Inclusive Schools Week

A collaborative partnership of

school districts, staff, students, parents/families, and community agencies

Supporting Equitable Learning, Programs and Access

for ALL students.

Since its inception in 2001, Inclusive Schools Week has celebrated the progress that schools have made in providing a supportive and quality education to an increasingly diverse student population, including students who are marginalized due to disability, gender, socio-economic status, cultural heritage, language preference, and other factors. The Week also provides an important opportunity for educators, students, and parents to discuss what else needs to be done in order to ensure that their schools continue to improve their ability to successfully educate all children. Inclusive Schools Week allows us all to take a moment to applaud the progress we’ve made toward building more inclusive school communities while pledging to continue our work toward becoming a more inclusive society.

This year, the Inclusive Schools Week’s theme is "Children First".

Join us as we celebrate Inclusive Schools Week December 8-12, 2025!

Inclusive Schools Week advances an international dialogue on the importance of building inclusive schools and communities, where all students have full access to educational opportunities.

• Celebrating is important because it creates an awareness of the benefits and challenges inclusive schools face.

• It brings the school community together in good spirit for a common purpose.

• It provides us a pause in our busy lives to reflect on where we are and where we are going.

• But celebrating is only the beginning...
  

• Reflection, planning and action are the elements necessary to understand the potential of inclusive education and realize its promise.
  

• Celebrate the progress of schools in educating an increasingly diverse student population

  
  

• Acknowledge the hard work and commitment of schools, families and communities in creating inclusive opportunities for all children regardless of disability, gender, ethnicity, language, health status, etc.

  
  

• Encourage reflection on how culture, policies and practices in schools can promote inclusive education

  
  

• Promote action to increase the capacity of schools and communities to meet the needs of all learners

It is important for the Inclusive Schools Network to model an inclusive approach in welcoming and valuing all perspectives and opinions regarding the practice of inclusive education. We hope you will communicate with us directly to improve this website and our services to you.

The following three principles guide the Inclusive Schools Network:

Relationships
To be ‘inclusive’ implies a fundamental commitment to relationships across student peers, colleagues in education and the community, parents, siblings, and the larger family unit and across the global community. ISN will focus on building relationships through shared ideas and experiences across our membership, through blogs and other social networking opportunities, and through an expanded set of virtual and actual conferences for building shared capacity.

Resources
While many schools across the globe have realized significant success, many hurdles remain to be addressed in achieving inclusive schools. Several countries, communities and schools are fledglings in their development of a systemic and successful approach to inclusive education. ISN will connect those with resources to share and with those in need; will create and disseminate an extensive bank of resources to be easily accessed through the website; and will identify areas in which new ideas and solutions are required – and in which new strategies, tools, sites to visit, and other resources will support the advance of inclusive education to a new level.

Research

Inclusive education practices are fully grounded in concepts of equity and civil rights yet research tied to academic achievement, post-school success, and improved outcomes for all students is not available in the quantity and quality needed to facilitate widespread acceptance and buy-in for many stakeholders. ISN will provide a forum for researchers to post their current studies and findings for membership review and discussion. We will solicit reviews of the research regarding inclusive education from educational foundations, university doctoral programs, and other sources.

There are many ways to get your school involved in Inclusive Schools Week.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

• Convene a planning team of faculty, students and family members. See the Planning Materials in the Celebration Activities & Lessons section for ideas.

  
  

• Create excitement by hosting poster and essay contests or hanging a banner in your school lobby.

  
  

• Promote the week in your school and community by sending out a press release, announcing your celebration in local media outlets, posting updates on your school website, etc. See the Media Kit in the Celebration Basics Download section for examples.

  
  

• Utilize the following resources and materials to support your celebration and continuous efforts to promote and develop practices in your community.

Celebrating Inclusive Schools Week:

• Sends a message to the community that your school is serious about inclusive education.

• Jump starts plans for initiating or improving inclusive educational practices in your school.

• Makes a positive impact on the overall environment in the school, including more tolerance and acceptance of differences.

• Propels your school to new levels of inclusion.

• Solidifies your commitment to quality education for all students.

• Highlights your schools accomplishments and plans for the future.
  

