the below may be of interest to some list members, if anyone knows more
about the project please let us all know, I for one would be particularly
interested in the extent of the physical alterations undertaken.
EDUCATION/ACCESSIBILITY:
***INCLUDING STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES BENEFITS ALL, STUDY SHOWS***
LONDON, ENGLAND--A study released today shows that including children with
disabilities in mainstream classrooms not only benefits those students, but
also the rest of the school population.
The research, commissioned by disability organization Scope and by the
National Union of Teachers, involved 27 schools that are participating in
the government's School Access Initiative (SAI). The initiative has spent
£45 million (about $66 million U.S.) in recent years to improve physical
accessibility and assistive technologies for students with disabilities in
the schools.
The study revealed that all students develop more positive attitudes toward
disabilities in general, develop more tolerant, more respectful behavior
toward people with differences. Researchers also found that accommodations
made for the benefit of children with disabilities, such as amplification
for students with hearing difficulties, benefited all of the students in a
classroom.
Inclusion also had a positive impact on parents and teachers. Researchers
found that 77 percent of the schools reported improvements in parents
attitudes toward disabilities, and 85 percent of schools showed increased
involvement from parents regardless of whether or not their children had
disabilities.
The report gives support to the SAI as it plans how to spend £220 million
($322 million U.S.) to improve access and inclusion in schools throughout
Britain over the next three years.
If you would like more details on the study and the initiative check out
this press release from the Department for Education and Employment website:
http://www.dfee.gov.uk/pns/DisplayPN.cgi?pn_id=2001_0131
Adrian Higginbotham.
SURFACE (Salford University, Research Focus on Accessible Environments).
tel: (44_-161-2953949,
fax (44)-161-2955011,
Email [log in to unmask]
textphone (44)-161-2953599.
web: http://www.scpm.salford.ac.uk/surface/
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