Is it Enough Just to Be Invited to the Party?

We’re really enjoying this opportunity to dig into the most essential questions of special education - and we’re loving the feedback we’ve gotten from our colleagues and across the state who have found these episodes helpful! Today’s essential question, taken from Ohio’s Special Education Profile, is this: To what extent do students with disabilities have access to the general education environment? This is a question that educators consider for both individual students and for their buildings and districts overall, on a regular basis. But we want to really tackle this question from a different angle. It starts with the words “to what extent” - which makes me wonder how meaningful students’ participation in general education is. SST8 consultants Tracy Mail and Dee Dee Howes might word this question another way: Is it enough just to be invited to the party? If you’re wondering what this has to do with Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), this episode is for you! Co-Hosts: Tracy Mail and Dee Dee Howes, SST8 Educational Consultants Additional Resources Creating Communities of Belonging for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities (article and self-reflection tool for teams) Ohio UDL Center - OCALI UDL Guidelines - CAST