Inclusive Education

Waterloo Regional Buddy Walk 2010

2010-11-07T19:37:00.000-08:00

Another amazing Buddy Walk today. Each year I am overwhelmed by the amount of joy in the room. It's such an important day for reminding ourselves and each other what a great community we have. We raised over $25,000 for speech and music therapy bursaries, but mostly we raised awareness in the community about issues of inclusion and Down syndrome. Thanks to all the media and politicians who showed up to support us.

If you want to see what our kids mean to us, this montage of pictures and music is a great way to do it. Check it out and let me know what you think. The kids were rockin' out to this earlier.

Conference Time Again

2010-03-03T12:35:00.000-08:00

So many great conferences coming up. I really wish I could go to the Human Rights Conference in Niagara Falls that deals with rights for people with intellectual disabilities, but I can can't quite swing that one. I do hope, however, with the help of my organization and the hospitality of a friend, to attend the Canadian Down Syndrome Society national conference in Regina, SK, in May. What I'm also excited about is this pre-conference workshop. Now that Russell is getting older, I need to shift my focus from his schooling (without losing vigilance) to his life after school. This will help me get started.
Supportive Employment Pre-Conference CDSS Regina

Writing about Disability

2010-02-20T06:03:00.000-08:00

There's no doubt that writing about disability from an outside perspective is difficult. But if the writer is coming from a position of respect and equality it goes a long way to saving the writing from sounding like a Hallmark card. Someone who consistently gets it right is Michael Bérubé, father of the amazing Jamie and author of Life as We Know It (among his numerous publications; the guy's a machine in cultural studies).

I have struggled for a while with Ian Brown's writing about his disabled son, first featured in The Globe and Mail, and now an award-winning book, The Boy in the Moon (disclaimer: after not enjoying the features, I haven't read the book). It's not for me to dictate how Mr. Brown feels (or should feel) about things, but his writing makes me uncomfortable, and I haven't quite figured out why. I felt the same way this morning after reading his feature on Frédéric Bilodeau, older brother of our Olympic gold medalist, Alexandre. Frédéric sounds like a pretty smart guy, but for all that most of the words are right, I come away feeling that Brown can't get over his pity for anyone with a disability.

Someone on Michael's blog used the word "simpering" to describe how most articles about people with disabilities are written, and I think she's got it right. To celebrate their accomplishments we somehow need to play up their "specialness," and that doesn't do them any favours. By all means, let's celebrate their accomplishments, but without the parenthetical (aww, ain't they cute).

Semester Change

2010-01-20T20:50:00.000-08:00

It's hard to believe we're at the end of the first semester of Grade 11. Russell has had mixed success this semester. The school is being very accommodating by allowing him to learn in classes of his peers, instead of automatically congregating him with other kids with disabilities. The challenge is that the system is not set up that way, so finding the correct supports for him has been a challenge. I'm impressed that not once did they suggest pulling him out, though. They've just made it work. I'm not sure it's always the best thing for him educationally, but in the big picture, I truly believe in inclusion at all levels.
Next semester starts in a couple of weeks, and Russell will be included in religion, gym, and cooking (hospitality). He's totally looking forward to gym and cooking, and I hope it goes well for him. He keeps pretty active all the time playing basketball, in fact we're just home from a game. But he loves to work out on the weight machines, so can't wait to start gym.
Next year will be a bit more of a challenge with Mary heading off to Laurier. She's been my backbone at the school, scooping in to take care of things when needed. But in September Russ will be flying solo. I hope he soars.

Gleeful

2009-11-12T06:29:00.000-08:00

My kids have been watching Glee all season. As much as I love music, it's been harder for me to get into. Just a little too slick. But I had heard a rumour that there was going to be a cheerleader with Down syndrome on last night's show, so I decided to sit down with the kids and watch it.

This show has a lot of good things going on, inclusion-wise. I love the character of Kurt and his relationship with his dad. At the beginning of the season Kurt came out to his dad, who is macho sports-loving mechanic, and to see him come to terms with a gay son is very touching and feels very real. The love and support he showed in last night's episode when he went to bat for Kurt's right to audition for a traditionally female role was awesome.

The Glee Club includes a student in a wheelchair, and last night's episode focused on some of his struggles and the gap between him and the other students who never have to think of things like mobility.

