Getting Started

Roles parents may assume as stakeholders in starting an inclusive program:

1. Active members of the planning team
   Parents participate in team meetings, sharing suggestions and ideas as well as fulfilling team roles such as recorder, timekeeper, etc.
2. Program Initiators
   Parents identify a community program, enroll child, and pursue inclusion supports.
3. Program Evaluators
   Parents visit community programs and evaluate each program's ability to meet their expectations of an early childhood program for their child. Parents provide feedback to the team regarding how well an inclusive program is meeting their child's needs.
4. Community Spokesperson
   Parents share with community members, formally or informally, their inclusion experiences.
5. Child Advocates
   Parents advocate for what they feel is the best program for their child.
6. Educators
   Parents teach other team members about their child's needs as well as about families' and children's needs in general.
7. Inclusion Facilitator
   Parents may facilitate the inclusion of their child in the community programs in many ways, such as by becoming involved themselves in the programs.
8. Information Gatherer
   Parents can gather information about inclusion from other team members and other sources.

Parents of children with disabilities often have mixed feelings about including their children in the same settings as children without disabilities. Although they recognize the benefits of inclusion, parents may be concerned that their child will be teased by and socially isolated from children without disabilities. In addition, they may worry that their child will be unable to participate in certain activities, resulting in further isolation of their child. During the preschool years, parents may feel that their child is too young to be the child who is "different." They also may be concerned that inclusion creates too much pressure for their child to keep up with other children.

Parents may worry that their child will not be accepted and appreciated by caregivers. Parents often wonder if their child will receive enough individual attention in an inclusive child care setting. In addition, they wonder if caregivers are trained to respond to and meet their child's special needs.

Although having their child attend an inclusive child care setting may at first cause parents to focus on their child's differences and limitations, over time parents of young children with disabilities often are able to see their child motivated to participate in and accomplish the same activities as other young children. They often are pleased to see their child learn by imitating other children.

Many parents feel that their child will develop a better self-concept by having the opportunity to learn and play with children without disabilities. Parents think that inclusive settings give their child who has special needs the opportunity to be challenged by and successful when interacting with other children.

In addition, parents often think that inclusive settings help children and families understand and value differences in children. Inclusive settings help children with disabilities to make friends and be part of their neighborhoods and communities.