Dear Letter to the Editor,
Brown vs. the Board of Education found, “segregated schools are inherently unequal.” This type of philosophy has carried over into the ability-based segregation occurring in schools today, including in Haddonfield. A separate education is not equal and studies have shown that children who are in segregated environments have less rigorous curriculum and less individualized academics. Children classified as having an intellectual disability, autism, and multiple disabilities are educated separately at the highest rates.
There are false assumptions about separate classrooms being the best way to educate children with disabilities and the flawed perception that segregated classrooms offer more support. Children with disabilities should not have to adapt to non disabled peers and they shouldn’t have to reach a certain standard in order to access general education in the regular classroom. Unfortunately, ableism is prevalent in society. It is built into different policies and practices that put disabled people at a disadvantage from those in society who have more normative means of communicating, learning, and moving. Medical models of disability are focused on the deficits of someone with a disability rather than looking at their strengths and focusing on their potential. Unfortunately, this has been our experience while in Haddonfield.
Access to the general education classroom is a right for all students and the research is clear about the benefits of inclusion for all students including those with disabilities and those without disabilities. Inclusion is a civil right. Students with disabilities have a right to participate meaningfully in general education classrooms with their general education peers. Unfortunately, New Jersey ranks lowest for inclusion rates in the entire United States. Let’s continue the narrative about accessibility and make inclusion a priority so our schools are inherently equal.
Ellen Woodcock
Haddonfield