Then there's Sue, the gym teacher who provides a lot of comic relief by being unbelievably insensitive and awful most of the time. Last night she was forced to hold open auditions for the cheerleading squad and after being just awful to most of the kids trying out she accepted the student with Down syndrome. Later in the show we see her visiting her sister, an actor probably in her 40s or 50s with Down syndrome. It was very sweet and definitely added more depth to her character.

Comment:

I read a blog post today that really took Glee to task for the way it portrays disability and "otherness." And yes, I agree, it would have been a lot better had they hired an actor who uses a wheelchair rather than one who doesn't. That didn't just occur to me last night, my kids and I had already been talking about it. And sure, the show is full of clichés and stereotypes. But it is a comedy, not a realistic drama, and unlike some other shows on TV that my kids watch (namely on the Disney channel) it doesn't set out to mock people who don't fit into the right boxes (well everyone gets mocked at some point, but that's comedy). The person posting also complained that Sue having a sister with Down syndrome automatically insinuated that she's not a bigot, ie., that her character is okay. I didn't see that. I saw another dimension to a character that had previously been a bit of a caricature. It humanized her a bit, but not too much. Is it perfect? No, but I don't think it deserves the scathing review she gave it either.

2009 Waterloo Region Buddy Walk

2009-10-28T11:33:00.000-07:00

Gosh, it's been ages since I posted. I have really good intentions but life gets in the way. I am going to try (once my course is over, and the freelance editing job I'm working on) to catch up on some of the inclusion news, but for now here's something else cool.

November 1-8th is National Down Syndrome Awareness Week. The Waterloo Regional Down Syndrome Society is hosting its annual Buddy Walk on Sunday, the 8th at Stanley Park Community Centre. As part of the promotion they have booked space on the local radio stations and one of the public service announcements talks about Russell. It's so cool to hear someone else talk about him like he's a star.

I added pictures because Blogger doesn't upload just audio files.

Year-end Wrap Up

2009-06-26T05:13:00.000-07:00

I wasn't as active on this blog as I meant to be this year, partly, I'm sure, because the issues are important to me and I can't just dash off something whimsical on a daily basis. However, I did want to share some triumphs and some frustrations about Russell's second year of high school.

Right off the bat, I want to say that I'm 95% happy with the way high school is going for him. Although he does attend a congregated class for half his day, they also look for ways to challenge him and provide better inclusion. This year he participated in an Essential level Science class with a personalized curriculum and he really loved it. I liked that his two special ed classes were split up so that one was first thing in the morning and one was after lunch. He didn't spend a whole morning in one room.

His "monitor," as they call the teacher in charge of his IEP and all communication with me, is a great guy, who did weekly journalling with him and really pushed him academically this year. He has decided that next year Russell will do his reading and math at the Essential level as he did with science this year. Essential-level classes are designed for kids working at a grade 7 to 8 level. They are located throughout the school and provide him with a better sense of being part of the student body. His academics are not at that level, but his expectations will be modified, which is great. This teacher also coaches the swim team and has asked Russell to join next year. His swimming is not a strength, but he is athletic generally, so I hope that working to personal best will result in him being able to compete and improve his skills overall.

My frustrations come with the level of communication at high school. I hear this across the board and around the table at SEAC. I understand I don't need daily updates, but a breakdown can result in unsafe situations. Because Russell is so independent, he gets home by himself every day on the bus. But in exam time the schedules change, and for the life of me I couldn't get anyone to return my calls about how he would know what to do, and he missed the bus and then went missing himself. He was found very quickly and I don't believe he was in any danger, but with another child it may have been a totally different scenario. So my goal (and this has been communicated to the school) is to put in place a better communication plan for next year and to stay on top of it throughout the year.

On a personal inclusion note, Russell once again played basketball and ball hockey in the regular community leagues. He sunk a few baskets, and in the last ball hockey game he got an assist on the tying goal. Both teams went on to win the championship of their respective leagues, and he is a very happy boy.

Valuing Good Teachers

2009-04-20T07:41:00.000-07:00

Inclusion happens because everybody involved wants to make it work. That is never more evident than when you have a teacher who doesn't support it, or when you have one that does. We are so lucky that, for the most part, we've had teachers who truly believe in the idea of including all kids.

