# data[].attributes.headline
How NOT to be an inclusive educator (speech and language difficulties)

# data[].attributes.subject
How NOT to be an inclusive educator (speech and language difficulties)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
TG4 | Laochra Gael | Terence McNaughton | School years

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Autism Spectrum: Atypical Minds in a Stereotypical World

# data[].attributes.headline
Autism misconceptions and The Reason I Jump

# data[].attributes.subject
Autism misconceptions and The Reason I Jump

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
uthor David Mitchell, 52, was born in Southport, grew up in Malvern and now lives near Cork in Ireland. He published the first of his nine novels, Ghostwritten, aged 30. He has been twice shortlisted for the Man Booker prize, for number9dream and Cloud Atlas. He has also written opera libretti and screenplays. Mitchell translated the autism memoir The Reason I Jump from Japanese to English with his wife, Keiko Yoshida. Written by Naoki Higashida when he was 13, the book became an international bestseller and has now been turned into an award-winning documentary also featuring Mitchell.

What was your experience of reading The Reason I Jump for the first time?
My son had been fairly recently diagnosed. We had no idea what was happening in his head or how to help him. It felt a little like we'd lost our son. My wife ordered this book from Japan, began reading it at the kitchen table and verbally translating bits for me. There were startling overlaps between Naoki and our son's behaviours - plus pretty persuasive explanations for those behaviours. Our four-year-old was hitting his head repeatedly on the kitchen floor and we had no clue why. This book arrived in the middle of that and, God, it was a lifesaver.

How did it help you?
At a practical level but also at a more existential level. It felt like evidence that we hadn't lost our son. He was still here but there was this huge communication barrier. However, knowing he's there on the other side, and wondering whether he's there or not, are very different things. It really encouraged us.

It helped us understand his meltdowns, his sudden inconsolable sobbing, his bursts of joyous, giggly happiness

The book challenges stereotypes about autism. Was that important for you?
By its very existence, it explodes some of the more pernicious, hurtful, despair-inducing myths. If autistic people have no emotional intelligence, how could that book have been written? The book doesn't refute those misconceptions with logic, it is the refutation itself. And, practically, it helped us understand things like our son's meltdowns, his sudden inconsolable sobbing or his bursts of joyous, giggly happiness.

What was the most valuable thing the book taught you?
To assume intelligence. Don't assume the lack of it. Assume complete comprehension and act accordingly. No baby talk, don't adjust your vocabulary, don't treat an autistic person any differently to a neurotypical person. Let them out of infantilisation prison and allow them full human credentials, which they're too often denied. You're doing no harm at all and good things can happen.

What emotions did you go through while reading it?
If I'm honest, my initial reaction was guilt. Without wanting to, I'd basket-cased my son. I'd believed all the myths, closed all these doors in his future and condemned him to mute prison for a year or two. Then I read Naoki's book and wanted to say: "I'm so sorry, I didn't know." The book ends with Naoki's short story I'm Right Here. It's ridiculous - in the process of translation, I went through it seven times and cried every time. It's got massive emotional welly and never loses its power. It still makes me emotional.

You and your wife translated the book together. Why did you become determined to do that?
It taught us how to interact with non-verbal autistic kids, but what about the people working with our son? So we translated it and gave it to them, saying: "Please, just read it." When my agent and editor heard about this, I asked them to print a few thousand as a personal favour, just so people in our position who don't speak Japanese could get access to it. But it took off and became really big. One reviewer even compared it to the Rosetta Stone.

Did you meet Naoki Higashida? What did you make of the controversy over whether he "really" wrote the book?
Yes, when I went to a Tokyo festival. I sat across the table from him, talked to him in Japanese and he replied by pointing at letters on an alphabet chart. It's not easy but I saw it myself. It's really him and that's pretty damn wonderful. I've seen the intense effort and willpower it costs Naoki to make those sentences. I was like "Mate, helping spread the message is the least I can do."

