Table of Contents
Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: Diversity is Good
Sam: Finding the Good in Everyone
Andrew: Going Places by Being Diverse
Chapter 2: Special Education is a Service, Not a Sentence
Susan: Making Difference Ordinary
Gavin: Creating a Support Plan Around a Student Without Prerequisites
Fairness is Not Sameness
Chapter 3: No Double Standards
Marco: Don’t Hold a Disability Against a Person
Zach: Learning the Rules
Dining in Siberia
Eric: Advocate for Students
Chapter 4: A General Education Shouldn’t Need to Be Earned
Anthony: The Least Restrictive Environment and System Reform
Jenny: A Free Appropriate Public Education Is Not Always Free or Appropriate
Katie: Keeping the Faith
Chapter 5: Inclusion May Not Be Easier, But It’s Better
Mark: A Defining Moment for Inclusion
Components of Inclusion
Jack: Inclusion Is Better for Everyone
Chapter 6: The Dignity of Risk Applies to All People
Ben: Portraying the Dignity of Risk
The Dignity of Risk and Learned Helplessness
Julie: Protection Instead of Isolation
Lindsay: Promoting Independence and Quality of Life
Mick: We all Need Confidence and Competence
Chapter 7: Parents: The Gold Standard
Elizabeth and Trevor: Believe You Will Be Successful
Brenda and Brian: Never Give Up
Tonya and David: Families Are Our Most Valuable Resource
Chapter 8: Get Rid of Labels
Nick: Beating A Self–Fulfilling Prophecy
Franklin: Self–Advocacy Stamps Out Labels
Would the Artist Formerly Known as Special Education Please Stand Up?
Chapter 9: Make Education Real!
Jamie: Zero In on What a Student Does Best
Dylan: Don’t Waste a Student’s Time
Justin: An Educational Wake–Up Call
Ella: Sometimes We Need Tough Love
Chapter 10: Disability Is Normal
Works Cited