On Friday night Russell had his first ball hockey game of the season with an inclusive league (Southwestern Ontario Ball Hockey). He's played 4 seasons with them and really enjoys it. For his first game one of his high school teachers came out to watch and while he was there he mentioned that he would be interested in helping Russell join the high school swim team, which he coaches. This is a competitive team and Russell does not have the skills he needs, but they're happy to coach him to improve his personal best and will enter him into meets whenever possible. How cool is that? This is the kind of inclusion, in and out of the classroom, that truly makes a difference.

A Historic Day in Ontario

2009-03-31T15:50:00.000-07:00

Today marks a great occasion. The last three institutions housing people with developmental disabilities in Ontario have been closed. The movement started decades ago, but in 1987 the province first moved to close these institutions and move those living in them to community settings. It has taken over twenty years to make the transition.

Although some family members fought the closures, understandably, since it was the only home their loved one had known, the Ontario Community and Social Services Minister Madeleine Meilleur said most were pleased with the community placements.

This blog is usually about educational inclusion, but that can't be separated from social inclusion. Attitudes can only start to change when people see change happening around them. Talking can go on too long and when an idea is right, it should be acted upon. The opportunity for full inclusion in school and community, meaningful work, and supports to make that all possible is exactly what I want for all my children. Why should one be different from the others? The only difference lies in the ways it comes about.

So today, raise a toast to families who came before us and started advocating for this movement many, many years ago. Thanks to Community Living Ontario and the Canadian Association for Community Living for continuing to push for legislative change and greater rights for all.

Inclusion Article by Teen

2009-02-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

I'm so proud of the next generation, many of whom take inclusive education for granted because they grew up with kids with special education needs in their classrooms. My teenage daughter and her friend recently attended a weekend seminar focused on inclusion sponsored by Community Living Ontario. Mary's friend Shanyce is a member of the youth editorial board at the Waterloo Region Record, and this week they published her opinion piece titled "We Have To Try Harder to Include Those with Special Needs."

It's a wonderful piece of writing from a very astute young woman. I suggest you check it out.

SEAC Report February 2009

2009-02-23T08:53:00.000-08:00

I am the Special Education Advisory Committee chair for the Waterloo Catholic District School Board, representing the Waterloo Regional Down Syndrome Society. Here is my latest report.

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January and February were busy months for SEAC. I’m happy to report that I was re-elected chair for another term. The vice-chair position is yet to be filled, but we are hoping to rectify that at our March meeting. Chairing SEAC gives me the opportunity to stay informed about issues in special education through direct contact with board administration and opportunities for further learning at conferences, workshops, etc.

SEAC is concentrating this school year on learning about services for students in high school, and we have enjoyed numerous presentations from staff. Because these can become overwhelming, we have developed a template for gathering information during the presentations, in our following small group discussions, and our subsequent recommendations (if applicable) to the board. We tried them out for the first time in February and everyone agreed that it was a good exercise.

At the February meeting SEAC discussed the use of service dogs in school. January had seen a presentation by staff on the guide dog policy, and it was felt that further clarification between “service dog,” “guide dog,” “therapy dog,” and “companion dog” was needed. After gathering information from the Ontario Accessibility Plan and reviewing policies from other boards, members got into small groups to discuss benefits and possible challenges of dogs in the school. It is important to note that this exercise did not seek to determine “whether” dogs are allowed—that is covered by legislation. It was just to clarify for everyone how they are used and how best to face the challenges that may occur if dogs are present in schools. At the end of the discussion members shared their findings with the board staff so that they could be considered in any future policy creation.

SEAC members also received an update from Judy Nairn, chair of the inclusion audit committee of the WCDSB trustees. She indicated that trustees would soon be hearing about the history of inclusion from Bernie Kowalczyk, former superintendent and fearless champion of inclusion from its earliest days in the board. Trustees will also be visiting a sample of schools to see how inclusion is being practised. SEAC will also be invited to give a presentation to this committee to share our values around inclusion. At the end of this exercise, trustees will be able to write informed recommendations for the entrenchment of the language of inclusion in board documents.

As always, I am available to answer any questions about special education in the Catholic board. You can reach me at 519-585-0757 or at clare.hitchens@gmail.com.

