Running head: SRV Implementation Plan 1

SRV Implementation Plan

Krystin Cullum

006843365

EDUA-5600-D02 - Introduction to Inclusive Special Education

University of Manitoba

April 6, 2014





















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SRV Implementation Plan

I am choosing to focus my SRV Implementation Project around a six-year-old boy named
Shane in my afternoon Kindergarten class. Shane has been diagnosed as being legally blind
(although we know that he has some limited vision, which has the potential to increase over
time). Shane has cerebral palsy, which affects his motor ability and control. He uses a specially
adapted stroller, and is also able to walk with assistance, either using a walker guided by an
adult, or holding onto a hand. Shane also has developmental delays. He is non-verbal and
requires an adult to feed, dress, and diaper him. Through this project, I hope to have Shane
become more fully included in our classroom community. However, because Shanes needs are
so specific, rather than having him just join in with what the other students are doing (which is
not always possible), I want to plan specific activities that will meet Shanes needs in various
areas while allowing other children to also participate in these activities with Shane. The ultimate
goal would be to have the students see Shane in a valued role as a student, friend, etc. and for
them to come to enjoy spending time with him and discover ways in which Shane is the same as
them.
Goal statement

I will plan and implement a variety of cooperative activities with the children in my class
that will incorporate Shane into a minimum of four activities a week in the domains of gross
motor, fine motor, music, and sensory experiences by June 13, 2014.
Rationale and relevance
I have chosen to focus this project on Shane because I feel that due to his multiple
disabilities and special needs, he is a child that is highly vulnerable to being put into a devalued
role. Wolfensberger (2013) identifies groups of people who are likely to become devalued, the
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first of which is people with impairments, including those who are sensory impairedimpaired
in some other way in their bodiesand the mentally handicapped (p. 27). Shane fits into all
three of these categories, which I feel makes him a natural choice to focus on when it comes to
increasing Shanes valued roles in the eyes of the other children.
Part of the beauty of taking on this type of project with Kindergarten children is that they
are so young and still very open-minded. They havent necessarily developed stereotypes and
prejudices in the same way that older students may have. This particular class is probably the
most tight-knit group of students I have had the pleasure to teach thus far in my career. We have
a very strong classroom community. The students get along very well, rarely experience
conflicts, and demonstrate love, care, and concern towards one another. Generally, they treat
Shane quite well, talking to him, suggesting ideas for things that he likes, and trying to make him
happy and comfortable in our classroom. However, as is natural with young children, they tend
to gravitate towards other students who share their interests. As a result, Shane tends to get left
out because he is not able to reciprocate the relationships in terms of participating in the same
ways as their other peers. Therefore, as a result of this project I hope to create more opportunities
for the children to spend time with Shane in a way that is positive for both them and for Shane.
My hoped for outcome is two-fold: to have the students see Shane in a more positive light, as
well as meeting Shanes specific needs in a way that is relevant to him, but also allowing for
socialization and cooperation for all of the students. Here, I see how the power of imitation
comes into play. Race (1999) states that imitation is built into human nature (143) and that as
part of the process, there needs to be a model who can and does perform the desired behaviors
(p.145). Because of the close bond that we share in our classroom, I strongly feel that if the
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students see me initiating activities with Shane, they will want to join in. Likewise, if students
see their peers and friends joining in, they will wish to take part as well.
I believe that my proposed change fits into both of the social role valorization measures
of image enhancement and competency enhancement (Wolfensberger, 2013, p. 85). By inviting
the other children to become more involved in participating in activities with Shane, I hope to
make a shift in the way that they view Shane, therefore enhancing his image. By planning
activities that are specific and relevant to Shane, for example working towards goals that are laid
out in Shanes IEP, I am also hoping to enhance his competency in the identified areas.
I have chosen to focus on four specific domains when planning activities for Shane. The
first two, fine motor and gross motor skills are areas where the physiotherapist and occupational
therapist have evaluated Shane and put forward recommendations that will be of benefit to him. I
have chosen music as a category, because it is what Shane loves. He is motivated by anything
musical, from musical toys, to just listening to music. Although he does not speak, he is
sometimes able to sing a line from a song that can be understood (for example, he will start
singing Head and Shoulders). Finally, because of Shanes visual impairment, I believe that
sensory experiences are very important for him. This may include working with sand, rice, water,
finger paint and play dough. These are all things that the other students enjoy as well, and so it
will be natural to include both them and Shane in these activities. Some of the activities may
have overlap in more than one of the domains, and while new activities will be introduced, many
of the activities will be repeated throughout the weeks that I carry out this project, as repetition is
important to increase Shanes skills.
I believe that this project fits Wolfensbergers (2013) characteristics of measures that are
social role valorizing. He states that measures need to be relevant, meaning the content
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addresses a major or significant need of the people to whom the content is conveyed (p. 140). I
believe that my goals meet these criteria, as they meet the outcomes of both socializing Shane
within the group, as well as enhancing the other students sensitivity and compassion towards
Shane in seeing him as a valued member of our class. Wolfensberger (2013) also speaks of
potency as meaning that whatever processes are employed should be the most effective and
efficient means for addressing a partys needs (p. 142). By using my own knowledge based on
my observations of Shane, as well as consulting with people that have expertise in other fields,
such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, learning support, etc. I will be making sure that the
goals and activities implemented to meet these needs are best practice.
Finally, I feel that the SRV theme of interpersonal identification is especially important to
this project. Race (1999) says that if different individuals and groups, particularly if the
differences of some of them are devalued, can make contact and communicate with one another,
then they will discover sufficient elements of their common humanity to begin to identify with
one another (p. 141) as well as a goal of interpersonal identification being to create empathy
on the part of valued people with devalued people (p. 143). This is at the heart of what I hope to
achieve as a result of this project by implementing the specific measures that I will next lay out.
Action steps to take towards meeting my goal
1) Through observation, identify Shanes wounds and vulnerabilities. (Done)
2) Identify areas in which activities can be planned that that are coherent with Shanes
needs. (Done)
3) Meet with the school physiotherapist, occupational therapist, learning support teacher,
and educational assistant, to generate ideas and think about specific goals in each of the
areas.
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4) Plan activities in each of the four domains that will meet Shanes needs.
5) Begin to initiate activities one at a time, inviting other students to join in while still
maintaining the integrity of the group size and aims of the activity.
6) Document each activity. Observe the outcomes of the activities and evaluate if they are
appropriate and beneficial. Create additional activities or make changes to current
activities as needed.
7) Meet with the above-mentioned school team to re-evaluate the goals and see if any
changes need to be made.
8) Share the results of the project with others.
Possible materials and resources