How did the film version come about?
Producers optioned the book and I got involved in a consultative capacity. They flew over to Cork and we discussed how it might work on screen. Naoki didn't wish to be involved or want it to be a biopic, which sent the film in a fascinating direction. It became this global portrait of non-verbal autism and it works beautifully. Sometimes, God's greatest gifts are his unanswered prayers, to quote the bard Garth Brooks.

What does Naoki make of the film?
He sent us a lovely email saying that seeing his brand of non-verbal autism in different international contexts for the first time had given him a sense of worldwide community. This isn't a rich western thing, it's a human thing. Maybe that's the first step towards ushering in a new age of neurodiversity.

What are your hopes for the film?
That many people see it, absorb its message - to start thinking of autism less as a cognitive disability and more as a communicative disability - and then act accordingly. I hope it reaches non-insiders, people without a personal link to autism, because we already know this stuff. The rest of the world still thinks autistic people don't do emotions, like Data from Star Trek. I'd love that narrative to be changed. I'd like bus drivers to not bat an eyelid at an autistic passenger rocking. I'd like supermarket shoppers not to look in horror at the autistic kid having a meltdown in aisle seven. Basically, I want more kindness in the world. It's felt like an endangered quality over the past four years. Sod that. Bring it back.

You co-wrote the fourth Matrix film, out in December. What can you tell us?
Nothing about the plot, or scary entertainment lawyers will come and get me. [Director] Lana Wachowski, [writer] Aleksandar Hemon and I wrote it a couple of Christmases ago at the Inchydoney hotel, just around the coast from here. It was filmed under Covid protocols, mostly in Berlin, and it's now in post-production. I can't wait to see it.

What was the last great book you read?
by Kazuo Ishiguro. It's encouraging for a middle-aged writer to see him getting better with each book. If he can do it, there's hope for us all.

What kind of reader were you as a child?
Pretty voracious. I stammered, I still do, which internalised me linguistically. I found comfort and solace in books. All my birthday and Christmas presents were book tokens and a trip to either Foyles in London or Hudsons in Birmingham. Those were high points of my young life and the beginnings of my professional development. I was pretty scattershot but had an inclination towards fantasy, then sci-fi. Nearly all my favourites were women: Alison Uttley, Susan Cooper, Penelope Lively, Rosemary Sutcliff, Ursula K Le Guin. I'm grateful to all of them. Things you read early on set the bar.

I emailed the producer and said, I wonder if you've got the wrong David Mitchell

You worked with Kate Bush on her stage show, Before the Dawn. What was that like after being a lifelong fan?
Meeting your heroes can go either way but it was a gift. She was gracious, thoughtful and I've got treasured memories of our brief but fairly intense creative interaction. Her music is life-enhancing. Like Ishiguro, she kind of got better. I just wish she recorded more.

Do you ever get confused for your famous comedian namesake?
We get each other's gig offers sometimes. A few weeks ago, I was invited on to a podcast called Three Little Words. I listened to an episode and they had Rob Brydon on, being hilarious. I emailed the producer and said I wonder if you've got the wrong one. I think in the 00s, we both quietly assumed the other would vanish into obscurity but that hasn't happened. I'm just glad I really like his work, so I don't mind us being mixed up.

Is another novel in the pipeline?
Short stories, actually. I've got some stories from the past 20 years that I'd like to find a permanent home for. I thought I'd polish those, write a few more and, hey, a free book. Of course, it hasn't worked like that. I've rewritten them so extensively, they're basically new stories. Now their tendrils are starting to join up and they might form some kind of weird novel.