Inclusive Education Week

2009-02-17T18:44:00.001-08:00

This is national inclusive education week, and the folks at the Canadian Association for Community Living have been working very hard to come up with a campaign that will run on TV, radio, and in print, telling the world that our kids belong in regular classrooms. The two TV spots are great, especially this one. It brought me to tears. The theme of the campaign is No Excuses. I love it.

There is also a declaration here that sets out the main elements of the beliefs and convictions of supporters of the campaign. Some of the highlights are:

Inclusive education results in students having a much greater chance of improved health status, being involved in their communities, completing high school and going on to post-secondary education, getting a job and having a decent income

How Do We Define Inclusive Education? When all kids attend and are welcomed into their neighbourhood schools in age-appropriate regular classes, and are supported to learn, contribute to, and participate in all aspects in the life of the school. As well, all students are challenged to meet their unique intellectual, social, physical and career development goals.

How Are We Doing in Canada in 2009? We are doing well in many communities and in many schools and classrooms. BUT in many schools and communities the progress has been slow and there are still special classes for kids with special needs. Sometimes they are the only option.

We Need:

Leadership for inclusive education from all levels from the Ministry of Education to the school district/board to the individual school.
Teacher education programs that prepare teachers for diversity, inclusion, and quality education for all students.
Engagement with the community at large to communicate the positive benefits of inclusive education for everyone.

The declaration ends with a commitment to bring about change, calling on politicians, school trustees, and administrators. Unfortunately the link to sign the declaration is broken, but I imagine that will be fixed soon. When it is I will post it.

What I have posted here are just a few highlights from this very powerful document. As someone who has been involved in this movement ever since my son started school (and we were lucky that he was included in elementary school) this feels like a wonderful tide of progress. I sincerely hope that this national campaign gets people talking and we can start to move forward so that the next generation of kids has one less thing to fight for.

Go CACL! You Rock!

Making Special Education Inclusive

2009-01-20T12:21:00.000-08:00

I received the following information and am sharing with you. If you have any questions please check out the Inclusive Education Canada website.

Inclusive Education Canada, in cooperation with the Toronto District School Board, is presenting a one-day forum on Friday, February 13, 2009. The event takes place at the OISE auditorium at the University of Toronto, 252 Bloor St West (St. George station).

Featured speakers and panelists include Anne Jordan (OISE), Emily Noble (Canadian Teachers'Federation), Gordon Porter (Inclusive Education Canada), Barbara Hall (OHRC), Cindy Burley (TDSB), Michael Bach (CACL), Diane Dewing (Parent; ETFO), Maryam Wagner (OISE), Catherine Montreuil (BGCDSB), Deidre Smith (Ontario College of Teachers), and Christa Freiler (CEA).

Registration is required, but there is no fee. Please email registration to Inclusive Education Canada. Include your name, email, and affiliation.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

2008-12-03T07:11:00.000-08:00

Does your school include students with intellectual disabilities in regular classrooms? Does your place of employment include a person with an intellectual disability? People with intellectual disabilities are still facing attitudinal barriers when it comes to full participation in society.

Today is the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities and I would like you to stop and consider how that figures into your life. Of course if you're reading this blog, chances are you have someone with a disability in your life. But beyond that special person, who else do you know that would benefit from greater inclusion?

In the car on the way to work this morning I heard a report about Toronto's Unsung Heroes award going to producers from a company called VoicePrint, which provides a service to people with visual impairment. From their webpage:

Our mandate: to deliver a steady and timely flow of information that is essential to the decision-making needs of our audience. To that end, VoicePrint broadcasts readings of full-text articles 24/7 from more than 600 of Canada’s top newspapers and magazines into 10 million homes.

So, almost anything that is in print, including many grocery flyers, can be heard on their website, on Rogers Cable 196, or on the secondary audio SAP of CBC Newsworld. They also have outlets on Satellite TV. Content available includes news, entertainment information, book talks, local grocery specials and much more.

Why not consider making a donation to this valuable program, or you could lend your voice and join the over 800 volunteers who read the printed material for broadcast. Check out volunteer opportunities here.

CODE Conference

2008-11-19T10:25:00.000-08:00

These past two days I spent with staff from the Waterloo Catholic District School Board at the conference put on by CODE—the Council of Ontario Directors of Education. As SEAC chair I am invited to attend conferences with staff on a regular basis. I can't always go, but these two days were set aside to showcase how boards had used CODE funding in special education projects over the past three years. I couldn't pass up the opportunity so I went along.

