Reconstructing the Story
This narrative was reconstructed through document resources that included notes, minutes, letters, and scraps of paper from meetings and correspondence between a parent and a school board saved and archived in my home. In addition to reading through these textual representations, I relied on my personal memory of my perceptions and understandings, as I was an active participant in the struggle presented and on conversations with my husband who was also a member of the support group. These memories were important because textual representations leave out some of what happened: how the meetings felt, the unspoken meanings shared through gestures, the relationships that formed between the support group participants. It is through the telling and retelling of this lived story that my "…personal memory in which the emotional meaning of events is recognized…" (Hoffman, 1994, p. 3) and helped to bring this internal journey to the narrative.
This narrative is the account of my experience. In other words it is my version of events and my interpretation of them. While I lived this story of "advocate" (McAdam, McCarthy, Zald, 1988), others were storying me (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000). This is not a story about their storying of me or the stories that they lived. It is the telling of my story of learning to be an advocate. We can only wonder what the stories were of those whose lives interconnected to this narrative. In Mormon Silko's (1996) words, every "… story (is) composed of innumerable bundles of other stories" (p. 31). There are multiple stories but they will not be heard here for I only have my story composed years after participation. At the time of this lived experience, the intention of my participation was not for research purposes.
Intertwined within the narrative are my reflective interpretations on what I learned about advocacy. In the moment, I did not have this understanding. It is time that allowed me to reflect and understand this learning. Within the narrative I draw connections to social movement theory and the organized social actions connected to the women's movement and other groups working for social change. These groups' social actions represent the kinds of options available for social change efforts (Minkoff, 1995). The literature on social movement theory and the women's movement provides a useful frame to reflect upon the ways grassroots groups' influence and achieve change. This literature provides a backdrop within the reflective and interpretive process of writing the narrative.
In formatting the story I have used four different fonts to create a sense of the layers within the narrative: regular "Times New Roman" font describes what I interpret as having happened; italic "Arial Narrow" font shows what was written between the Board and parent; regular "Arial narrow" font is used for words of other authors; and italics "Times New Roman" text are my reflective thoughts.
Narrative Begginnings
I have come to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood. That the speaking benefits me, beyond any other effect. …what I most regretted were my silences…. We can learn to work and speak when we are afraid in the same way we have learned to work and speak when we are tired. For we have been socialized to respect fear more than our own needs for language and definition, and while we wait in silence for the luxury of fearlessness, the weight of that silence will choke us (Lorde, 1980, pp.19, 23).
Being - At Risk?Being - At Risk?
As I embarked on the writing of this narrative I experienced anxiety and an intense feeling of apprehension and fear. The sense was similar to when I first participated in a parent support group to secure inclusive education for children with developmental disabilities. I was anxious about being part of the group because inclusive education was controversial and very political. To be in partnership with parents, talking about the idea of inclusive education, felt as though I was challenging my loyalty (Bloch, 1966). I was teacher, employee of a board, member of the ATA, colleague, and an aspiring administrator. Although there were districts in Alberta (i.e. Yellowhead School Division) that had allowed children to be included in their neighbourhood school, the act of standing by parents did not seem in keeping with the bureaucratic plotline of teacher as professional. I was stepping out of my role as employee and entering another. I was writing a new script and there was the possibility of a new plotline. I was becoming an advocate, a part of a social movement interested in securing inclusion for all children. To write a new script with a different plotline would be risky within the existing landscape of schools. This landscape is one where professionals were loyal to the script of schools that had borders placing restrictions on children in their movement between 'regular' and 'special' education. At the time of writing this personal narrative I once again wondered what it meant to be loyal. Telling this story would be a risk, wouldn't it? I always felt a hushed silence among colleagues in response to my advocacy activities for inclusive education for children with developmental disabilities. Through my years as a teacher and assistant principal, I would talk fleetingly about my membership with parent advocacy groups, being asked to be a speaker and attending national and international events on inclusion. In my teacher world I would not begin conversations about inclusive education but would wait for others to start the conversation. And still then I would walk cautiously. Outside of school I lived a secret life - activist. Telling this story would be a risk, wouldn't it?
