As a special education teacher, I always consider ways to increase ability awareness at my school so that my students with special needs can be better understood and accepted in the school community. In this blog post, I share three ways I do ability awareness in elementary school.
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1. Student Meet & Greet
At the onset of every school year, as I prepare inclusion schedules for my students with special needs, I do a mini-lesson to introduce them to their general education peers. In these lessons, I include a snapshot of my students’ strengths, their likes and dislikes, as well as what they may need help with. I also empower general education peers to think about how they can be supportive friends to students with special needs. At the end of the lesson, the general education class would get an opportunity to meet and play with my students, allowing them to apply what they have learned during the mini-lesson to be a supportive friend to students with special needs.
2. Read Aloud and Book Companions
As we all know, ability awareness is not a one-and-done matter. Elementary school students require repetition to learn the value of inclusion. Given that, I plan a follow-up ability awareness lesson around halfway through the school year. This time around, I do things a little differently. Rather than focusing on specific students, I like to do a read-aloud with the general education students, accompanied by an activity about the story.
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3. School-wide Events
Does your elementary school do talent shows, sports days, or parades? It is so important for special education students to be included in these events. School-wide events are an excellent way to create shared experiences between students with special needs and their general education peers. Encourage students with special needs to participate in these events actively as much as possible. By being actively involved, we teach the general education population that students with special needs are capable and should be seen as equal counterparts.
Conclusion: Ability Awareness in Elementary School
Ability awareness at the elementary school level is vital because it helps students develop empathy. Developing empathy takes time. Initially, this may be a mindset change, and eventually, it will grow into behavioral changes. After all, the goal of inclusion is to break down barriers to accepting and understanding students with all abilities to create a welcoming community for all.
Download a Free Book Companion to teach inclusion here!
I love the strategies you shared for creating ability awareness-especially the meet and greet. This is such a great idea-we shouldn’t be “sneaking” our kids in the back of the room, we should let them proudly stand out and be who they are!