First, a brief explanation of CODE funding. For the past three years, the ministry of education has made funding available for special education projects and has directed CODE to administer the grants. Boards had to submit grant applications outlining how the funds would be used to enhance student learning, increase teacher capacity, and indicate how these results would be measured. Projects were to be based on the expectations in the document Education for All, released by the ministry in 2005. (The update that extends the document K-12 is on the way, apparently.)

The theme of this conference was What? So What? and Now What? which makes clear that boards are expected to be able to demonstrate how successful initiatives have made a difference to student achievement and how they will be carried forward into practice on a regular basis.

Projects were displayed in poster board presentations and in break-out sessions. They had a variety of topics, but a number of them concentrated on the use of assistive technology to enhance student learning. One of the sessions I attended explained how programs like Dragon Naturally Speaking and Kurzweil assisted intermediate students to complete reading and writing tasks that had previously challenged them considerably. Using voice technology, either to dictate answers or to listen to readings from the textbooks, freed them from the anxiety caused by their struggles with reading and writing. Not only did their work get done, they understood the subject area better and increased their capacity in reading and writing even when they weren't using the technology. A definite success story.

Two guest speakers were very inspiring. Kathleen Wynne, minister of education for Ontario, was passionate and committed to improving student achievement. No matter your politics I don't think there's any doubt that she is an excellent advocate for our kids. Sir Ken Robinson, keynote speaker for Tuesday morning, spoke eloquently and humorously about his childhood in Liverpool, his polio and subsequent disability, and his father's insistence that he pursue his education, which has led to a very successful career and a knighthood for his contribution to the arts. He spoke about how we preference knowledge and ability and rank them, so that the student who excels in math and science is considered superior to one who excels in the humanities, who in turn is considered superior to one who excels in the arts, and so on. He believes we miss qualities in students who are not high achievers that are just as important. He used Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Elvis Presley as examples of students whose talents were under-appreciated as children in school. Once again, he used the word transformation to identify what needs to happen to our school system if we are to appreciate and nurture the talents of all our kids. He was truly inspiring.

What pleased me about this conference in an over-arching way was the underlying acceptance that students are best served in the regular classroom with their peers. Although some projects did take place in self-contained classrooms, most concentrated on diversified instruction within the classroom. Ministry staff said outright that the regular classroom is the preferred placement. They indicated that educational practice is undergoing a shift toward collaboration and greater levels of engagement between families and schools, between school boards and the ministry, and between boards themselves. One can only hope that this wasn't just rhetoric delivered to a captive audience. A positive sign toward this was the introduction of a new framework for ensuring parent engagement.

I thank the WCDSB for giving me the opportunity to attend the conference and look forward to future initiatives. To read more about CODE funded projects see the newly established CODE Chronicles.

Inclusion in high school

2008-11-09T19:19:00.000-08:00

I've got a great article about Universal Design for Learning planned, but not as much time and energy as I need to write it. So tonight I thought I'd just write a bit about inclusive education in high school and the challenges (and opportunities) it presents.

I am not a teacher, nor have I studied educational philosophy or psychology past an undergraduate level. I do have four very different children, however, and my observations here are largely based on their experiences of high school combined with my learning, both at school and as part of the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) at my board.

When my oldest son was due to start high school it was recommended that he take the Applied level courses that prepare students for college, trades, or the workplace. He was a struggling student in elementary and around the age of 12 he was diagnosed (at my initiation, outside the school system) with Central Auditory Processing Disorder, a learning disability that inhibits his receptive language. He refused service for the most part, and I believed he would have great difficulty with the Academic stream, so I agreed to the placement. We also agreed that he would swap his mandatory French credit for a course called Learning Strategies. It was this course that gave me the first inkling that this grouping was not a great idea. The class was filled with struggling students who didn't really want to be there. They spent most of their time disrespecting the teacher, who responded by sending them to administration for detention and suspension. Some very bad habits were learned in this classroom. I heard someone say the other night at SEAC that everyone should take this course because it is so good. I bit my tongue to prevent from retorting that if everyone took it perhaps it could do some good, but that I didn't believe that it did in its present form. At the CASHRA conference Kelly Lamrock (Minister of Education for New Brunswick) said that if we want kids to get ahead of the curve, the worst thing we can do is put them with kids just like them. I agree completely.

