ERIC Number: EJ1218773
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2019-Jun
Pages: 14
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1096-2506
EISSN: N/A
Rethinking "We Are All Special": Anti-Ableism Curricula in Early Childhood Classrooms
Lalvani, Priya; Bacon, Jessica K.
Young Exceptional Children, v22 n2 p87-100 Jun 2019
The Salamanca Statement on Special Needs Education (UNESCO, 1994), an international declaration adopted by 92 governments, outlines a commitment to inclusive education as an educational imperative and as the most effective way to combat discrimination and build acceptance in communities. Booth, Ainscow, and Kingston (2004) developed the Index for Inclusion for Early Childhood Environments, in which they emphasize the need for "Minimizing all barriers to play, learning and participation for all children. . . [which] involves a deep recognition of both the differences and similarities between all children and young people" (p. 3). To these ends, early childhood classrooms should be spaces that reflect the full range of human differences, and in which all dimensions of human variations are valued. Mirroring these ideals, the Division for Early Childhood of the Council for Exceptional Children (DEC) recommends that practitioners provide supports and services in natural and inclusive environments (DEC, 2014). However, U.S. Department of Education data from 2012 cites that fewer than half of 3- to 5-year-old children with disabilities are educated in general education settings, and the field in general has made little progress over decades toward inclusion (Barton & Smith, 2015). Consequently, many nondisabled children may not have sufficient opportunities to develop meaningful relationships with those with disabilities, and vice-versa. Contrary to popular belief, not only are young children likely to notice differences related to disability, but, when given the opportunity, can be engaged in complex explorations about society's responses to this form of human variation (Lalvani, 2015). Using a disability studies in education (DSE) lens which is explicitly focused on reducing the stigmas attached to disability and confronting ableism in schools, the authors extend these discussions further, by providing some concrete ways in which teachers can purposefully infuse anti-ableist lessons into the early childhood education and early childhood special education (EC/ECSE) curriculum.
Descriptors: Early Childhood Teachers, Young Children, Classroom Environment, Preschool Teachers, Students with Disabilities, Inclusion, Special Education, Social Justice, Attitudes toward Disabilities, Social Bias, Curriculum Enrichment, Teacher Role, Educational Strategies, Multicultural Education, Self Concept, Identification (Psychology), Language Usage, Interpersonal Relationship, Disability Discrimination, Equal Education, Learning Activities, Diversity, Student Empowerment
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Early Childhood Education; Preschool Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A