Inclusion and more

As a student who graduated from Chaparral recently, I can personally speak from the benefits of being placed in regular education classes and how they changed my life.  Social benefits: As a result of being placed in regular education classes, I was able to form strong friendships with my peers with and without disabilities in and out of class.  The students would help me during class to make sure I wasn't stressed out.  When I took Photo 1 a few years ago, I had several students without disabilities including Caley Chapman, who I am pictured with below, walk me out to the bus at 2:10. The fact that those students would walk me out the bus captivated the the attention of the class and the former teacher, Ms. Lineberger.   During fire drills, which were often overwhelming me for due to the noise of the alarm, the students would talk to me through the fire drill to make sure I was fine. Through the countless friendships I formed with my peers with and without dis...

People with intellectual and developmental disabilities are unemployed, which means they don't have a job to look forward to unless employers look outside of their disability. I had countless discussions with my teachers from Chaparral High School about this  topic and I also led an Ambassador training on "Finding a job" with my former PM, McKenzie Davis. As an individual living with a disability, I can speak personally about how much integrated employment has helped me grow. Through Chaparral's job training program for people with disabilities, I had the opportunity to be intern at BBAZ, to be part of the administrative enclave at the Scottsdale  Training and Rehabilitation Services, to work in Chaparral's library and to work in  the College and Career Center at Chaparral. To this day, people still ask me what I did when I interned at BBAZ and I rattle off some tasks I remember. One example of this was when some members of the Young Leaders Council, who w...

In a world and age when bullying is prominent, many students who have special needs are breaking down barriers and making history within the their high schools or colleges by being chosen to speak during the graduation ceremonies.  During the 2014-15 school year, I was encouraged by my teachers, friends from Best Buddies at Chaparral High School, my family and friends to try out to speak during Chaparral High School's graduation.  Thanks to their encouragement, I signed up for an audition in April 2014 and I prepared a speech on the obstacles I've overcome as a result of having autism.   Shortly after my audition, I got word I was one of the FIVE speakers who'd be speaking in front of over 2,000 people which included graduates and their parents and friends, governing board members, teachers and our admin team. I couldn't believe what I heard when one of my teachers told me the news.  Once she told me that, I called my mom tell her the news. I then texted a few mem...

August 3, 2014 was friendship day! Friendships are something we should never take for granted even though they come and go. It's hard for people with disabilities to form strong friendships with their peers without disabilities considering they are often pre-judged and labeled. Throughout the past 20 years of my life,  I have learned what it means to have friends who are there for me and who genuinely want to be with me.  Friendships take time to develop but they are one those things in life that it is worthwhile to develop. Friendships need a variety of things to flourish and develop, but a few things include Trustworthiness  When a friend tells a friend a secret, they depend on each other to be trustworthy by not telling the secret. The can be a hard concept for a lot people to grasp but if it is broken the friendship can be severed.  I have hard to learn to trust people when it comes to keep surprises, since I've been afraid that word would get out.  T...

Best Buddies is an organization that provides opportunities for one-to-one friendships, leadership development and integrated employment for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It is 50 states and 50 countries.  It has 7 programs- Best Buddies Middle Schools, Best Buddies High Schools, Best Buddies Colleges, Best Buddies Promoters, Best Buddies Jobs, Best  Buddies Ambassadors and eBuddies. Best Buddies helps make sure people with disabilities are included in everyday activities like birthday parties, school sporting events, school spirit assemblies and many more. Buddy pairs are matched based on similar interests like what types of music they love, how they prefer to communicate with one another and other similarities.  Once matched, buddy pairs must maintain contact with each other once a week and have two one-to-one contacts. That is required on the Friendship Update! Friendship Updates help Best Buddies offices secure funding, and help Best Buddi...

Many schools across the US have made history and defied odds by voting special needs students on to their schools prom or homecoming court. Below I'd like highlight a few schools Center Grove High School in Indiana recently voted JJ Kubancsek, a student with Down Syndrome as their Prom King. JJ's friend from Center Grove High's Best Buddies chapter, Claire Cross created a campaign to help JJ be named Prom King.  Pinnacle High School in Arizona voted Brandon Weschler, a student with Muscular Dystrophy Prom King. Brandon was the most popular student at Pinnacle High so his peers decided to vote him Prom King.  Westview High School in California voted Scott Shaver, a special needs student Prom King. Scott was part of Westview’s Best Buddies chapter and his mom credited Best Buddies chapter for helping him break out of his shell.  Summit High School in Tennessee students Ashlyn Anglim and Dale Burdick were voted Prom Queen and Prom King.  When they recei...

Throughout my year last year,  I had the opportunity to talk to many substitute teachers who were subbing for either Life Skills teachers or para-educators, when they were out. The substitute teachers who talk to me about how mud they loved Chaparral as a result of it being super inclusive towards the special education student as a result of having Best Buddies and Peer Leadership on campus.  One of the substitute teachers asked me about Best Buddies.  Through talking to the substitute teachers, I came to realize that not every school in the Scottsdale Unified School District is as inclusive as Chaparral.  Many schools in our district don't have as good of a special education program as Chaparral or some schools don't even have a Life Skills Center.  Arcadia High School only has a Learning Resource Center (LRC) program on campus. I really wish that EVERY school in SUSD was lucky enough to be able to have special needs students on campus. Those students are oft...

I am launching a new blog about the power of inclusive practices and why inclusion is important, as a result of one of my dads college friends suggesting I create this blog.  I have a dream that one day EVERYONE in the world will be included, disability or not.  Earlier this week, I posted a status about my dream of inclusion that was shared by two people- one friend and one family member.  Stay tuned for viewpoints about inclusion and why it is VERY important and valuable.  Also, read this blog to learn about schools and employers that are inclusive towards all people.