High school got slightly better for my son when he discovered the tech classes. Here he could put his intelligence to use in a hands-on situation. The teachers liked his enthusiasm and he enjoyed going to those classes. However his marks never went much past a C, and I truly believe that for his whole four years at school, no more was ever expected of him. He graduated with a C- average and not enough skills for college or a skilled trade. There are so many kids like him. Again, at the conference, a few speakers mentioned that high schools currently teach to the top 30 or 40%. Add the fact that only about 40% of students in the applied stream pass the grade nine standardized math test written specifically for that level of student. Those are disturbing stats.

Contrast this experience to that of my daughter who is in the academic stream. Her teachers expect high marks from her, they expect her to hand in her assignments on time, they expect perfect attendance, and they expect their classes to behave. She is excelling. She is also a very different student from her brother, but I believe the expectations have a lot to do with her success.

My son with Down syndrome is in grade ten. His program consists of a half-day of inclusion and a half-day of special education classes. I have grave concerns about the expectations put on him at school. He has only to tell them he can't do something and he's off the hook. To their credit, as they get to know him they realize just what he's capable of, but the idea that academics are important is just not present in his curriculum. And although he is included in two classes, he is not in any clubs, school teams, or intramural sports. Part of this comes from his reluctance to get involved -- his brother was no better -- but partly it comes from a lack of effort on the school's part to make sure he has the same opportunities as other students. It's there in principle, but not in practice.

I'm going to end here without getting into the recommendations for better inclusion in high school and I'll pick that up in the next post. I promise you won't have to wait as long for it!

CASHRA National Forum on Inclusive Education

2008-10-21T16:47:00.000-07:00

In September I was fortunate to attend a national forum on inclusive education, which took place in Toronto. Advocates came from across Canada and from all walks of life. Sponsored by the Canadian Association of Human Rights Agencies, ARCH Disability Law Centre, the Canadian Association for Community Living, and the Canadian Teachers Federation, the forum consisted of three days of uplifting and inspiring presentations about the rights of students with disabilities to be educated with their peers in the regular classroom.

The weekend started with a review of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Signed by Canada in 2005, it has yet to be ratified. The goal of these national groups is that parliament ratifies the convention by spring of 2009. Once ratified its covenants can be translated into federal and provincial legislation. Here are some of the most applicable statements from Article 24 on education (my bolding):

1. States Parties recognize the right of persons with disabilities to education. With a view to realizing this right without discrimination and on the basis of equal opportunity, States Parties shall ensure an inclusive education system at all levels and life long learning...

2.(b) Persons with disabilities can access an inclusive, quality and free primary education and secondary education on an equal basis with others in the communities in which they live;...

(d) Persons with disabilities receive the support required, within the general education system, to facilitate their effective education;

(d) Persons with disabilities receive the support required, within the general education system, to facilitate their effective education;

(e) Effective individualized support measures are provided in environments that maximize academic and social development, consistent with the goal of full inclusion.

These are just a few items from the article, but imagine how much better our education legislation would be if we could call on these international conventions. Up to this point, no legal case has been won that sought inclusive education over special education placement. And wouldn't the world be a better place if inclusive education was the norm and lawsuits weren't necessary.
In my next post I will talk about some of the concepts of inclusive education, such as universal design for learning and differentiated instruction. Both these concepts benefit all students, not just those with special educational needs. Stay tuned.

Why a New Blog?

2008-10-20T19:30:00.000-07:00

I've discovered that ever since I joined Facebook I feel less and less like blogging about my daily life. I update my status, I comment, I Twitter, etc., but I don't feel like writing extended posts. Where I do feel moved to write is in my quest for inclusive education for students with disabilities. So I've created this new blog for that purpose and I hope I can make a difference in my small way.

My name is Clare and I am the mother of four children, one of whom has Down syndrome. We live in southwestern Ontario and have had the good fortune to enjoy inclusive education for the first 10 years of Russell's schooling. In high school he is included for half the day and is in special education classes for the rest. I'm not altogether satisfied with that arrangement, and I'm working with the school to see how we can increase the inclusive part of his day.

In the posts to follow I will talk about the journey so far and try to keep you up to date with policy change as well as success stories and challenges. Thank you for reading and please feel free to leave a comment.