Inclusive Celebrations

Inclusive Schools Week offers a remarkable opportunity to spread the word about the benefits of inclusive schools. As you prepare for district, school, and classroom celebrations, it is important to ensure that the materials and activities are accessible to all members of the school and community. You may want to encourage faculty members trained in special education and/or bilingual education to participate in the planning process to help make suggestions for providing access and accommodations.

A successful Inclusive Schools Week can motivate your school community. Faculty, families and students should feel empowered by their role in supporting the participation of all students in schooling.

Examples of adapting materials and events include:

• Interpreter services for programs and events

• Printed material available in languages spoken in the community and in Braille

• Wheelchair accessibility to all events

• Assistive technology devices available

The 2025 theme, “Children First,” is rooted in the powerful Maasai greeting, Casserian Engeri, which translates to “And how are the children?” This traditional salutation reflects the Maasai’s deep commitment to ensuring that their children are well, recognizing that the well-being of children reflects the health and future of the entire society.

In schools today, this theme challenges educators, school leaders, and communities to ask:

• Are all children reaching their full potential in our schools?
• Do our educational practices reflect a commitment to equity and access for every student?
• How can we ensure that students with disabilities are seen, heard, and valued in every aspect of school life?

Putting Children First means prioritizing every student’s right to learn in an environment that supports their diverse needs, embraces their unique abilities, and fosters a sense of belonging. It means recognizing that when schools are designed to support students with disabilities, they become better places for all learners.

Casserian Engeri – And how are the children? This question should guide the work of educators, policymakers, and communities as they strive to build schools where every child can learn, grow, and succeed. By focusing on Children First, Inclusive Schools Week 2025 encourages schools to reflect on their practices and take meaningful steps to ensure all students feel seen, supported, and celebrated.

• “Voices of Inclusion” Storytelling Project

Objective: This project invites students to celebrate and amplify the diverse voices within their school by creating powerful, creative stories that explore what it means to put Children First and feel a true sense of belonging. Through engaging, student-led storytelling, the project aims to build empathy, promote inclusion, and create opportunities for community-wide sharing.

Connection to Inclusion: By embracing diverse forms of storytelling—spoken word, video, visual, and digital media—this activity invites every student to find their voice and share it in a meaningful way. These authentic stories strengthen understanding, promote respect, and reinforce that inclusion means valuing each child’s lived experience.

Objective: Inspire students to envision and express their ideas for a school that prioritizes the needs and well-being of every child, emphasizing a welcoming, supportive, and accessible environment for all learners.

Connection to Inclusion: This activity empowers students to use their creativity to critically think about and influence their school environment. By imagining and depicting a school that supports every student, they contribute ideas that could inspire real-world changes in their school community. This promotes a sense of agency and responsibility among students to advocate for and implement inclusive practices.

• Children Around the World: A Global Perspective on Education and Inclusion

Objective: This activity is designed to help students gain insights into how children from various parts of the world experience school, emphasizing inclusion and access to education for all.

for more Children Around the World 2025 ISW Activities.

Connection to Inclusion: This activity not only broadens students’ geographical and cultural horizons but also deepens their understanding of the universal challenges and triumphs in achieving inclusive education. It highlights the importance of global solidarity in ensuring that every child, regardless of their circumstances, can access and benefit from a supportive educational environment.

• Walking in Someone Else’s Shoes

Objective: This activity is designed to build empathy and a deeper understanding among students for their peers with different abilities.

Connection to Inclusion: This activity promotes an understanding of the physical and social barriers that students with disabilities often face. By “walking in someone else’s shoes,” students gain firsthand insight into the importance of accessibility and inclusiveness in their school environment. This fosters a more empathetic school culture that is attentive to the needs of all learners.

• “What Makes Our School Special?” Sharing Wall

Objective: This activity aims to help students identify and express what makes their school a uniquely supportive and welcoming place for everyone.

Connection to Inclusion: This activity not only allows students to express what they cherish about their school environment but also fosters a sense of community and belonging. It provides a platform for students to celebrate the diversity within their school and recognize how these diverse elements contribute to making their school a special place for everyone.

