What is your educational background?
I hold a bachelors and a masters degree in Communication Disorders and Sciences from Wichita State University and certification in early childhood special education.

Other experiences, staff development that prepared you for inclusion.
I had a friend who worked at White Elementary for one year before I came. It was through her experiences and sharing that I began to see the benefits of inclusion. Once I began working, I attended several conferences, a KITS (Kansas Inservice Training System) summer institute and read several books on inclusion. The best experience came from being part of a team and growing together to help solve problems for children.

What is your job role?
As the Speech-Language Pathologist for our building. I am specifically responsible for the IEP objectives of all the children who have been identified as having speech and/or language needs. However, because I work in classrooms, I have the opportunity to work with all of the children in those classroom I also have the opportunity to work as a team member and consultant with other teachers and paraprofessionals in our building.

What is your role regarding the inclusive component of the program?
I am a member of two teams that meet weekly to plan for the needs of all the children in inclusive classrooms. I have the opportunity to be involved in seven different classrooms and work with the children and teachers in those rooms. As a team, we plan interventions to meet the children's needs and integrate services across disciplines.

How has your role changed or have you adapted your role as it related to the inclusive program?
I have the opportunity to be more involved with the curriculum. We are able to implement interventions, throughout the day and across the curriculum, to provide children with more natural settings to practice new skills.

What were you biggest concerns about participating in an inclusive program?
I worried that all of the children's needs would not be met in a regular education classroom. I was also concerned that I would not be able to solve all of the problems that would occur.

What were your experiences related to these concerns once inclusive services were implemented?
I soon realized that "I " couldn't solve all of the problems, and I didn't have to. There was now a team of people that would work together to find solutions. I never needed to worry about the children. Not only did they learn, they learned more than I expected they would. Their social language skills improved dramatically and their peers were the best teachers.

What do you see as the benefits of moving toward inclusive services?
I believe there are many benefits of inclusion. Children are able to learn in a "least restrictive environment. They have more opportunities to learn than in a self-contained or mainstreamed program, because as members of a classroom they learn from their peers. Peers in inclusive classrooms learn to accept each other for the sameness and differences we all have. All of the children benefit from the added support of special education staff. Professionals also benefit because we have an opportunity to learn from each other.

Can you offer one or more anecdotes that you feel illustrate the benefits of inclusion?
It is in the "little" things that the benefits of inclusion are noticed. Children eating together at lunch, playing outside or at a center together, walking in the class line, walking to the bus by themselves. These "little" skills that children learn, at school, yet children in special education classrooms don't always have the opportunity to learn.

During my first year, one kindergartner with special education needs, would not line up after recess. My solution was to take her hand , call the rest of the class, and then help her to line up. However, the classroom teacher wouldn't settle for that. We designed a behavior modification plan and within a week she was lining up. That was the first time I realized my standards might be too low and that I needed higher expectations for all students.