Articles

-Nina Foss and Ace Bardsen
Playful reflection: an investigation into the kindergarten project Play in physiotherapy with
children

-Jennifer Wheeler
Finding the Opportunity to Teach Music to Students Who Are Visually Impaired

-E. William Vogler, Patricia Koranda, and Tom Romance
Including a Child With Severe Cerebral Palsy in Physical Education: A Case Study

-Sandra Pech
Peer Pals: Supporting Positive Social-Emotional Behaviors in a Kindergarten Classroom

-Samuel L. Odom, Virginia Buysse, and Elena Soukakou
Inclusion for Young Children with Disabilities: A Quarter Century of Research Perspective

-Cherylee M. Brown, Tanya L. Packer and Anne Passmore
Adequacy of the Regular Early Education Classroom Environment for Students with Visual
Impairment

-Susan W. Edelman, Michael F. Giangreco, Tracy Evans Luiselli and Stephanie Z.C. Macfarland
Helping or Hovering? Effects of instructional assistant proximity on students with disabilities


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-Mei-Hui Tseng, Kuan-Lin Chen, Jeng-Yi Shieh, Lu Lu, Chien-Yu Huang
The Determinants of Daily Function in Children with Cerebral Palsy

Books and Publications

-Course texts (Race and Wolfensberger)

-Manitoba Education: Healthy Child Manitoba
Manitoba Education services for students who are blind or visually impaired

Materials

-Jingle ball, switch toys, musical toys and instruments, play dough, sand, rice, paint, and any
other materials suggested and provided by OT and PT
Support plan

The following are a list of people that support me in my work in the classroom and would
be involved in this project.
-Learning support teacher
The learning support teacher supports several classrooms from K-2. She has blocks of time
(usually twice per week) that she spends in my classroom. Along with talking through my goals
and ideas with her, I can use her as support when implementing some of the activities during the
time that she is in my classroom.
-Physiotherapist and Occupational Therapist
These specialists come approximately once per week (sometimes more or less, depending on the
ongoing needs at the time) to support students such as Shane. They are helpful in creating
specific goals for Shane in their areas of expertise, as well as providing materials (eg. Adapted
walker, specialized sensory toys) that are needed to facilitate Shanes development.




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-Educational Assistant

My educational assistant works in my classroom all day. In the afternoons, she works most
closely with Shane, but also has a strong relationship with all of the students in my class. I know
that her skills, as well as knowledge of Shane and his needs will be of importance when it comes
to implementing the activities. I also value her input into how activities could be changed/made
better.
-Administrators

The administrators in our school work very closely with teachers and are quite aware of what
kinds of things we are doing in our classroom. They are there for support in the classroom when
needed, or to talk through challenges and possible next steps.
-Grade level teaching partner
My grade level partner and I often share ideas, talk through problems, and assist each other in
any way that we can. Our students know and are comfortable with both of us as teachers and I
know that she would provide support in any way I needed.
-Kindergarten children

Finally, I cannot underestimate the importance of the 19 children in my classroom when it comes
to implementing this project. They are willing and eager to do anything asked of them. They are
also helpful and their attitudes and participation will certainly be an incredibly important factor
in implementing this project successfully.
Sharing Plan

The following is a list of ways in which I can share the results of my project with others
who might need to know or could benefit from knowing about the results.
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-In grade level group discussions (example K-2 teachers). The other teachers would find value in
knowing about the results of this project, as they may be Shanes future teachers. They also
might be able to implement some of my strategies in their own classrooms.
-During Shanes IEP meeting in June, I would wish to share some of my thoughts and results
with the school team and Shanes foster parents.
-Each year, teachers in our division must submit an Annual Reflection of Personal Growth
(ARPL). This project would be a great topic to focus on and the information would be shared
with the administrators and superintendents who read the ARPL.
-In my division, we also have something called Teacher Talk, where teachers with similar
questions and inquiries are allowed three release days throughout the school year to get together,
talk through our practice, share ideas, and observe each others teaching. Although it would be
too late to use as a topic for this year, next years Teacher Talk could focus on ways that we
support students with special needs.
Conclusion

I am excited and eager to begin to plan and implement the activities so that I can provide
a more inclusive environment for Shane, as well as hopefully continue to create an environment
where diversity is accepted and embraced by all of my students.












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References

Race, D.G. (1999). Social Role Valorization and the English experience. London, England:
Whiting and Birch Ltd.
Wolfensberger, W. (2013). A brief introduction to Social Role Valorization: A high-order
concept for addressing the plight of societally devalued people, and for structuring
human services. (4
th
ed.) Plantagenet, Ontario: Valor Press.