Disability Inclusion

Guest: Mary Beth Bruder, PhD, Professor of Pediatrics and Director of the Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service Center at the University of Connecticut  By the time children with developmental disabilities get to elementary school, it’s fairly common across the country for them to have the option of attending a public school with some special education classes throughout the day. “Mainstreaming” is pretty mainstream, so to speak. But before elementary school, the options are a lot more limited. In fact, the US Department of Education says more than half of preschool children with disabilities are in settings entirely separate from their peers without disabilities. Often, they’re not even given the option of an inclusive pre-school setting.  The US Department of Education recently issued a policy statement urging a more focused state effort to create inclusive early childhood programs for preschoolers with disabilities.