Memorandum submitted by Parents for Inclusion
1. INFORMATION
ABOUT PARENTS
FOR INCLUSION
Parents for Inclusion is a charity run by parents
for parents of disabled children. It was set up to promote the
full participation of disabled children in mainstream education
and in their local community. We are a registered charity, set
up in 1984, (charity number 1070675) and a company limited by
guarantee.
OUR KEY
AIMS ARE
— Helping disabled children be included
in their schools and local communities.
— Giving parents the hope, confidence
and the tools to plan a positive future together with their disabled
children.
— Bringing about a change of attitudes
so there is less discrimination towards young disabled people.
— Providing effective advice, information
and training to parents so they can help disabled children take
control of their own lives.
— Encouraging closer working between
parents and professionals to benefit as many children as possible.
We offer a freephone helpline, train parents
to be advocates for their disabled child, train professionals
in inclusive practice, run inclusion groups in schools, and provide
a whole range of accessible information.
2. GENERAL STATEMENT
2.1. We want a society where all children
are loved, feel secure, flourish, make friends and are happy at
school. We believe that it is physical and social barriers which
prevent disabled children being included, rather than the disabled
children themselves.
Disabled children are all those children who
experience discrimination as a result of their differences, whether
that be a physical or sensory impairment, learning difficulties,
special educational needs, emotional or behavioural difficulties,
or as a result of experiencing distress.
We are parents who have chosen to send our disabled
children to mainstream schools, and to work within a framework
which often lets down a substantial number of young people who
attend them. We have chosen not to over protect or limit our children's
life chances because the system is in need of progressive change
to welcome all young people. We are parents who believe that it
is our children who are bringing about substantial changes, and
creative opportunities, which not only support disabled children,
but all children. Thanks to Warnock, and the 1981 Education Act
our children were given the opportunity to belong. They have been
the pioneers, and the instruments of change in many schools. Many
of them are having well supported and exciting school experiences,
and the older ones have gone on to lead interesting creative lives.
See ``Where are they now" booklet enclosed
Parents and professionals have a great influence
over these children's futures. So we work with them to help them
see the children as individual people first, with human rights
and preferences and a right to an optimistic and self determined
future. They then go on to make sure these children are included,
in all kinds of ways, in the world. All our work is aimed at improving
life chances and the quality of life for these children.
"We believed in her right from the beginning.
We believed in her from the moment she was born—that she
was going to reach her potential and have a full inclusive life
because we have included her from the word go." Parent.
We have found that when both professionals and
parents understand that segregation discriminates against the
disabled child, they become open to finding solutions, to see
inclusion as a human rights issue, and find solutions to change
the barriers of exclusion.
"For many non-disabled course participants,
both professionals and parents, meeting a disabled professional
is still an unfamiliar experience, and meeting a disabled adult
who shares their insight and perception on what it was like growing
up as a disabled person is even less usual. For people who mostly
work with children and for parents whose children have yet to
grow up, this meeting opens up the door to images of positive
and possible futures for young people."—Pi Trainer.
Parental Choice
Our parents believe that this debate is not
about parental choice, but about the rights of young disabled
people to be respected, valued, and to live in inclusive communities.
Parental choice has become such a branded concept, and yet in
Italy where there is not a choice because children are included
right from the start, it does not seem to be an issue. (Children
in Scotland delegation to study inclusion in Italy)
We have worked closely with parents at the grass
roots, and have published various reports: "Dreaming the
Dream: inclusion a human rights issue", with full recommendations
from parents and professionals, "All Our Children Belong",
a report from our black and minority ethnic parents. In both reports
you will see that the rights of the disabled child is the key
agenda. Please find attached.
2. OUR EVIDENCE
Throughout our training and inclusion work in
schools we have individual evidence which shows how when attitudinal
barriers are broken down and young people are provided with the
right support they and the school flourish. We have evidence to
prove that this considerable societal change takes time to achieve,
as the barriers are linked to discrimination, rejection and prejudice.
Time and attitudinal changes, which can and do take place through
Disability Equality Training, are paramount issues which must
be considered by this Committee.
Example. A young person with the label autism
had great difficulties in settling into their primary school.
With support from Pi the parents were able to get the right number
of teaching and learning support hours through a number of special
educational needs tribunals. This young person continued to have
a very fulfilling primary school education, with this school which
has inclusive policies, and an accessible site. He was barred
at secondary level. Through an appeal the young person obtained
a place at a London City Academy, and within the first year he
had been given a prize for very good achievement. He is settled
and doing well, within his own school community.
Example. A delightful young disabled child eventually
found a nursery that gave her the opportunity to join, recognising
that she had considerable medical needs, physical disabilities,
and leaning needs. Two other nurseries had shunned her. Through
their commitment, and close collaboration with the parents this
nursery offered a stimulating and enhancing environment, where
she flourished, made great progress, and made friends within her
community. She has gone on to primary school, having been rejected
by another less progressive school, and she is doing very well.
