Fairness

In the field of advocates for students with learning disabilities, there are few more powerful speakers than a man named Rick Lavoie. I have not had the opportunity to hear him speak personally however, I have watched some of his videos and listened to my coworkers discuss his methods. (My coworkers got to see him at a seminar but I was still in college at the time and not yet working at my school.) One of the main themes by which we operate at my school is the one Mr. Lavoie discusses in the following video clip
It is the theme of fairness—“fairness is not getting the same as everyone else, it’s getting what you need.” We operate with this principle in mind at all times, hoping to give kids the best we possibly can. The students understand this concept as well because it is explained to them early on. Perhaps Cathy needs her test read to her while the other students can read it on their own. Or, Jim dictates his paper to the teacher while she types it for him because he is unable to use his hands in the same way as the other students. So many people consider this to be “cheating” or an “unfair advantage” but would it not be a tragic disadvantage not to provide it? How would you really know how much Cathy knows about science if she can’t read the test? How will you evaluate Jim’s writing skills if he forms brilliant thoughts but is unable to form the letters on the paper? How do you really know how well any child can do unless you give them every possible advantage for success?
Kids who understand this are usually much more comfortable in the classroom because they know if the time should come where they need additional support they will receive it, too.
Mr. Lavoie describes a setting where a teacher in a regular education classroom does not give the special needs student the extra assistance because “it wouldn’t be fair to everyone else”. With this idea in mind, I must go back to my prior post from June 9, 2008 about Inclusion because it is this mentality that keeps students with learning disabilities from getting the most from their educational experience. It is this mentality that makes me question why any parent would prefer to have their child struggle through a regular education classroom as opposed to an environment where special needs are met according to the individual rather than what is “fair” for the whole class. And to be completely fair myself, I fully acknowledge that there are exceptional teachers out there who do assist their special needs students in every way possible. But I do not come across these teachers nearly as frequently as I do the other sort. I encourage you to watch this video. If you are a regular education teacher yourself, ask yourself if this theme is one you’ve found yourself saying before and then ask yourself why. Whether you believe in Inclusion or not, it makes no difference. To be truly “Inclusive” we have to reinvent our idea of fairness.