, students with special needs are given the best possible chance at success due to the support of all team members in preparing and accessing the accommodative tools prior to the week’s lessons.  The goal of this model is to have a support plan in place with a degree of high confidence that the student will be able to perform to his/her truest capabilities (Jorgensen & Lambert, 2012, p. 22).

            This article and week’s module remind me of my time student teaching at Elim in a Life
Skills classroom for high school students.  Much preparation was needed to ensure that all twelve students were receiving the best instruction to meet their individual needs.  Even though she had an aid and a fellow Resource teacher, there were mornings in which it seemed that every student could have used an individual aide.  I wonder how the Beyond Access Model would work in her classroom.  Since this classroom is designed specifically for students with moderate needs, would this process be beneficial?  Still, any extra resource is always welcomed and additional support could never hurt.

            I agree with this article that educators feel as if they are at a loss reaching students with intellectual disabilities.  They need to gain the confidence and support to know that they can instruct students with special needs and incorporate lessons that guarantee full participation from every student in the classroom.  This journal article can be a useful tool for educators and support staff because it listed the questions that the model uses and gave two specific examples from an elementary and high school viewpoint.  I plan on using the questions from this model this week to aid a few of my students that benefit from accommodations.