What cultural things have you been enjoying?
It's mainly been reading. I didn't notice it happening but, between Brexit and the end of Trump, I stopped reading. The news was such a horror story that I took refuge in Netflix and kind of forgot to read for five years. That doesn't cast a writer in a flattering light, does it? But during lockdown, I've rediscovered my passion. I even finally read Ulysses. I've spent all my whole life going quiet when the subject of Ulysses came up. Not any more.
The Reason I Jump is released on Friday 18 June. David Mitchell's latest novel, Utopia Avenue, is just out in paperback (Sceptre, £8.99)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
David Mitchell: 'The world still thinks autistic people don't do emotions'

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
uthor David Mitchell, 52, was born in Southport, grew up in Malvern and now lives near Cork in Ireland. He published the first of his nine novels, Ghostwritten, aged 30. He has been twice shortlisted for the Man Booker prize, for number9dream and Cloud Atlas . He has also written opera libretti and screenplays.

# data[].attributes.headline
Inclusive Art teaching (and a great SNA)

# data[].attributes.subject
Inclusive Art teaching (and a great SNA)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
A Co Galway schoolboy with cerebral palsy has discovered a love of art - by using the wheels of his wheelchair to apply the paint.

Joshua Whelan, a first year pupil at Clarin College in Athenry, received huge praise on social media last week after the school shared a picture of his first ever painting.

The large artwork is an abstract of the Athenry town map.

However, Joshua's route to producing the piece required some innovative teamwork.

When Joshua joined Serena Joyce's art class a few months ago, she was determined to find a way for him to make his mark.

"I felt art transcends all abilities and disabilities and it was important for him to be included in this," she said.

"We looked at other wheelchair artists, such as American artist Tom Hollenstein who uses his wheelchair too, so that provided inspiration."

Joshua uses the wheels of his wheelchair to paint across a large canvas

Serena worked with Martin O'Connell, Joshua's special needs assistant, to figure out how they could help Joshua realise his creative vision.

As soon as they settled on painting using his wheels, Serena 'borrowed' the boot mat from her husband's car to use as a palette, and Martin repurposed some old bicycle tyres to place over Joshua's wheelchair wheels to protect them during the painting.

Serena said: "Joshua has been very enthusiastic about it and the excitement of getting Martin covered in paint was also part of his humour!"

During the painting process, Joshua directs Martin on how he wants the wheelchair to move across the canvas.

"You know by his reaction, and if we're not doing what we should be doing he'll tell me, he's very good at communicating in that way," Martin said.

Joshua directs his SNA Martin on the colours and direction he wants the wheelchair to go on the canvas

Joshua's abstract of the Athenry town map was completed as part of the school's end-of-year exhibition that will feature works from every year group.

The exhibition's aim is to draw links between the brand-new school and the medieval walled town it is situated in.

His painting is on display in the school and after it was hung, the Clarin College Twitter account shared a photo of it. The tweet received thousands of likes and retweets, with comments flooding in to congratulate him on his work.

Joshua's mother Ingrid said: "He's amazing. It's a credit to the school and Serena and Martin, and the support he's had to help realise his skills and abilities.

"People will look at it and think, 'Josh did that with West Ham wheels, maybe I could do it with something else'."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A Co Galway schoolboy with cerebral palsy has discovered a love of art - by using the wheels of his wheelchair to apply the paint. Joshua Whelan, a first year pupil at Clarin College in Athenry, received huge praise on social media last week after the school shared a picture of his first ever painting.

# data[].attributes.headline
Always assume learners have capabilities

# data[].attributes.subject
Always assume learners have capabilities

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Under the Table - The Importance of Presuming Competence | Shelley Moore | TEDxLangleyED

# data[].attributes.headline
Inclusive schooling in Ireland (and the lack thereof)

# data[].attributes.subject
Inclusive schooling in Ireland (and the lack thereof)

# data[].attributes.body
Really good read!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Six-year-old Nicole McGiff should have started primary school last September. Instead, she sits at home each day and watches Mickey Mouse and Princess Sofia on her tablet.

Her father Phillip says he applied for 10 schools on Dublin's southside in the past year and received 10 rejections.

"It was the same response," he says. "We're full and we don't keep waiting lists, so reapply next year."

