|
Families and Caregivers Q: What is the Belle Center? The Belle Center is a non-profit organization established to promote the rights and expectations of all children to be fully Q: What is inclusion? In a broad sense, "inclusion is a philosophy that brings students, families, educators, and community members together to create schools and other social institutions based on acceptance, belonging, and community. (Bloom, Perlmutter & Burrell, 1999). Simply put, the practice of inclusion occurs when children of varying abilities are learning together, playing together, and sharing the same space. Inclusion requires a holistic attitude and a persistent commitment. It is supported through a variety of activities and values. Q: How do I know if inclusion is right for my child and family? Inclusion is a personal decision that each family must address on an individual basis. The mere fact that families are now in a position to make a choice, based on philosophical beliefs and the legal rights that shape our view towards education, reflects an evolution on the subject of inclusion. Being aware of the benefits and challenges of inclusion, from the perspectives of school administrators, educators, families, the individual child, as well as the greater community can help set the stage for a better understanding of the practical implications inherent in this decision. Q: What are the benefits and challenges of inclusion? Benefits and challenges of inclusion are variable to each child, family, classroom teacher, administrator and school. In general, research on inclusive educational programming indicates positive experiences for children with and without disabilities. Students with disabilities in inclusive environments have shown improvement in acquiring social and communication skills, increased interaction and reciprocity with peers, achievement of a greater number of and higher quality IEP goals, improvement on standardized tests, experience of belonging to their community and are better prepared for experiences post school. Children without disabilities are also impacted positively with research and anecdotal data showing that these children demonstrate a greater acceptance, understanding and valuing of individual differences, enhanced self-esteem, genuine friendships with the children with special needs, and opportunities to move beyond stereotypes of individuals with disabilities. Some of the challenges of inclusion in the schools often include lack of: resources, staff , support services, well-designed individualized educational programs, planning time, professional development opportunities for teachers, effective collaboration amongst the "Team," and adequate support from administrators.
Q: What are the other options besides inclusion? There is a continuum of educational placements for children. In the public schools, the educational placement is typically determined by the team of individuals,(which includes the parents) who assess the child and determine which educational program in the Least Restrictive Environment will best meet the needs of the child. Special classes, separate schooling, or other removals of children with disabilities from the regular education environment should occur only if the student's IEP team determines that the nature and severity of the disability is such that education in a regular classroom setting, even with the use of supplemental aids and services, cannot be achieved satisfactorily. Educational needs, as well as social-emotional, behavioral and other related services are all considered. The continuum includes but is not limited to the following classrooms or settings: General Education with related services, team teaching, mainstream, resource, self-contained, home schooling, therapeutic day school, residential program or a combination of options. Q: Do you serve children with varying kinds of abilities? Yes. The Belle Center serves children with a range of abilities including children with mild speech and learning disabilities to more involved physical, motor, communication and social and emotional challenges. Q: Will my child qualify for your services? The Q: What programs does the Belle Center offer? The Belle Center offers a variety of services through four different programs: Community Outreach, Family Support, Inclusion Education, and Policy and Advocacy. Our direct services include direct speech, occupational and physical therapies as well as educational services and socialization groups. Our supportive services include parent support, sibling support groups, participation in Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings, and in-services, workshops and training on topics related to inclusion, child development and disability. Please see the Programs and Services page of our web site for additional information. Q: Where can my child receive services? Children and families receive services in a variety of environments, including homes, schools, day care, other community settings as well as the Belle Center office. Most of the families served by the the Belle Center prefer that support services be provided in the natural locations in which their child spends time. Such services are often more relevant to the realities of families' lives. Using a natural environment perspective encourages families, therapists and caregivers to work together in finding practical solutions to those issues that are most important to the family. Challenges can be addressed and successes shared, directly in the environments in which they occur. Q: How do I sign up for services? We ask that all families contact the Belle Center Program Director, Suzanne Carr, to initiate services. Whether you are interested in obtaining a speech assessment, regular occupational therapy services, participating in a sibling support group, or all of the above, all services begin with a conversation with the Program Director. Q: How are the services paid for? The Belle Center charges $100/hour for direct speech, occupational and physical therapies and $40/hour for educational services. Some families receive reimbursement through medicaid or private insurance and others pay "out of pocket." The Belle Center serves ALL families in need of services, regardless of ability to pay. Scholarship assistance is always available upon request. Support services are provided free of charge as part of the broader mission and purpose of the Belle Center. This includes all parent support contacts, participation in Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings, sibling support groups and advocacy, among other services. Additionally, the Belle Center offers special programs such as Socialization groups for a nominal fee with the support of private foundation grants. Q: What geographic area do you serve? The Belle Center currently serves the north side of the city of Chicago, with some limited outreach to the south side. As we grow our staff and expand our services, our goal is to continue to reach out to additional areas of the city and suburbs. Q: What age range of children does the Belle Center serve? The Belle Center currently serves children 3 years and older. The Belle Center of Chicago plans to expand its staff and programs to be able to provide early intervention services to children in the future. Q: How do I find a school or community program that will accept or embrace my child? Families are encouraged to contact schools and programs that offer programming and educational philosophies that match their own values and philosophies. Families with other children already enrolled in schools or participating in programs are encouraged to initiate discussions with them about how open or willing they are to support and embrace children with disabilities. Typically, the administrator or director is the one to contact to discuss inclusive opportunities within their program. Families are encouraged to openly discuss your child's strengths, abilities, and realistic challenges. Q: What types of schools do you serve? The Belle Center serves public and private schools, religous and independent, with both Montessori and traditional programs. We essentially "follow" our families, and are interested in building new relationships with schools, day cares and community programs when invited by our clients/families. Q: I am concerned that my child may have some unidentified challenges. How do I secure testing through the public school system? You should go to your neighborhood public school to request an Individual Evaluation for your child. You will need to provide written consent for your child to be evaluated and should express your concerns at this time. If your child has seen any professionals prior to this process, you may want to ask them to prepare and submit a report. Once a child has been referred for an evaluation and written consent has been provided, the school district has 60 school days to complete the evaluation and hold a conference to determine if the child has an educational disability. You may ask family members, friends, teachers or professionals to join you at this Educational Plan Conference. For those children who have an Individual Family Service Plan developed by an Early Intervention program, transition conferences should be arranged with the school district at least 90 days prior to the child's 3rd birthday. *Some of this information has been adapted from: A Parent's Guide: The Educational Rights of Students with Disabilities. |
included in the community. The Belle Center provides direct and supportive services to families, school staff and community providers throughout the Chicagoland area. Staff provide integrated therapies, including speech-language, occupational and physical therapies, as well as educational services to children in their natural environments including their homes, classrooms, camps and extra-curricular activities. We also provide family support, advocacy, in-services, workshops and training. Many of the families that we serve seek support, advice and participation in the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process.
