Q&A ON PROMOTIMG PEER RELATIONSHIPS IN AN INCLUSIVE CLASSROOM with Carol Tashie, M.Ed., and Zach Rossetti, M.Ed.

What should teachers in inclusive classrooms be doing to model interactions that promote friendship among all students?

Teachers who truly believe that all students are valued as classmates and potential friends model that disability is just another difference and not in any way a deficiency. These teachers treat all students as equal, yet celebrate their unique and diverse personalities and abilities. Teachers insist that all students start - and stay - in the classroom, and they develop lessons rooted in the same class curriculum and make modifications respectful of each and every student.

Teachers use person-first language and convey in action and deed that each student is an essential contributor to the classroom community. The most important thing a teacher can do is to teach that all students are students first and show that all students inherently belong. Because students are more likely to develop relationships with others who are valued, modeling these beliefs is the first and most important step in promoting friendship among students.

How can teachers and administrators work together to foster acceptance and prevent teasing or exclusion of students with disabilities?

Students with disabilities are not teased because they have disabilities - all students are teased. However, because society continues to exclude and devalue people with disabilities, teasing can be more stigmatizing, damaging, and longer lasting than for most other students. So while schools cannot prevent students from being teased, teachers can minimize the effects for students with disabilities in many ways.

Teachers can reject exclusion in any form - whether it be segregated classes or pull-out services. All people can "out" prejudice wherever they see it, calling students and adults on their use of stigmatizing language or behavior. Teachers can champion the rights of every student to act, dress, show what they know, love, talk, move, and sing as they want, celebrating the diversity of each and every person in their schools. All educators can recognize that students who tease generally feel powerless or excluded themselves and need our support. And while teachers have the ability to make many of these things a reality, it is essential that school administrators begin the school year committed to making this a priority so all teachers are on the same page and can effectively address this during the first months of school.

What guidelines should teachers follow when facilitating interaction between students with disabilities and their typically developing classmates?

In order to effectively facilitate relationships between students, it is crucial to truly believe the student with disabilities would make a great friend. When teachers appreciate the gifts a student has to offer, they can help others recognize and prize them as well. By focusing on a student's unique personality, rather than her labels, a teacher can debunk the prejudice that separates "those who are like us and those who are not."

Occasionally, practicing these beliefs may not be enough to ensure enviable relationships for some students. In these instances, a dedicated facilitator can be enlisted to assist the teacher and family to intentionally promote the development of relationships between students. The facilitator should get to know the student by spending time with her and interviewing the people in her life in order to identify her interests, fears, and dreams. The facilitator should keep this information in mind while enlisting selected classmates to brainstorm ways for the student to meet and get to know others with similar interests.

Ms. Tashie and Mr. Rossetti are contributors to "Quick-Guides to Inclusion 3".

Copyright (c) 2002 by Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.