Access or Impairment?

There is a difficult conversation to be had about the children we work with who are limited by their intellectual disability and those who are limited by the tools we provide them.

Whilst we advocate for access to education, that doesn't mean the same thing for every child. For some, it is learning to communicate, accessing maths and learning to read. For others it is creating opportunity for connection, engagement and joy.

Let's dive deeper into this nuanced topic and look past the assumptions we make.

We spend a lot of time in the world of education and SEND categorising people, because it seems like this would help us to support them. If we give them the right labels then we can match them with the right interventions. But the reality is far more complex. Putting people in boxes can create both understanding and misunderstanding.

We should look to engage all our children in education and create opportunity for communication. But those with profound intellectual impairment and without intellectual capacity should also be allowed to flourish without the expectation to 'progress'.

Below is a quote from Joanna Grace (The Sensory Projects) who I believe captured the concept really clearly.

"We are encouraged to deny their [people with PMLD] existence with mantras along the lines of "everyone can", and we are only allowed to talk about them if we do so in relation to their becoming something else - they are on their way to being verbal, they are about to learn... People with profound intellectual disabilities exist, their lives are valid and valuable. We should consider them always in our practice because they are the most vulnerable of the vulnerable and looking away, refusing to speak about them, denying the reality of their lives is not inclusive it is prejudice."

The other side of the coin are those who are presumed to have limited intellectual capacity because of their labels or external appearance, but they do not have profound intellectual disability.

When a child starts school we assume that they can wash their hands, they can put on their shoes, that they can use the toilet independently... but for many children these are still skills they need to learn. Often the focus turns to 'life skills' and moves away from academic learning. The problem with this is, learning is not linear and being able to use the toilet is not a pre-requisite for learning to read.

We have to find a way to balance teaching life skills and allowing a child to use their imagination, stretch their intellect and build more complex skills.

We then approach the barriers to access. The content needs to be within reach of the child, theres no point teaching number bonds to 10 if they have not mastered one-to-one correspondence. And as part of that, we need to ensure they can communicate with us. We can support lessons with objects, visuals, sign or high-tech AAC so we can provide instructions in their language.

Apprendriez-vous quelque chose de ce blog si je l'écrivais entièrement en français?
(Would you understand this blog if I wrote it all in French?)

The content also needs to fit their sensory profile and interests. A worksheet filled with pictures in the borders and fancy fonts might look interesting but it can be incredibly distracting or overwhelming. If a child only wants to talk about trains, counting animals is not going to engage them.

This is the area that Discover Inclusion works to support, by creating resources that support access. We also work with you to understand your role in a child's learning journey.

The Accessible Curriculum is specifically aimed at supporting pupils who can't access mainstream curriculums. Whether they move to fast, don't support alternative communication or start at too high of a level.

Find out more about Joanna Grace and The Sensory Projects

Learn about The Accessible Curriculum

We hope that you've found today's email helpful. We hope to continue providing information in this format, so if there is a topic you want us to talk about make sure to let us know!

Email us: info@discoverinclusion.co.uk
Instagram: @discover_inclusion