Disability Is Natural Books and Media

From Inconvenient to Ordinary

The only way to make inclusion happen is to do it! There’s really no "getting ready" for anyone! Not for a T-ball coach,

an employer, a school teacher;

nor for a child or adult with a disability. Everyone is ready,

right now. Just do it!  Only then will the "inconvenient" become

the "ordinary."

Kathie Snow

On a regular basis, we face change. We’re constantly having to adjust to new technology, new rules, or new situations. And the “new”—even though it may be good and/or helpful—may often be inconvenient initially, but it soon becomes ordinary.

Take cell phones, for example. Having the ability to communicate while on the go is good; having to figure out how to use the darn thing correctly (both the technology and the rules for courteous use) can be inconvenient. I just want to make calls; I don’t want to learn about all the “options.” But I must take the time and make the effort in order to use the phone correctly. Once I’ve mastered this inconvenience, I’m familiar with the technology and it becomes ordinary.

The same can be true about the inclusion of people with disabilities in schools, jobs, and typical community activities. The idea of a child being included in a regular ed classroom, an adult becoming employed in a real job, or a child/adult participating in a community activity is often rejected by the Gatekeepers, and a multitude of reasons for the rejection may be offered. In many cases, the rejection is based on the feeling that it would create an inconvenience.

For example, it might be considered inconvenient to modify the curriculum to meet a student’s needs, to provide accommodations for a job, or to alter the community activity so that all can participate. But like other perceived inconveniences, once the “new” occurs on a regular basis, it becomes familiar and ordinary.​ Click here to continue.

 DISABILITY IS NATURAL!

New Ways of Thinking and Revolutionary Common Sense