For countless years students with disabilities have been ostracized from classrooms because of the stigmatism surrounding them. When the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was introduced students with disabilities were finally guaranteed the free education that they deserved. With that came teachers having to up their knowledge on how to make their classrooms and content more inclusive.
Educators can design for inclusion by being perceptive to the new and changing information about different students in their classrooms. They must implement the information they learn. Throughout this course I have been able to gather information on different disabilities and special needs and how I can help all students learn when they enter my classroom. I then was able to explain the difference between a Least Restrictive learning Environment (LRE) and the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and how both can be used to make a classroom inclusive.
By implementing a Universal Design for Learning in classrooms, teachers create a Least Restrictive Environment for all of their students. In the end, inclusion can only happen if the teacher is interested in helping students. Otherwise, UDL and LRE will be useless if not executed properly. A teacher using these tools must highlight the importance of students not thinking of themselves as lesser because they don’t understand the work. It is up to the educator to meet students where they are at and to help them by creating coursework that is doable for all. Whether this be accommodating students with modified content of the coursework or inclusive seating, teachers must be receptive of their students' needs.
I plan on using the information I learned during this course and remembering it when I start teaching. It is important if I want to be a good teacher that I think about my students' abilities when designing lesson plans. I need to ask myself, "At this specific point during my lesson, who can no longer complete what I am asking?" and then change my lesson plan to accommodate those people, or any person that walks through my door.