In recent
years there has been a growing commitment to excellence
in education and a general recognition that it is the
quality of education afforded its students that is perhaps
the most important predictor of a nation's future.
Like their peers without identified disabilities, students
with Down syndrome have the same right to expect a quality,
education that prepares them for valued and productive
roles as citizens of their communities. The purpose
of this statement is to highlight features of quality
programs for students with disabilities.
Features of quality programs are derived from several
sources: (a) the large research literature on effective
schools, (b) research on the development and learning
capacity of individuals with Down syndrome, (c) model
programs that demonstrate what is brought to bear to
educate all students, and finally, (d) values regarding
the rights of individuals with disabilities and their
place in the larger society.
In 1975, Congress passed Public Law 94-142 (Education
of All Handicapped Children Act), now codified as IDEA
(Individuals with Disabilities Education Act).
This law is very important in the lives of children
with disabilities. Under the law, early intervention
services are provided to eligible infants and toddlers
with disabilities, and special education and related
services are made available to eligible school-aged
children.
The most recent reauthorization of the law is The Individuals
with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004
(IDEA 2004) which was signed into law on December 3,
2004. Most provisions of the revised law take effect
on July 1, 2005.
| 1. |
Students Have The Right
To Integrated Services in Local Schools. |
| |
Students with disabilities have the right to attend
schools in their neighborhood along with brothers
and sisters, friends and neighbors who have no identified
disabilities. Attending an integrated and age-appropriate
school campus provides important learning opportunities
for all students. The neighborhood school should
be the planning base for decisions about educational
placement. The resources of special education
should be available to educate a student in his
or her home school. Eligibility for special education
should not be tantamount to a transfer from the
neighborhood school and a long bus ride.
School assignments for students with disabilities
should be as stable as they are for students without
identified disabilities. Continued attendance
at a local school should not depend on the availability
of space for a special classroom. Once a student
is assigned to a regular building, he or she should
continue there as long as others in his or her
age group.
As a rule of thumb, a student with a disability
should not be required to travel farther to his
or her school program than does a student without
disabilities.
Schools should provide structured opportunities
for students to take social advantage of the close-to-home
placement. There should be active efforts to promote
friendships and build social networks that include
students with and without disabilities.
|
| 2. |
Students Have The Right To Be Taught Well. |
| |
There must be high expectations both for students
with Down syndrome and for the professionals who
serve them. Students must be expected to achieve
and professionals must be expected to promote achievement.
Teachers must be trained to provide effective
instruction and to accommodate individual differences.
They must extend their skills as more diverse
groups of students attend their schools and their
classes.
School systems must provide services that students
need, not only those services they presently know
how to deliver.
Related services (such as speech and language,
occupational and physical therapies) should be
brought to the student rather than sending the
student to the location of services.
Principals should be prepared to advocate excellence
in education for all students, recognizing that
excellence is not synonymous with improved achievement
on standardized tests.
Educational administrators must assume a leadership
role in implementing best practices for all students.
|
| 3. |
Students Have The Right To A Curriculum that Is
Individualized, Functional and Future-Oriented.
|
| |
There should be a general absence of labeling.
All students including those with disabilities are
people first. Schools should actively promote
respect for human diversity.
Students with Down syndrome should have the same
access to the same events, facilities, and resources,
as do students without disabilities.
Participation in normal school and community
events is a right not a privilege for which students
have to qualify.
Students with disabilities must be recognized
as individuals. Variation in behavior, affect
and health are part of the human condition and
not specific to Down syndrome.
|
| 4. |
Students Have The Right To Be Treated With Dignity
As Full Citizens Of Their School Communities. |
| |
There should be a general absence of labeling. All
students including those with disabilities are people
first.
Schools should actively promote respect for human
diversity.
Students with Down syndrome should have the same
access to the same events, facilities, and resources,
as do students without disabilities.
Participation in normal school and community events
is a right not a privilege for which students have
to qualify.
Students with disabilities must be recognized as
individuals. Variation in behavior, affect and health
are part of the human condition and not specific
to Down syndrome.
|
| 5. |
Students And Their Families Have The Right To
Transition Support And Planning Throughout The School
Years. |
| |
Schools should promote active parent and family
involvement in decision-making. It is the family,
not the educational system, that has the most long-standing
and vested interest in a child with a disability.
|
The agenda of the National Down Syndrome Congress
reflects a commitment to the rights of students and
to the implementation of quality educational services.
Education is only one of many systems that support individuals
with Down syndrome. In order to realize fully the effects
of educational excellence, the NDSC promotes integration
and best practice standards for programs that provide
work, living and recreational opportunities for people
with disabilities.
Please quote fully and reference National Down Syndrome
Congress,
Prepared for and Approved By:
The Board of Directors
National Down Syndrome Congress
Nov. 18, 1988
Reviewed May, 2005
|
