Which High Schools are including students with Down syndrome respectfully into General Education classrooms?

Where are the best High Schools for students with Down syndrome Included nicely? What kind of High School is everyone happy with? Public or Private schools? Homeschooling? Is the McKay or PLSA Scholarship Funds being used instead? (PLSA-Personal Learning Scholarship Account)

What is the current trend for students with Down syndrome  for an inclusive High School experience? 

I am looking ahead and don't see much positive inclusive Public High Schools around where I live, we may have to relocate. 💔 We live in South Florida, the Fort Lauderdale area and inclusion is a long drawn out ugly fight here in Broward County Public Schools! Wish inclusion was the norm, but it's not here.

High School parents....need to hear what's the real deal going on out there across the Country and here in Florida.

💛💙💛

Need to hear from High School families on how is inclusion is really working out, especially with the new rule of the Standard Diploma for students with disabilities.

💛💙💛

Special Education is Not a Place: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act By Lily Clausen, Isabel Frye and Chloe Marsh Junior Division

Special Education is Not a Place
U.S. Department of Education sent this bulletin at 05/21/2014 11:21 AM EDT

Special Education is Not a Place: 
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
By Lily Clausen, Isabel Frye and Chloe Marsh
Junior Division

This website was created by 3, seventh graders. 
Pass this GREAT RESOURCE on to others! I think they did an absolutely fantastic job on their project!

http://65454531.nhd.weebly.com/uploads/2/5/7/8/25788665/process_paper.pdf

http://65454531.nhd.weebly.com/

ALL SCHOOLS NEED PEER MENTORS & PEER BUDDIES ~ FIN CAN HELP WITH THIS

Davidson eighth-graders assist special needs classmates

By BRIAN HUGHES / News Bulletin 
Published: Thursday, May 30, 2013 at 18:54 PM.

CRESTVIEW — It takes a special kind of student to be a Davidson Middle School buddy. In fact, school officials said, it takes the "crême-de-la-crême," or cream of the crop.

The program, in its 10th year, links specially selected eighth-graders —  the buddies — with students in the school's exceptional student education program.

"They are peer mentors," program director and E.S.E. teacher Carol Cassity said.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE by clicking this link -->
http://www.crestviewbulletin.com/education/davidson-eighth-graders-assist-special-needs-classmates-1.151264

My 2 cents worth=I've been encouraging Broward County Public Schools to get this started for years now...FIN-Florida Inclusion Network has this program and could help Districts with this getting up and going in all our Districts...IF they wanted to. This is the program I wanted to VOLUNTEER to help get it started at my daughter's Middle school...didn't happen...but is still needed everywhere! 

Let's get this going in many more schools and not just Middle school!

Differentiated Instruction....is FUN!

Differentiated Instruction...is FUN!

“I have yet to see a segregated classroom that is better than the general education setting.”

“I have spent hundreds of hours in segregated classrooms,” she said. “I have yet to see a segregated classroom that is better than the general education setting.”

I couldn't agree with this more! Click the link below for the full article. 

http://stateimpact.npr.org/florida/2011/12/20/why-everyone-learns-more-when-students-with-disabilities-are-included/

"Natural Inclusion Supported with Peers" FIN ~ PEER SUPPORT MANUAL

FIN ~ Florida Inclusion Network has wonderful programs & services that could be implemented in our schools to help provide natural supports via Peer Supports & Inclusion naturally by providing our schools with a PEER SUPPORT Program. 


It's about our District wanting to make a positive change that has to do with how our society thinks about people that are 'different' ~ ALL Students would benefit from a program like this, especially the student that needs positive redirection & maybe a scribe or a note-taker....or a friend even. The student that needs another person some of the time to stay on task and or with mobility help or technology assistance and it's documented on their IEP they need adult and/or peer assistance. Some students needing a 1:1 Aide or Para Professional and the funding not going through for some students for them to have an Aide, PEER SUPPORT Programs should be a priority to continue to help ALL our students be successful. 


Friendships, Peer support and reaching out to help others should be a natural thing happening in our schools & society. FIN has programs that can be set up and implemented in our schools fairly quickly. 


It's about creating a PEER SUPPORT Program that will provide a way for FELLOW STUDENTS WORKING TOGETHER & BECOMING FRIENDS BY HELPING EACH OTHER. This should be happening naturally....but it's not. 


Students both without and with a disability benefit from programs like these.


PEER SUPPORT MANUAL AT-A-GLANCE
http://www.floridainclusionnetwork.com/Uploads/1/docs/PeerSupportManualAtAGlance.pdf



Building Inclusive Schools
http://www.floridainclusionnetwork.com/Uploads/1/docs/Building%20Inclusive%20SchoolsSessionDesc.-Flyer.pdf


FIN ~ Florida Inclusion Network PRODUCTS
http://www.floridainclusionnetwork.com/Research_Centers/CRSRL/Florida_Inclusion_Network/Products/General_Products.asp 

Here are a few great web links for your research on FLORIDA ESE & IDEA FUNDS ~ Have fun researching! 


FLDOE ESE ~ Direct Links & Resources
http://www.fldoe.org/ese/


FLDOE ESE ~ IDEA PART B 
http://www.fldoe.org/ese/pdf/idea-partb-09.pdf


FIN ~ BUILDING INCLUSIVE SCHOOLS 
FIN Building Inclusive Schools ~ E-learning Module