The last thing I want for her is to spend hours on a bus every day. It's not fair

He believes, however, there was another reason why schools didn't have a place for her: she is autistic and has an intellectual disability. She is non-verbal, has a specialised diet and doesn't interact with other children. "It makes me feel angry," says McGiff, who attended a recent protest over the lack of education for special needs pupils in the Dublin 12 area.

"You hear of other children travelling miles and miles to get to special schools. The last thing I want for her is to spend hours on a bus every day. It's not fair - the system isn't fair."

Solutions

It's a pattern replicated in many different parts of the country. Parents of children with special needs are often unable to access education in their locality. In many cases, children end up travelling long distances to access a special class or special school.

The National Council for Special Education, the State's body responsible for organising special education, believes it may have a solution to help improve access and outcomes for such children.

On Tuesday, it will issue a report recommending that the Minister for Education commence legislation which would prohibit schools from taking into account a child's academic ability in their admissions policies.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) says such a step is needed to help remove "soft barriers" which parents of special needs pupils face when trying to find school places for their children.

It has also taken the dramatic step of warning that Ireland may be in breach of a UN convention by "segregating" up to 16,000 special pupils into special schools and special classes attached to mainstream schools.

The council says the State should consider moving to a "total inclusion" model, where all children are placed in mainstream schools, regardless of their level of disability.

How on earth can anyone say that a bustling mainstream class with 30 students is the right place for a child with severe and profound disabilities...?

It says all children should be educated together, with the right supports in place, unless there is strong evidence to support a different approach.

Scepticism

Among many professionals and campaigners, however, there is scepticism over whether such an approach can work.

Many campaigners and teachers worry that children with complex needs could end up much worse off.

"How on earth can anyone say that a bustling mainstream class with 30 students is the right place for a child with severe and profound disabilities and sensory issues?" says one educational psychologist, who declined to be named.

Another education expert questions whether it would have a negative impact on the education of mainstream children.

Others speculate that such changes would be a way of cutting or containing the rising cost of the special-needs sector, which now accounts for almost a fifth of the entire education budget.

Placing children in local schools, for example, could dramatically cut the €100 million cost of transporting special-needs pupils to special classes and schools, often long distances from home.

Teresa Griffin, the NCSE's chief executive, says she had reservations herself at the "total inclusion" model until she saw it in action first hand in the Canadian province of New Brunswick.

Evidence

Jody Carr, a former minister for education in the province, says its decisions to move to this model were based on evidence that students in special settings achieved less favourable longer-term outcomes than their peers in mainstream.

He says the system works by individualising education for pupils, along with strategies, goals, outcomes, targets and educational supports necessary to ensure their success in learning.

Children don't stay all day every day in the same class, he says. Students may be withdrawn at certain times for support.

"I would encourage parents, teachers, students and other partners to to consider the next steps needed to educate all your students together in their local school," he says.

"Not only because this the right thing to do - but also because it is now your country's legal obligation under the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities."

Many teachers and parents of special needs, however, say that while the idea sounds laudable, there are too many practical barriers.

Many children in the Irish system, they say, cannot access the supports and therapeutic input they need right now; moving all special education into mainstream settings, they say, would overwhelm schools and result in a worse education service.

They also point to stumbling blocks such as the large number of smaller schools in Ireland, inadequate teacher training and patchy access to crucial supports.

Not everyone is critical, however. Some schools, such as Gaelscoil Baile Brigin in Balbriggan, have a policy which is similar to "total inclusion".

I'd be tormenting her by putting her in a big classroom . . . All I know is that we have to open more schools and special classes

All its special-needs pupils have a "base class", and move out to special classes only when they require different interventions.

Their home, however, is very much in the mainstream class: their art is on the walls and they have a seats with their names on them.

As for Philip, he can't see how his daughter could cope in a mainstream class with dozens of other pupils.

However, he accepts that the current system isn't working either and some kind of change is needed.

