Inclusive Education
Another objective for the IFAC is about Inclusive Education. In
these activities, we are working to promote access to the general
education curriculum, in the most natural setting, for each student.
Our activities in Inclusive Education have been to:
• Develop and deliver speaking presentations by IFAC members in the area of inclusion in elementary and adult education.
These presentations are the beginning of the RI Developmental Disabilities Council Speaker's Bureau. IFAC members have gained valuable public speaking skills while raising awareness of the importance of respect for everyone's voice.
• Complete our second year of the Inclusion Film Series. This year we expanded it to collaborate with both the University of Rhode Island and the Paul V. Sherlock Center on Disabilities at Rhode Island College to offer it in two areas of the state.
IFAC Committee members were panel members for the discussions following the films, to add their personal stories and experiences. These panels also included professionals working in the areas of school social work, early intervention and self-directed supports. Handout and activities during the interactive parts of the series were popular. See this terrific collection of really good reasons to include all students in the general education curriculum. (Benefits of Inclusion and Inclusion Film Series)
As part of the Film Series, we have been excited to have the final segment each year presented by the URI/RIC Universal Design in Learning Team. They have been developing universally-designed teaching units that are now available on the Click on the links at the top for subject area or grade level units. For more on Universal Design, visit .
This series provided Professional Development Credits for teachers, paraprofessionals and allied health professionals, and course credits for students in all of these fields. The series has been a valuable outreach, pulling in educators who are not linked to formal continuing education programs and members of the public, to promote increased understanding about intellectual disabilities and independent living and to change attitudes and perceptions. One participant gave us this feedback - "This series was a gift to the community". Watch for our next series - we have had new movies nominated, and requests for us to take these films out into the community and do specific presentations!
• Respond to an unexpected invitation that came our way through the folks that provide professional development to Early Childhood Educators. For this activity, IFAC staff has presented to two groups of pre-school educators and child-care providers. They learned about multiple learning styles, how to adapt games and materials for a large range of abilities and participation in play and early childhood exploring. See Preparation, then Lesson plan for Play
