DOCUMENT RESUME EC 305 773 ED 410 719 Shapiro-Barnard, Susan; Tashie, Carol; Martin, Jill; Malloy, AUTHOR Joanne; Schuh, Mary; Piet, Jim; Lichtenstein, Stephen; Nisbet, Jan Petroglyphs: The Writing on the Wall. TITLE New Hampshire Univ., Durham. Inst. on Disability. INSTITUTION Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services SPONS AGENCY (ED), Washington, DC. 1996-00-00 PUB DATE 48p. NOTE H158A1003-91; H086J50014-95 CONTRACT Opinion Papers (120) Books (010) PUB TYPE MF01/PCO2 Plus Postage. EDRS PRICE *Academic Achievement; *Access to Education; Curriculum DESCRIPTORS Development; Daily Living Skills; *Disabilities; Friendship; High Schools; *Inclusive Schools; Mainstreaming; *Peer Acceptance; Photographs; Photojournalism; *Social Integration Academic Accommodations (Disabilities) IDENTIFIERS ABSTRACT This book is a collection of photographs and accompanying text that focuses on the inclusion of high school students with disabilities in general education classrooms in New Hampshire. For each topic, a black-and-white picture is presented of a student with a disability in a general education setting. The opposing page has a parac,ranh on what people used to think about students with disabilities, paired with a paragraph on what people now know about students with disabilities. Topics include: academics, curriculum, natural supports, life skills, community, friendship, work, graduation, restructuring, future planning, and respect. The text stresses the need to change society's beliefs about the limitations and segregation of high school students with disabilities and to make the accommodations necessary to include these students in general education. (CR) ******************************** ***** ****** ****** ************************** ***** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. ******************************************************************************** HAMPSHIRE 111 ks y p I : the writing on the wall U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION Oncrics Educabonat Research and irnotowenwrnt EDU6ATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION / CENTER (ERIC) AVAILABLE reproduced ea BEST COPY rse' rhea document nas been orgentiatton received Dorn the perSOn or ongmattrig (I imam,* Mom,' changes have been made to rag:trot:WORM Oulitty aocu Potnis Pt 'new or opm(ons stated al ms represent on(Ctal meni do not necessanly OERI Dosmon or tsoncy The Turning Points Project: New Hampshire's Transition Initiative- and "New Hampshire's Statewide Systems Change Project- are five year projects funded by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (Grant No.'s 11158A1003-91 and H086150014-95), awarded to the New Hampshire Department of Education, in conjunction with the University of New Hampshire's Institute on Disability/LIAR The contents of this book do not necessarily represent the policy or position of the U.S. Department of Education. E T COPY AVAILABLE pe:fro the writing on the wall w -Susan-Sh*F6:--B-arnard. Carol Tashie Jill Martin Joanne Malloy. Mary Schuh Jim Piet Stephen-Udit-instein Jan Nisbet \pkoto67A-apks---6y ---,Gary Samson Instructiobal Servic University of New-Hampshire (unless otherwise noted)_------ Institute on Disability/UAP University of New Hampshire 1996 4 BEST COPY AVAILABLE ', a, ' t "- `;.. . ," ' 7 . : ' t ; " ;'; : ' . s ' .7':!/" 44 ° S:125:.e." #,, ; : .t T:$;tr,121',N.: ( 04 pe.te.ogiyplAs: the wvi-Fivls ovt the wall is a collection of photographs paired with uncompromising narrative. Like a carving on a rock, each picture communicates many layers of thinking with a single image. The accompanying words are additional placeholders for our thoughts, and carry both an affirmation and a warning. An affirmation that as we learn so can we change, and a warning that without change regression is inevitable. This book may not be easy to read. It has hard edges and sits close to the fault line. But there is a bottom line. Social justice must be extended to high school. i vy11/4- I 5 Frederick Douglas once wrote, "People who Although inclusive education has taken a strong advocate freedom, yet deprecate agitation, are hold in schools throughout the country, high school people who want crops without plowing the students with disabilities still face the real and ground." It's time to turn the soil. Douglas continued, frightening possibility of segregation. We used to "Without struggle, there is no progress." This book could accept this. We used to think that high schools honors the struggle in all of us. The struggle to not embody both excellence and equity. But we now embrace our old thinking for a moment, learn from know better. By challenging existing beliefs and it, and then push it aside. With confidence. For the practices. this book advocates change. Change that writing is on the wall. disturbs the universe of special education. Change that goes beyond a revelation to become part of a revolution. Change that is more than a nodding of the head. 6 3 acade, 7 BEST COPY AMIABLE We now We tAsecl know seven of the most dangerous words to think students with disabilities couldn't in our vocabulary are she won't get anything out of learn academics in regular high school classes. That it." We now know students with disabilities can functional - daily living skills were more important learn academic skills. And that it's advantageous to than reading and writing and math. That cooking do so. We now know literacy is probably the most skills were more important than knowledge. functional skill in our society. And there is great value So we taught students to read safety words while in knowledge. We now know about the "least their peers were reading books. We took students dangerous assumption." So when we aren't sure studied to the bowling alley while their classmates whether or not a student understands, we must physics. We equated not being able to read assume that she does. We now know the high price Shakespeare, with not being able to appreciate it. of assuming she does not. Not being able to raiseyour hand in class, with having nothing to say. 8 5 We VIOW We LASed know we can do better. That it is possible to think if a student wasn't able to open for students with disabilities to learn from the regular a biology book and answer the questions on page education curriculum. That the barrier to this seventy-two, that the student would be better off in happening isn't the student's ability, but often it is a special education classroom. But then we learned our own. We know "no man is an island," but about the importance of inclusion. And so, when the without modifications and supports, sometimes teacher said turn to page seventy-two, we no students with disabilities in regular classrooms can longer asked that student to leave. Instead, we be. We now know the difference between handed her something else to dosomething "on alternative and modified. That "being in" isn't the her level." And we called on a special education same thing as "being with." And that ultimately we teacher to create it. And we called on a need to stop talking about curriculum modification paraprofessional to implement it. But the student and start talking about inclusive curriculum design. never got called on, because the biology teacher didn't know what the student was doing. 9 6 CL4 VYI C MUM 10 BEST COPY