Why Take the Risk of Telling
How can I remain silent when I have had to deal with the anger generated in me by the injustices I witnessed like the time:
My heart ached as I listened to a friend say over a board room table "That is my child they are talking about as if he is a monster in the "Trying to Teach" (Alberta Teacher Association, 1983) document; or
When a teacher called to say to me, "Do you really think she should be in our class, after all she is mentally retarded?" She was talking about Barb's child, Susan. Susan who was a cherished member of my grade 1/2 class the previous school year (Raymond, 1995). The little girl who taught me and the other children what caring is all about; or
The time I felt ashamed as an educator when I sat at Mary's table listening to her say an educator told her that her child was too intelligent to be included because he would understand he was different; or
The day I had to fight back the tears when two mothers from another school district came and visited my class to see how Susan was included. Their desire to have their children included in a regular classroom was being denied.
Listening to the parents' desires for their children to be included in their neighbourhood school underscores for me the ways in which our experiences of the world connects us rather than divides us. They too are dealing with educational institutions: the same ones that I find make me feel ever so little and suggest that I should censor what is in my heart; the same ones where I may not say I do not admire special education and feel I must curb my emotional passion for social justice; the same ones where I wish I could rethink my role as a teacher of children with developmental disabilities in small and large ways, painfully and fruitfully in a hope to help children cross the border from special education to regular education. I have learned how to belong within two contexts at the same time, remaining silent within the landscape of schools advocating for parents in their quest for inclusive education off the school landscape.
What I am more concerned with is my sense of loss of power and agency in my life, through this well-rehearsed subversion and management of my feeling voice (Ribbens, 1998, p. 33)
This past decade has been filled with having to endure the scorn of others. I am tired of defending my desire to work in an inclusive school. My interest to explore inclusion as a reality is not intended to rebuke others. I do not believe that teachers who do not support inclusion are less gentle, less empathetic or less responsive than I am. I too have difficulty finding a way to think about what a more cooperative, just and equitable social order might be. However, community for me is, and must be, inclusive for exclusivity in my view is harmful to community.
My teaching and personal life experiences led me to view community as a metaphor of a kaleidoscope (Forest & Lusthaus, 1987). The kaleidoscope requires all the bits and pieces. Remove some, the resulting pattern is less complex, less rich; add others, the resulting pattern is vibrant and diverse. Together, the kaleidoscope pieces create uniquely beautiful patterns, patterns that cannot be created by one piece or any group of pieces alone. The kaleidoscope patterns are continually changing. Alone we are bits and pieces of this and that. When put together, we become beautiful patterns of what I call community. The inclusion of all people ensures environments that promote individual value and respect. By including all children, as members of a regular class, communities become complete and rich. Exclusion would create a void.
- Kaleidoscope of Children
- The essences are each a separate glass,
- Through which the sun of beings light is passed,
- Each tinted fragment sparkles in the sun,
- A thousand colours, but the light of one
- (Author Unknown).
What is Advocacy?
Webster's on line dictionary describes advocacy as the act or process of advocating or supporting a cause or proposal (Webster, 1999). Webster (1980) defines advocacy as 1: one that pleads the cause of another; specifically: one that pleads the cause of another before a tribunal or judicial court 2: one that defends or maintains a cause or proposal.
When this story of advocating with and for a family was lived, I had no understanding of what advocacy was and should be. What I brought with me was my personal belief in inclusive education. In time I was to come to learn that advocacy means to seek a solution to a particular issue or need, both with and for people with disabilities in order to enhance their rights and opportunities. I was to be "…challenged to hold firm to a belief in the miracle of commitments that are unconditional and sustained…" (Smith, 1997, p. 139) through relationships with parents who keep me going by their hopefulness.