The start of a new school year is a powerful opportunity for reflection, renewal, and reinvention. For educators, it’s the perfect time to examine how we can continue to create classrooms that are not only inclusive but also equitable and effective for every student. Inclusion isn’t just a goal—it’s a mindset, a commitment, and a shared responsibility that drives meaningful learning experiences for all.

Whether you’re a special education director, school principal, or teacher, here are key strategies to guide your efforts in building truly inclusive classrooms this year.

The Facts About Left-Handedness

The concept of “true handedness” refers to using the dominant hand for more than 70% of tasks. A common misconception is that right-handed individuals use their right hand exclusively, and left-handed individuals do the same with their left hand. However, research suggests that individuals may perform approximately 70% of tasks with their dominant hand, eye, ear, and foot, while the remaining 30% is managed by the non-dominant side. This 70:30 ratio is a natural proportion rather than an indication of handedness confusion or inconsistency (Bryden et al., 1994). Hand dominance is innate and can begin to manifest from an early age, becoming more clearly observable around four years old (Schmidt & Lee, 2011).

A study conducted in South Africa found that 25% of children aged five were left-handed and that the younger the subjects, the higher the percentage of left-handedness, suggesting a growing prevalence over time. Genetic factors also play a role. While two right-handed parents have a 9% chance of having a left-handed child, left-handedness often appears elsewhere in the family tree. We are often not even aware of a family member being left-handed, and if we start asking the specific question, we will find a member of our family somewhere along the lines who is/was left-handed (McManus, 2002).

A fascinating aspect of left-handed individuals is their neurological advantage. Studies have shown that the corpus callosum – the ‘communication highway’ between the right and left hemispheres of the brain – is 11% larger in left-handers than in right-handers (Witelson, 1985). This structural difference allows for faster and more efficient communication between the brain’s hemispheres, leading to enhanced multitasking abilities and quicker reaction times in certain tasks. This advantage is particularly beneficial in activities that require rapid decision-making, coordination, and adaptability (Klar, 2010).

Growing up in a predominantly right-handed world, left-handed individuals are required to use their non-dominant right side more than right-handed individuals use their left side, giving left-handed people a unique form of exercise. This constant use of the non-dominant hand has been shown to have beneficial effects on the dominant hand as well. Biomechanical research indicates that this use of both hands can enhance the performance of the dominant side through what is known as the cross-training effect (Carroll, et al.).

The cross-training effect arises because the body’s neural networks are integrated across both sides of the brain. When one side of the body is exercised or trained, the benefits often extend to the opposite side due to this integration in the brain’s motor systems. This concept is well-documented in research on muscle memory and motor skills, where activities involving the non-dominant side can improve coordination, strength, and skill in the dominant side as well. Left-handed individuals, therefore, may benefit from improved dexterity and strength in their dominant hand due to the increased activation and training of their non-dominant hand (Lee et al., 2007).

The Experience of Left-Handedness

Being left-handed is entirely natural and not, in any sense, an abnormality. In fact, left-handed people bring many specific strengths to various aspects of life. In sports, for example, they often have a competitive advantage due to their unique swing, spin, or angle of play – an element that right-handed opponents may have had limited exposure to during practice. This natural difference can provide the left-handed player a strategic advantage in such sports as tennis, cricket, softball, and fencing, where unpredictability can be a game-changer. In some occupations, left-handed workers can execute certain tasks more effectively and efficiently because of their ability to reach locations on the left side of a piece of work and assemble parts requiring counter-clockwise rotation.

Left-handedness can be an overlooked aspect of daily life, particularly in households where all other members are right-handed. For these families, the challenges faced by left-handed individuals may never have been a topic of discussion at home. For these parents, the need for guidance and support often surfaces only when a child encounters difficulties with fine motor skills in school. Initially, parents may become concerned that their children are facing challenges, only to discover that their child is left-handed and simply requires appropriate tools and approaches to teaching.

