Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome

Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome by Christopher Kliewer

What:
Mr. Kliewer argues in this article that eliminating people who have Down Syndrome or other disabilities from normal integration in the classroom detracts from the learning environment and schooling community. On page 213, he says "To eliminate a single person through any form of banishment, no matter how benevolent the logic, reduces the web and makes the community a less democratic and less rich place."

In this article, Mr. Kliewer emphasizes the point that "dialogue of citizenship does not require spoken, or indeed outspoken, language. Rather, communication is built on one's ability to listen to others." (p.201) On page 205 Kliewer quotes Gardner's research that shows how there are many culturally valued ways of knowing and acting in the world. Gardner shares how school traditionally emphasizes "logical-mathematical thinking and linguistic capacities", then he includes five other valuable ways of knowing and contributing in the world that are often overlooked in our schools.

Mr. Kliewer has given us reasons to believe that we need to include students who have Down Syndrome and other disabilities as full citizens. He even shows us that our classes are likely to experience a richer community and learning environment if we include students who have disabilities.

So What:
Many students who have disabilities such as Down Syndrome live a segregated life devoid of many of the educational opportunities of other students. Kliewer uses some examples of students with Down Syndrome such as Mia (p. 200), Isaac, April (p. 208-209) and John Mcgough (p.209) to show how isolation and segregation produced frustration, disconnection and limited the ability of these students to communicate. After these students were able to enter into a caring community as full citizens they contributed productively to this community to help it become a richer and more full learning environment.

Now What:
Mr. Kliewer advocates educating all children together as full citizens of our classroom. He says if we educate all children together it will change the representation of Down Syndrome from burden to citizenship (P.212). While referring to the students he talks about in this article, Kliewer says "Through citizenship, they came to be recognized as thinking, creative individuals who added unique and valuable dimensions to the group."

I agree with Mr. Kliewer that including students who have disabilities such as Down Syndrome can make a tremendous difference in helping students learn to listen and to develop appreciation for one another. I think this can also build teamwork along with many other skills and abilities. However, I am concerned about the complexity and challenges educators face in instructing students who use a variety of learning styles. I wonder how this will impact the ability of teachers to cover the required curriculum and students to learn this curriculum. How will this affect standardized testing? Will inclusive instruction improve test scores, cause a decline in test results or make little difference?