All students have a code of behavior by which they should conduct themselves. All students should know this. The school should therefore ensure universal knowledge of this by implementing an orientation session or two on the school’s code of behavior.
Students with special needs
Students with special educational needs should know, or at least have an idea of what to expect, before being placed in an inclusion setting. A modified course in inclusion with a practical component should be introduced. The practical component should require students to spend time with a student from the regular education class. If necessary, there should be an assistant or paraprofessional accompanying the student with special needs to help with the transition.
Students without special needs
These students should also know what to expect before being placed in an inclusion setting. The ideal situation would be implementing a credit-bearing course in Disability and Inclusion or Equality and Diversity. Such course should include the different forms of disability and their causes. It should also include ways of treating persons with disabilities and involve an internship or practical component where students spend time each day with a student who is differently abled.
These courses should be implemented during the first semester of middle/junior high school and the first semester of high/senior high school. If inclusion, or some form of inclusion is already underway, the courses should be implemented as early as possible after a new student enters the school.
Part 7 deals with the diversity and inclusion of students and their experiences in inclusion settings.
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