The Story Must Be Told
… advocacy on behalf of the disadvantaged is not unprofessional… and the use of power and influence to achieve worthwhile objectives is not a waste of time. On the contrary, a professional commitment to social change in today's world requires that myths and stereotypes such as these to be buried once and for all (Dluhy, 1981, p.7).
Audre Lorde's words speak to me "the silence will choke us". I have come to realize that this story needs to be told. I needed to tell what I knew although I worry what the telling may unfold.
How I got involved
I did not just wake up one morning and think, "Hey, I want to be part of a parent group interested in inclusive education." It was more like I was driven to it because circumstances made it the logical thing to do. I attended a summer institute on inclusive education at McGill University that changed (Raymond, 1995) my sense of responsibility as a teacher. I had come to understand that advocating for inclusive education would be best accomplished if collaboration between professionals and families took place (Turnbull & Turnbull, 1996). I learned that in Ontario such a collaborative group formed called "Integration Action Association, Ontario". I knew a parent in Edmonton was interested in forming a support group with the focus of inclusion. While attending a conference in Edmonton I met up with this parent and, in conversation, said we should form a similar group. My words were put into action by this parent and, before I knew it, I was at a Saturday meeting at her home with 35 other people that she rustled up to attend. This was the beginning of the group called " Integration Action Association for Education - Alberta (IA)."
I had a sense of excitement and apprehension on the day of the meeting. The conception of IA made real the act of advocacy for me. No longer could I just talk. My turmoil and the enthusiasm created by the participants at the conception meeting left me with an odd feeling that day. I knew this was going to be exciting but I was worried about how the story of advocate might mix with story of teacher, employee of a board, member of the ATA, colleague, and an aspiring administrator "… there was a new ingredient, an emotional undertow that I'd never encountered before, … (Edmond, 1999, p. 278). This emotional struggle is still with me.
At the time I certainly did not tell a story of myself as activist. However, the thought that parents' requests for inclusion were being rejected galvanized me in my wish to help parents access inclusive education for their children and to ensure that it was quality education. I had become conscious of the inconsistencies in the limited options parents with children with developmental disabilities were presented and felt the need to join others in changing this (McAdam, McCarthy, & Zald, 1988). I cared enough about the issue of inclusive education that I was prepared to incur significant costs (professionally and personally) and was willing to act to achieve these goals by being an active member of the group (Oliver & Marwell, 1992).
Learning Together - We Become Knowledgeable
We met every month. The group was made up of parents that had secured inclusion, parents who wanted inclusive education for their children and parents who were still considering it. The meetings were friendly and welcoming. They were quiet one-on-one conversations, lively exchanges, questions asked, questions answered, some times tears, more often laughter. They were filled with hope and gave parents a sense of possibility. There was a sense of renewal as parents learned they were not alone in their quest for their dream to have their children attend the same school as their siblings. These meetings gave the first hint of the numbers and range of families who, in isolation, were dreaming a different school experience for their children than the one offered in segregated settings.
The parents talked about their children's successes and struggles with becoming accepted. We shared our stories, dreams and aspirations. At the time I was a consultant and I shared examples of inclusion I encountered across the province (which were only a few) and my reading of the literature on inclusive education. We were venturing into discussions when not many schools boards were discussing the idea of inclusion. The group was important to me. I had a place where I could securely, and without a sense of threat, discuss what I learned at McGill University.
I needed the support group as much and sometimes I felt even more than the parents. The sanctity of the group provided me the opportunity to think beyond the limits imposed by the obligation of teacher, employee of a board, member of the ATA, colleague, and an aspiring administrator. I could openly question the models that shaped the delivery of special education in the province and speak of other possibilities. It was a place where a different set of questions was being asked. This was my "public homeplace" (Belenky, et al., 1997). I, like the parents, experienced silencing and needed the nurturing of others to develop and struggle to have a voice in the dialogue of education for children with developmental disabilities.