"I'd be tormenting her by putting her in a big classroom . . . All I know is that we have to open more schools and special classes. As I see it, mainstream schools just aren't interested. My daughter has the right to be educated - and to be educated in her community."

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Is a fully inclusive school system right for Ireland?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Six-year-old Nicole McGiff should have started primary school last September. Instead, she sits at home each day and watches Mickey Mouse and Princess Sofia on her tablet. Her father Phillip says he applied for 10 schools on Dublin's southside in the past year and received 10 rejections.

# data[].attributes.body
Importance of the teacher-learner relationship especially when we are working with difficulty

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Rita Pierson, a teacher for 40 years, once heard a colleague say, “They don’t pay me to like the kids.” Her response: “Kids don’t learn from people they don’t like.’” A rousing call to educators to believe in their students and actually connect with them on a real, human, personal level.

# data[].attributes.headline
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability

# data[].attributes.subject
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability

# data[].attributes.body
Why do we need it?

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Ten years on from the coming into force of the CRPD at the EU we explore what kind of progress has bee made, and what remains to be done.

10 years ago the United Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) came into force at the European Union (EU) level. The EU is the only regional integration organisation to have ratified the CPRD. This is groundbreaking and shows global leadership. It has led to major changes in how the rights of persons with disabilities are dealt with at international, EU and national level.

10 years is an important milestone. But as Europe's 100 million persons with disabilities can testify, signing a Convention is not enough. Until persons with disabilities have the same rights as others, the same level of employment, educational attainment, social inclusion, right to travel, to work and study within the EU as others, living independently and being included in the community, the CRPD is still a work in progress.

The next EU Disability Rights Strategy is an opportunity to build the foundations for full implementation of the CRPD at the EU level.

"The impact of COVID-19 on persons with disabilities has changed everything. The discrimination, exclusion and impoverishment of persons with disabilities in Europe has been put in very sharp focus. All the people with disabilities who have lost their lives, their family members, their livelihoods, their contact with friends, family and their support network require from us, from the EU institutions to completely transform our work to include persons with disabilities.

There will be no more excuses. The CRPD has been in force for 10 years- it is time to make sure laws are adopted, laws are enforced, people are empowered, and funding is invested.

The upcoming Disability Rights Strategy should put the foundation in place for true equality for persons with disabilities in Europe." says EDF President, Yannis Vardakastanis.

Important achievements need to be built upon to make these rights a reality.

Here are 10 reasons why we still need the CRPD:

Tweet your reasons using the hashtag #CRPDEU10

1. Nothing about us without us: the CRPD has obliged governments to meaningfully involve persons with disabilities through their representative organisations (DPOs) in all matters which concern them. However structured and predictable, meaningful dialogue is still lacking and most DPOS do not have adequate resources to play their role. Article 4.3 of the CRPD and General Comment No 7 are keys in requiring the consultation and involvement of organisations of persons with disabilities.

2. Accessibility: accessibility is increasingly becoming a core aspect of Information and Communication Technologies thanks to EU initiatives such as the European Accessibility Act or the Web Accessibility Directive. Persons with disabilities can more easily find accessible devices, such as computers or smartphones, but still face great accessibility barriers on the built environment, transport services or everyday products like, for example, household appliances. Persons with disabilities are also still at greater risk of harm during emergency situations as emergency public information and communication with dedicated contact numbers are still often inaccessible. Article 9 and Article 21 of the CRPD, and General Comment No 2 require the EU to step up.

3. Equal treatment: persons with disabilities are protected against discrimination in the field of employment and vocational training through EU anti-discrimination legislation. To this day, the EU does not prohibit discrimination based on disability in access to education, health and access to goods and services. We need the EU to prohibit disability-based discrimination in all areas of life. Article 5 of the CRPD and General Comment No 6 lay fundamental obligations to ensure equality and non-discrimination of all persons with disabilities.