She had a birthday party before she left, where 18 young children
attended. Parents for inclusion ran an Inclusion Group for parents
in the school, and this is what her parent said:
"The Inclusion Group was a life line because
as a parent you pick your way through the maze of wanting your
child to be happy. It can be really be hard as a parent to watch
your child be placed on the outside and not feel responsible for
that in someway, or to want better. Meeting with other parents
makes you realise that you are just ordinary, picking your way
through an extraordinary complicated system, Our children are
not complicated, they are just kids who want to make friends at
school and to do stuff. Without the group, everything can get
lost. The inclusion groups are vital to break the isolation and
to help you know that everybody is a bit scared, a bit overwhelmed
and that they are parents who just love their kids. Most importantly
to know that everybody is coping in the same way." Disabled
parent.
Cleves school in Newham is another example where
very young disabled children are welcomed and included into their
primary school.
Lambeth Education has had a policy to support
inclusive education across the borough. They now have four special
schools from 14 ILEA schools.
They have three accessible schools, one is Jubilee
school that includes many children who are deaf or partially deaf.
They are teaching the whole school to sign, which is having a
substantial effect on the community. Kings Avenue Primary School
has young people with visual impairments, and a visual impairment
outreach service into mainstream schools.
We also have evidence from our helpline calls
which show that Local Education Authorities and schools will direct
families to special schools right from the start, or during a
young person's time at school. This will always be the case when
the going gets tough, and there is another option as to where
to place a child. Rather than finding solutions within their school
environment, or LEA resources, young people find themselves often
removed from their community schools and placed in special schools
which are completely inappropriate for their needs, or emotional
health.
The evidence which supported the Government's
own strategy to move towards increasing inclusion in mainstream
schools, to encompass recommendations from Disabled people, and
to include Education in the Disability Discrimination Act, must
be reconsidered by this Committee. They were all progressive and
clear steps towards recognising the rights of disabled people
in this country, and simply cannot be disregarded by this enquiry.
We have many other such examples, which we would
like to have the opportunity to bring to the Committee.
Barriers to inclusion
We have statistics that show the considerable
concerns and difficulties which parents have to tackle in the
quest for inclusion. Getting support for a young person who needs
support and extra resources can be an enormous challenge, and
the systems set up often prevent parents from getting the right
support; ie the Special Needs Tribunal is very time consuming,
and causes considerable stress and breakdowns for some parents.
Is it any wonder that some parents who have
not heard of the social model, or the tools for inclusion, or
the concept of planning positive futures, become exhausted and
fearful? It is so easy at this point to forget the intrinsic right
for disabled young people to be part of local schools and communities,
and opt for what they feel is a safer option.
In schools where there are good inclusive policies,
and an inclusive ethos, parents are happy to keep their children
there, and to contribute to further developing the schools' inclusive
agenda.
Mary Warnock herself stated at her launch that
if she had known more about the whole situation, she may not have
written the report in the same way. This is essential evidence
for the Committee to hold on to when making this enquiry.
Recommendations
— That there is an agenda to celebrate
disabled people and young disabled people in this country, and
that disabled people are fully represented on any committees considering
agenda which affect them or young disabled people. We hope very
much that your committee will have a disabled representative on
board so that the inquiry has full access to this unique perspective.
We would be very happy to recommend someone.
— That the Government celebrates and
acknowledges the enormous strides they have made in supporting
the inclusion agenda, and research the positive advances that
have been made.
— To research what actually happens
to these young people once they leave full time education from
both Special and Mainstream schools, and build in an outcome agenda
for all further research.
— That Disability Equality Training
is given the same status as Race equality and strongly recommended
to all professionals working with disabled young people.
— That there is an urgent inquiry into
the funding of special schools and an analysis made of their effectiveness
in relation to their long term value and outcomes. That evidence
submitted by the Audit Commission on SEN/Disability is considered.
— That no more special schools are
built, and a 15-20 year plan is put into place to develop well
resourced mainstream schools building on the already established
good practice across the UK.
— That the system of Statements is
removed, and resources are placed into mainstream schools.
— More funding is placed into the voluntary
sector committed to creating inclusive communities.
— That the parental choice is fully
debated alongside inclusion a human rights issue.
— Final comment. Representative from
Parents for Inclusion would welcome an opportunity to give evidence
orally. We have further evidence to offer, but unfortunately due
to the deadline, and work commitments we were unable to do this
paper justice.
SUPPORTING APPENDICES
1. "Where are they Now?"
the voices of 15 young adults who were among
the first disabled children to go to mainstream schools. Published
by The Alliance for Inclusive Education 2004—(Booklet).
2. "All our Children Belong"
exploring the experiences of black and minority
ethnic parents of disabled children. Published by Parents for
Inclusion 2004—(Report).
3. "Dreaming the Dream, Inclusion, an
issue of social justice"
report of a three year community project involving
young disabled people, parents, disabled people, and professionals,
brought together by Parents for Inclusion. Published 2001 (following
the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act)—(Report).
September 2005
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