Participating in a support group to assist parents to advocate for their children to gain an inclusive education made me further question my understanding of present conceptions of education for children with developmental disabilities. To let go of old certainties (segregated education) and to acknowledge another way of seeing education for children with special needs (inclusive education) "requires courage, self-trusting, standing apart." And that "…this process often creates temporary confusion the gaining of independent reasoning is both disconcerting and disorienting, both in relation to the established hierarchies and political allegiances and, more painfully, in relation to oneself" (Corbett, 1996, p. 34).
At the time, we would not have described our meetings as consciousness raising (Pierson, et al., 1993). But on reflection there were just that. As in the women's movement, "We had boundless energy and sought eagerly to collectivize our experiences, to move away from our isolation and powerlessness" (Adamson, et al., 1988, p. 42).
The discussions helped parents to learn that their private experiences with schools rejecting their requests were universal and part of a larger pattern of societal prejudice towards their children (Corbett, 1996; Morris, 1991). The meetings were similar to those in the women's movement. The process of telling about the personal became a distinct form of feminist organization through consciousness raising groups (Adamson, et al., 1988; Pierson, et al., 1993). Gluck & Patai (1991) give a sense of what was happening within the group. "It is … true that the telling of the story can be empowering, validating the importance of the speaker's life experience" (p.2). Acquiring knowledge, sharing information and advocating for inclusive education was a critical part of IA through the telling of personal practical experiences. Through the personal narratives, we (parents and professionals) were raising our consciousness about parents' rights to inclusive education for their children.
Frustration
As I listened to the parents talk about their sense of rejection and struggles with getting educators to understand why and what they wished for their children in an inclusive classroom I often felt frustrated. I could understand the dilemma from my colleagues' point of view because I had been there too. They were struggling with the idea and had few experiences and examples to draw on. I had just awakened to the idea of inclusive education as a choice and was beginning the learning journey of how to effectively include all children.
Although I sympathized with my colleagues about their dilemma of including children with developmental disabilities, at times I got angry about what was happening to these parents and how they were expected to be complacent and to accept without question what was offered to them by school personnel.
Asking for Help
Making change is by definition the goal of the women's movement. To do so is to challenge social inertia, to empower ourselves, and create a new set of possibilities (Adamson, et al., 1988, p. 136).
My desire to help parents' secure inclusive education was put to a test one day. At every IA meeting the group would tell each other that if one of the parents needed support to get inclusion the group was there to support them. In over a year no one had taken us up on the offer. But this was to change. Close to the end of the September 1988 meeting a parent named Linda put her hand up and said, "I need help."
We looked at each other and I thought, "What does help mean?" Being one of the few professionals involved in the group I felt a sense of responsibility that mirrored my expectations of myself as teacher. I should know how to do this. I had been reading the literature on inclusive education and attending university courses on how to but part of this was never the nuts and bolts of formally appealing a school board's placement decision. However, more than needing to know how to advocate against a school board I struggled with my personal conflict with being both a teacher and part of such a political activity. To secure inclusion for Linda's son would mean taking a school board to task. Was I up to this? How could I be part of this advocacy effort and safeguard myself? In the weeks, months and the year to follow I was to learn what help meant and would have to face my own personal concerns about being an advocate many times.
Kitchen Table Advocacy: A Year Long Process
Before the meeting ended members of the group were asked by a show of hands who would be willing to go to Linda's house for a meeting to help her secure inclusive education for her child at his neighbourhood school. I put my hand up (with a sense of foreboding) along with a number of other members. A date was scheduled to meet at Linda's house the following week. We consciously moved from the professional boardroom table to the kitchen table. The hardship was on the family and meeting in their home rather than expecting them to travel to the group meeting place might eliminate one stress for them as well as provide Linda the comfort of her home as she shared her story.
One week later...
We assembled at Linda's house. Linda was a gracious hostess and was aware that the people gathered at her house had come directly from work. She laid out an array of food (which was to become part of all the meetings at her home over the next year). After we secured a plate of food (which created, for me, an odd feeling of festivity within an air of tension) the meeting began by asking Linda to tell what she had done to date to try and get her son included into his neighbourhood school. She wove a story that resembled a merry-go-ride of conversations with different people. She had spoken to her child's teacher, the principals of 19 schools, consultants and senior district staff. They all responded with an unequivocal no to her request to have her son included in a regular grade 6 class.