4. Women's rights: women and girls with disabilities continue to face higher risk of violence than other women, more discrimination than men with disabilities in access to employment, education and health, and they are exposed to human rights abuses such as forced sterilisation. Article 6 of the CRPD and General Comment No 3 compel the EU to do more.

5. Independent living: it is estimated that around 1.5 million people in the EU still live in institutions. Despite the fact that EU Regulations forbid investment in institutional care, we do not have rules to prevent funds being invested in refurbishing existing institutions to improve their energy efficiency, or towards building new care facilities that remain institutional in nature. COVID-19 has provided a grim reminder to us of the dangers facing persons with disabilities in institutions, and should act as a catalyst to action. Article 19 of the CRPD and General Comment 5 describe in detail what states should put in place to make independent living a reality.

6. Healthcare is primarily the responsibility of national governments, with the EU playing a supporting role. However, in actions taken, including during the COVID-19 pandemic, little to no consideration was given to persons with disabilities. Article 11 and Article 25 of the CRPD requires the EU to ensure disability inclusive response to emergencies and access to healthcare to all persons with disabilities.

7. Freedom of movement and European Exchange programme:

We have made a lot of progress with the Passengers Rights legislation in the EU. However, this legislation does not ensure spontaneous and independent travel, does not cover urban transport or short distance buses and still allow, in some circumstances, still allows for denial of boarding of persons with disabilities. The EU Disability Card has been created but is only available and recognised in 9 Member States. It does not allow persons with disabilities to have their disability recognised in different member states. Article 20 of the CRPD demands personal mobility with the greatest possible independence for persons with disabilities.

Young people with disabilities are under-represented in EU youth programme such as mobility programmes like Erasmus+ where less than 2,5% are participants with disabilities. The insufficient financial support, non-transferability of services, inaccessibility and lack of information about the available measures for persons with disabilities are barriers for young persons with disabilities. The EU should ensure accessibility of information, enough financial support to allow participants with disabilities to take part on an equal basis as other young people in these EU programmes. It is fundamental under article 20 and article 24 of the CRPD.

8. Implementing the CRPD: Disability rights are now included in many new policy fields, and more attention has been given to the CRPD by the EU Institutions. In 2019, we saw for the first time, the appointment of a Commissioner for Equality. However, it is really important that the EU establishes a CRPD unit and a comprehensive plan for coordinating its implementation of the CPRD. This mechanism is required by article 33of the CRPD.

9. Beyond the EU: the commitments of the EU within the Union are not always the same as beyond the Union. It must ensure coherence between internal policies on persons with disabilities and what it does in external actions throughout the world. For instance, no EU money should be used to build inaccessible infrastructure or fund institutions in non-EU countries. The EU must partner with organisations of persons with disabilities in countries in which it develops projects and ensure all EU programmes and projects are accessible and inclusive. This is a key aspect of article 32 of the CRPD on international cooperation.

10. Accountability and reporting: The EU and all of its members states have committed to the CRPD. This is a historic achievement. However, the EU and 6 member states have not ratified the Optional Protocol, which means people with disabilities cannot take complaints to the international committee of experts. In addition- some countries do not report on time to the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, so they are avoiding having their performance reviewed. Article 35 of the CRPD requires prompt reporting of all States that ratified the Convention.

Resources

Easy read versions of the CRPD

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
10th year anniversary of the CRPD in the EU and 10 reasons why we still need the Convention

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Ten years on from the coming into force of the CRPD at the EU we explore what kind of progress has bee made, and what remains to be done. 10 years ago the United Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) came into force at the European Union (EU) level.

# data[].attributes.body
Resources on supporting learners in post-primary school

# data[].attributes.headline
UNESCO video on 2020 GEM (Global Education Monitoring) Report

# data[].attributes.subject
UNESCO video on 2020 GEM (Global Education Monitoring) Report

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Inclusion and education : All means all animation

# data[].attributes.body
Useful 5 minute video from Shelley Moore

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Evolution of Inclusion: The past and future of education