Our 8 Favorite Online Resources for Inclusive Education

Another awesome Inclusive Schools Week has come and (mostly) gone. We’ve been following all the celebratory tweets, posts, and photos–it’s so great to see how many passionate people are actively advocating for inclusion in our schools.

On Tuesday we brought you some inclusion advice for principals—and as we wrap up the week, we wanted to pay tribute to some of our favorite online inclusion resources. These bloggers and organizations are truly tireless inclusion advocates, and we’re proud to work side-by-side with them toward our common goals.

1.  The Inclusive Class

Twitter: @Inclusive_Class 

The brainchild of passionate inclusion specialist Nicole Eredics, The Inclusive Class is where we’d point any educator who’s just starting out with inclusion (though parents and seasoned inclusion advocates will find much food for thought here, too!). Nicole posts helpful articles with ready-to-use tips, shares her favorite Pinterest finds on inclusive education, welcomes diverse guest bloggers, maintains a virtual bookshelf of recommended resources, and is active on Google Hangouts (we love her collaborative spirit!). Nicole and Terri Mauro also co-host podcasts that bring together notable inclusion experts–including luminaries like Temple Grandin, Torrie Dunlap, and Loui Lord Nelson–to discuss the promise and practice of inclusive education.

Must-read posts:

• “A Beginner’s Guide to Accommodations and Modifications”
• “The Ultimate Guide to Understanding Inclusion”
• “10 Mistakes You Don’t Want to Make in the Inclusive Class”

2. Think Inclusive

Twitter: @think_inclusive

Run by Tim Villegas, Founder and Curator-At-Large, Think Inclusive is an excellent blog with a tagline we can really get behind: Tomorrow is Too Long to Wait for Inclusion. With his small team of regular blog contributors and a roster of expert guest posters, Villegas regularly publishes thought-provoking, challenging, inspiring, and practical posts on how to build more inclusive schools and communities. (Fun fact: Tim is also one-half of an indie rock duo called Sally Sparrow & the Old 41, and they’re donating proceeds from their debut album to the Autistic Self Advocacy Network. Read more about it here!)

Must-read posts:

• “The Biggest Barriers to Inclusive Education”
• “5 Videos That Will Change Your Mind about Inclusive Education”
• “What Does Full Inclusion Really Mean?”

3. Removing the Stumbling Block

Twitter: @JewishSpecialEd

This great inclusion blog is the creation of Lisa Friedman, a highly regarded speaker and expert in the field of Jewish Special Education and Inclusion. She posts about the philosophy and practice of inclusion within and outside of schools, images of disability in the media, the process of building more inclusive faith communities, and the importance of ensuring that every child gets what he or she needs to succeed. (Check out her awesome poster on the ABCs of Inclusion, shown in the sidebar of her blog.)

Must-read posts:

• “Accommodating Isn’t the Same as Inclusion”
• “Is Julia Really the Only Muppet with a Disability?”
• “Top Five Strategies for Your Inclusive Classroom”

4. National Catholic Board on Full Inclusion

Twitter: @inclusionchick

This website is chock full of valuable resources for inclusion advocates. Stop by for helpful research summaries, inclusion-themed blog posts, anecdotes and inspirational quotes, guidance on how to talk to kids about inclusion, and an amazing inclusion scrapbook filled with photos of fully-included students. (Obviously there’s a strong focus on the Catholic faith, but even if you’re not part of that community, there’s much to learn from and share here.)

Must-read resources:

• The inclusion success stories on this page
• Full Inclusion Scrapbook–what beautiful photos of inclusion in action!
• “Violets Are Not Impaired Daisies” (blog post)

5. ParaEducate blog

Twitter: @Paraeducate

With new posts published weekly during the academic school year, this blog promotes immediately helpful strategies and activities for paraeducators in inclusive classrooms. They cover important topics such as teamwork between educators, modifications, autism positivity, challenging behavior, communication, technology, and paraeducator scheduling. The posts are nice and concise, so they’re the perfect way to start your morning with a little gem to think about.

Must-read posts:

• “Not Just the Fly on the Wall; Getting Modifications Done in Seconds”
• “Just the Way You Are,” Part 1 and Part 2
• “Fear and Inclusion”

6. Ollibean

Twitter: @ollibean

We love Ollibean’s mission: “to make sure that the world’s a place where ALL people are valued, included and have access to a quality education.” Serving the broad, cross-disability community, this motivating and educational website is packed with resources on creating a more socially just and inclusive world. There’s a fantastic blog where writers such as Judy Endow and Amy Sequenzia share their lived experiences with disability. There’s a diverse selection of “Ollibean TV” videos (with transcripts) and a collection of the latest inclusion news and stories from around the globe. And if you want to wear your inclusion-love loud and proud, they even have a shop where you can buy t-shirts and other swag with quotes like “Disability is a natural part of the human experience.”

Must-read resources:

• “Being Comfortable in My Skin”
• “How to Improve Literacy without Even Trying”
• “Isn’t It A Pity? The Real Problem with Special Needs” [VIDEO]

7. Kristie Pretti-Frontczak  

 Twitter: @Kristie_PF

Kristie Pretti-Frontczak, a highly respected speaker, early childhood researcher, and author (full disclosure: she’s one of ours), runs a professional development/training company called B2K Solutions. It’s devoted to fostering “an early childhood {r}evolution where every child has the support they need to thrive at school, and in life.” Kristie maintains an extremely helpful, regularly updated blog on the B2K site, focused on early childhood inclusion and professional development for educators. She and her guest bloggers write about challenging and changing the system, presuming competence, implementing more effective behavior strategies, navigating early childhood assessment, and much more. An essential site for all early childhood educators to bookmark!

Must-read posts:

• “10 Things You Should Know about Early Development”
• “What Do Podcasts Have to Do with Professional Development?”
• “Getting to What Children Know” [VIDEO]

8. Kids Included Together

Twitter: @KITandNTCI

Interested in advancing inclusive practices beyond the classroom? Be sure to visit the Kids Included Together website. KIT provides training for community”“based organizations so they can include children with and without disabilities in their recreational programs. Many training opportunities and events are available, but if you aren’t ready to schedule something, you’ll find valuable resources under the Research & Evaluation tab (white papers, booklets, articles, and reports).

Must-read resources:

• “The Need for Skilled Inclusion in Out-of-School Time Programs: Kids Included Together Responds” (white paper)
• “The Critical Need for Training on Inclusion” (booklet)  
• “Supporting Children and Youth with Developmental Disabilities” (booklet)  

What’s YOUR favorite online inclusion resource? Share it with us in the comments below, and we’ll add it to the post!