What is your educational background?
Bachelor's degree from Wichita State University (BA). Master's degree from Wichita State University (MA). Pre graduation training at Rainbow's United - Wichita doing inclusive therapy.

Post graduation studies include Oral-motor training by Debra Beckman, Sarah Rosenthal-Johnson, and Pamela Marshalla.

What other experiences, or staff development has prepared you for inclusion?
Inclusive strategies from: on the job experience - I'm new enough to the field that inclusion was a buzz word during my practicum experiences. Also, I have worked with some very willing and open teachers.

What is your job role?
I provide speech/language therapy, write programs for those eligible, supervise paraprofessionals, collaborate with other team members, provide inservices, provide parent night programs, evaluation/screening of students, scheduling of services, scheduling of IEP's/parent meetings/ team meetings.

What is your role regarding the inclusive component of the program?
Collaboration with other team members, provision of inservices, parent night programs, monthly speech groups.

How has your role changed or have you adapted your role as it related to the inclusive program?
I am more involved in the daily planning, getting to know all students to a greater degree, getting to know teachers to a greater degree, changing therapeutic approaches, changing data collection, changing IEP (individualized Education Program) objectives.

What were your biggest concerns about participating in an inclusive program?
Seeing and maintaining progress
Attributing progress to the therapeutic means
Data collection
Maintaining communication w/ teacher and parents

What were your experiences related to these concerns once inclusive services were implemented?
Data has become more than numbers and slashes on paper. The observations of many through interview and questionnaires has made the numbers not as important.

What do you see as the benefits of moving toward inclusive services?
Children get to be with children. Progress, if not in all areas, can happen by experience. Teachers get help with difficult children, with lesson plans, and with materials. Parents know their children are getting quality, valuable care because of the different people involved. The community gains by having children exposed to sometimes hidden features.

Can you offer one or more anecdotes that you feel illustrate the benefits of inclusion?
One student, with a unique, medically complicated condition, requiring much attention to diet and daily health, has been able to attend a community preschool for two years. Community preschool staff have been extremely supportive and accepting and accommodating of this student. This student has gone from being essentially non-verbal to talking in short sentences and her social skills have blossomed in the inclusive setting. Parents are thrilled with the progress that has been made and the peer relationships she has established. This inclusive programming has been included in her transition plan for kindergarten.

Another student who has highly unintelligible speech has been in attendance in a community preschool for two years. Under these inclusive conditions with peer speech models, he has developed intelligible speech, as well as established friendships with the same children with whom he will attend school. The preschool teacher has borrowed materials from the speech/language pathologist to utilize within her classroom to help with lesson planning and the development of all of the children in her classroom.

At one particular center that showed some resistance to our presence initially, has now developed a scheduled routine that allows for our participation. They have incorporated circle times, creative art times, and other developmentally appropriate activities that have enhanced their programs and the staff's enthusiasm.