Inclusion: Mindset of shared responsibility

Inclusion is such a simple word but loaded with so many possibilities. In its basic form inclusion means the state or act of being included, but when looked at from the excluded person’s perspective it could mean a whole range of human emotions, from frustration to hopelessness.  As a parent of a special needs child, when seeking admission in a mainstream school, I have been on both sides of the spectrum. On the one hand, my child has been rejected at first sight leaving me with many unanswered questions while on the other side, she has been accepted without any questions leaving me again to wonder if they truly understood my child’s condition.  In both these situations, I have realized the central issue is not of economics as the numbers can be worked out, but more of a mindset.  The first school saw no value in including special needs children and truly believed in keeping them separate as their learning needs were different. Why penalize both sides and create an inefficient learning environment just for the sake of inclusion?  The other school came from the mindset that inclusion is the right thing to do and let us figure out the modalities of how to make it work for every child irrespective of their abilities.  Both perspectives have their merit, but I do believe inclusion is not a zero-sum game, it is not all or nothing.

The needle for inclusion needs to move from should we do it to how should we do it.  I firmly believe that it takes a village to raise a child and strongly contend that special needs children are no different.  The inclusion of special needs children in mainstream schools can help on multiple dimensions.  For the special needs child, it helps them understand social behavior and social norms and for the “normal” child it helps them understand diversity and build empathy.  How can we expect our Doctors, Engineers, and Architects of the future to design accessible communities and services if they have never been exposed to inaccessibility!  Watch the movie “Buddies” to learn more…