Include Me School Age
What is Include Me School Age?
The Include Me Program is designed to promote and expand effective inclusive practices for students grades K – 12 with significant impact of disabilities and the schools they attend. We work with participating student teams to provide highly individualized training and on-site technical assistance. The end goal is for students to attend school with the supports they need to be successfully and meaningfully included in general education classrooms and school teams are skilled and confident in providing the needed supports.
What types of training and technical assistance are provided?
Our Include Me team provides support and training at no cost to school districts. Trainings are conducted either in-person or virtually and can be provided to different educational stakeholders, such as general and special education teachers, paraprofessionals, support staff, guidance counselors, and parents and family members of children with significant impact of disabilities. Training and technical assistance is highly individualized and may include:
- Curricular adaptations and access to the general education curriculum
- Assistive technology and implementation
- Designing inclusive spaces and classrooms
- Disability awareness and acceptance
- Social-emotional Learning
- Sensory sensitivities and accommodating strategies
- The essential elements of Customized Employment
- Strategies for Inclusive Practices
- Supporting Executive Functions
- Universal Design for Learning and implementation
- The power of peer support and strategies to encourage it
Click here for a full copy of Include Me’s Professional Development guide. Interested in learning more? Contact Nick Webster at nwebster@includemepa.org.
Where We Are
Our program works with public school districts across Pennsylvania that request our services. Services are free to participating school districts. Due to location of available staff, not all in-person services are available to all districts. However, virtual training and technical assistance can be provided if Include Me is not currently in your area. If you would like to know what services are available in your area, please contact nwebster@includemepa.org
Measurable Impact
We believe in the importance of running an effective program that makes a lasting impact on students and schools. The Arc of Pennsylvania found an independent group to research the efficacy of our program and methods. The latest evaluation of Include Me’s impact was a ten-year review conducted by the Office of Child Development at the University of Pittsburgh.
