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History
We first came together in July 1997 as a group of parents
struggling for inclusion for our children. Parents from every borough
in New York City attended the initial meeting. Since that time, we have
grown rapidly, with over one hundred people on our mailing list and
meetings on a monthly basis.
From the beginning, we have adhered to the definition of
"inclusion" set forth by the New York State Education Department in its
1994 Least Restrictive Environment Implementation Policy Paper. When we
speak of "inclusion," we mean that:
primary instruction and provision of appropriate special
education services to a student with a disability is provided in an
age-appropriate general education class in the school the student would
have attended if he or she did not have a disability with appropriate
additional supports for the student and the student's teacher(s).
In keeping with our mission, we supported the New Continuum of
Special Education Services adopted for the City's schools in 2000. The
goals and objectives set forth below further our overall mission and
indicate changes that need to occur in order for the New Continuum to be
implemented effectively in both letter and spirit.
Goals and Objectives
A) Stronger policy direction from the central Department of
Education:
- A strong statement from the Chancellor that all
new schools in New York City must be accessible to the full range of
students
- A strong statement from the Chancellor on
inclusion policy, which, among other things, (i) adopts the definition
of inclusion contained in the New York State Education Department's 1994
Least Restrictive Environment Implementation Policy Paper, (ii) makes
clear that principals and regular education teachers are part of the
special education system and bound by the IEP, and
(iii) establishes a firm deadline by which
schools and teachers will lose the option of excluding appropriately
placed students with disabilities from their classrooms
- A strong statement from the Chancellor that
articulates a clear policy on grading and testing for all students
- Policies encouraging provision of related
services in regular education classrooms, instead of pulling children
out of the classrooms to work with related service providers
- Increased flexibility regarding the role of the
paraprofessional and the process of assigning paraprofessionals to
particular students
B) Training:
- Mandatory training for CSE members, SBST
members and special education supervisors so that they comply with the
"least restrictive environment" law, abandon arbitrary limits on
supplementary aids and services in general education classrooms, and
draft IEP's and allocate resources to promote inclusion
- Mandatory training for all principals, teachers,
consultant teachers, paraprofessionals, and other service providers on
philosophy and instructional strategies for inclusive classrooms,
including curriculum modification and other adaptations and supports
C) Ongoing support for districts and schools:
- An inclusion office with trained, well-qualified
personnel in each district to deal with implementation of educational
programs and further the inclusion commitment for all students
- A trained "inclusion" teacher, comparable to the
"methods and resource" teachers in District 75, in each school to
support students in inclusive placements
- Until there are comparable resources in all
districts, access for all districts to the resources of District 75 for
training personnel to implement inclusive placements for all students
- Adequate time for teachers and related service
providers to plan and coordinate services
- Improved physical accessibility of all schools
- Assurance that money allocated for children with
disabilities follows them all the way into the general education
classrooms in which they are included
D) Increased opportunities for parents of children with
disabilities to work in partnership with educational administrators and
teachers:
- A Department of Education advisory committee on
inclusion, which invites parents of children in inclusive placements to
be members
- Inclusion of parents of children with
disabilities on school-based LRE teams, school leadership teams, and
other school governance and advisory committees
Means for Achieving Goals and Objectives
A) Discussions with the City Department of Education and
State Education Department
B) Public education efforts targeting parents, teachers,
elected officials, and the media
C) Legal strategies, including individual impartial
hearings, interfacing with Jose P. and government agencies, and other
legal strategies as needed
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