Inclusion Moments

How do we get to know different learners?

We enrolled our daughter, Jenna, in every sport offered in the community, as we did for her older sister, Cyndi. So, we started Jenna in Little League baseball when she was 4 years old and Field Hockey clinics when she was in First Grade. One of her friends, Sarah, was also in field hockey and asked for a playdate at our house after the clinic was over. We loved typical kids coming over to play and always tried to say yes.

When we got home, my husband, Jim, called me. He told me that he had taken Cyndi to the local park and all of Jenna’s class seemed to be playing at the local park playground today. Did the girls want to come over to play?

So, they squealed with delight at the mention of the park, and we piled back in the car and drove over to the park.

The park has a hill that you need to crest to see all of the playgrounds.  I was trailing behind, grabbing jackets and my purse, and the girls went running over the hill. As I got to the top, I could see the entire playground.

Jim was right, there were about 15 kids there from Jenna’s 1st Grade class, and they all came running, screaming the girl’s names! Jenna, Sarah. Jenna, Sarah!

Jenna was treated no differently than Sarah, they all hugged and played on swings and slides, and the climbing adventures began.

What we (Jim and I) realized that day was, those kids greeted Jenna enthusiastically, not because anyone was watching them to see if they would. They saw their friend. Jenna was included. Inclusion gives the gift of friendship.

As a child, I was never in classes or exposed to kids with Down syndrome or any other disability in school, so I never had a friend who was different from me. Now that we know more, we can do more, build more friendships, and learn from each other.

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