Some everyday tasks, designed for right-handed individuals, pose challenges for left-handed individuals. Writing, for example, follows a left-to-right direction, which aligns with a right-hander’s natural movement, but feels counterintuitive to a left-handed child. Without support, a left-handed child may come to feel that they are doing something incorrectly. Tasks such as cutting with scissors, sharpening pencils, or even using a screwdriver can be frustrating if the tools provided are designed for right-handed users. A left-handed child using a right-handed sharpener may struggle to sharpen a pencil unless explicitly taught to rotate it in the correct direction. However, with a left-handed sharpener, the process feels intuitive, reinforcing the child’s confidence. The same applies to a wind-up toy where the LH winds it up in an anti-clockwise direction- this is natural and normal for them; however, this will break the mechanism as it is supposed to be wound in a clockwise direction.

Supporting Left-Handed Students

Educators may recommend occupational therapy for some left-handed students to assist with tasks such as cutting and pencil grip or may note that the child needs more time to complete certain activities. The adaptations and accommodations required for a left-handed individual extend beyond merely reversing right-handed methods. Left-handed individuals often need specific support and guidance in specific skill areas such as letter formation, pencil grip, cutting skills, and directionality. Also, a small but important aspect is where the child is seated at the school desk. They should furthermore be given the correct desk that has been designed for LH use. This is usually applicable at the university/college level.

It is critical to provide them with the appropriate left-handed tools and materials, both in the classroom and at home, to help reduce challenges in their daily activities. In school, for example, using scissors and sharpeners designed explicitly for left-handed users ensures a more intuitive and comfortable experience, aligning with their natural hand movements and instinctive directionality. Similarly, in the home environment, everyday tools such as potato peelers, can openers, and measuring tapes should be made available for left-handed individuals, enhancing both efficiency and ease of use.

You care about the dignity of all children — those with disabilities and those from diverse backgrounds — and you know that your school and community can do a better job of meeting their needs through the use of inclusive educational practices.

We encourage you to take the lead in coordinating Inclusive Schools Week in your school, school district, or community.

Thousands of teachers, family members, and school administrators, local, state, and national organizations and advocacy groups, and entire school districts have enthusiastically stepped up to this task and have found this experience to be extremely rewarding in terms of its impact on children and youth.

All Are Welcome: https://youtu.be/rJDKgo4arIs

Discover a school where ALL young children have a place and feel loved and appreciated for who they are. (Ages 4-8)

All the Way to the Top: https://youtu.be/dSdtomrJnco

The true story of lifelong disability activist Jennifer Keenan-Chaffins and her participation in the Capitol Crawl as an eight-year-old. (Ages 7-10)

Just Ask: https://youtu.be/q4sGcaA6bFk

Written by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, this book encourages caring and curiosity about the differences that make us unique. (Ages 6-10)

The Invisible Boy: https://youtu.be/cNHc2XCultQ

A story about a boy who feels invisible until his outreach to a new kid at school helps him to become seen and included. (Ages 5-10)

The Ventura County SELPA is dedicated to providing information and support to families and caregivers of students with disabilities so that they can be informed partners in the educational process of their children. There are numerous activities and resources that are provided to fulfill that mission.

To receive Meeting Notices Click Here.

The Ventura County SELPA office is responsible for the implementation of the Ventura County Special Education Local Plan, and for ensuring a free appropriate public education to all students with identified disabilities according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.The Ventura County SELPA office is responsible for the implementation of the Ventura County Special Education Local Plan, and for ensuring a free appropriate public education to all students with identified disabilities according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Email: vcselpa@vcoe.org

Website: www.vcselpa.org

The Ventura County SELPA office is responsible for the implementation of the Ventura County Special Education Local Plan, and for ensuring a free appropriate public education to all students with identified disabilities according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

Joanna V. Della Gatta - Associate Superintendent

Sarah Fontenot - Administrative Assistant III

Regina Reed - Director of Personnel Development

Anabel Lopez-Penny - Administrative Assistant II

Ana Teran - Administrative Assistant II

Kerry Newlee, Director, Technical Support and Transition

Heather Manheim & Jorge Contreras, Workability Program

Lisa Garcia, Administrative Assistant II

Stacey Alvey - Director, Family & School Collaboration

Peter Aguirre - Program Specialist, Family & School Collaboration

Tailina Tapia - Administrative Assistant II

Melbourne Aquino, Program Specialist

Lisa Garcia, Administrative Assistant II