Dear Mrs. __________, As indicated to you over the telephone, your request for a fully integrated placement for your son, Paul has been denied (letter 1988 09 13).
Serious Decision
Linda shared her very serious decision to keep Paul home until the dispute between her and the Board was cleared up. After the last IA meeting she became firm in her decision that inclusion was what her son needed and should have. After the IA meeting she contacted a senior staff and indicated that if her son could not go to his neighbourhood school then she would be keeping him at home because she would no longer send him to the district's segregated class in which they had him enrolled. We were all a bit taken aback but respected Linda for her decision and determination. Linda had drawn her line in the sand and we had to choose what side we would be on. It meant we had no time to lose. A child out of school was a serious thing. We needed to work hard to get Paul into the school Linda wanted for him.
A Major Challenge
After Linda up dated the group of people assembled we began to brainstorm ways to assist Linda to convince her school district that her son should go to his neighbourhood school. None of us had direct experience with dealing with a resistant school board. We knew, however, that a collective action (McAdam, McCarthy & Zald, 1988) was necessary to change Paul's circumstances. We shared what we knew. The discussion touched on how to recruit more supporters and enlist new allies, influence decision-makers at all levels, and make and keep important contacts. We took inventory and identified our collective skills, talents and abilities and explored our personal contacts (Governor's Planning Council on Developmental Disabilities, 1989) before we divided the labor.
As we each selected tasks I was cautious about the ones I felt safe to pursue. Contact with the Board in any way was out. This was way too risky. I chose tasks that were neutral in nature and would not be viewed as adversarial to my perceived responsibilities as an educator. I struggled with these ideas at the same time as being committed to helping despite the risks. I felt like I was on a teeter-totter trying to balance being an advocate and being an employee of a school board. I struggled with my sense of identity as I lived on the two landscapes in which I had positioned myself. This haunted me. It was a strain living on both landscapes, weighing every action, weighing every reaction as I negotiated my way through the spaces I lived with in both contexts.
The next two weeks were filled with action. Each of us set out to accomplish our assigned tasks. We needed to focus on ways to create interest and support for the goal of getting Paul into his neighbourhood school. Through IA we activated our own commitment but we needed to create opportunities to gain the commitment of others (Ryan, 1992).
The plan included contacting the Alberta Association for Community Living (AACL) and the Canadian Association for Community Living (CACL), advocacy groups for families with children with developmental disabilities, for advice and assistance. We developed a list of experts that knew about inclusive education and asked them for advice and commitment to help in whatever way they could. Calls were made to the Department of Education for their ruling on the right of a parent to request inclusive education for their children with disabilities and the school board for the formal appeal process. Linda contacted her church for support and asked friends to write letters that discussed their views on Paul going to school with their children.
Much had happened in two week. We had traveled via the telephone lines from Vancouver to Toronto gathering advice and assistance. Many phone calls had been made and much talk had occurred during these two weeks.
Two weeks later...
We gathered at Linda's house to debrief and share what we had learned and collected during the past two weeks. It became very obvious early in the process of supporting Linda and her son "(t)he voluntary sector faces an opponent which is paid to maintain the status quo" (Le Gras, 1984, p. 146). The sheer volume of "grunt work" was overwhelming. The number of phone calls, locating of resources and making sure everyone did what they had to do was exhausting. It was going to be tough to accomplish our goal by doing it primarily with volunteer hours.
Maybe They Will Say Yes if We Ask Once More
It was decided to schedule a face-to-face meeting with the school board's senior staff, Linda and an advocate from the support group. We hoped if Linda, with her advocate, had a persuasive conversation in an interpersonal exchange (Klandermans, 1992) with the senior staff they might reconsider once they learned she had sought support.
I remember hoping this meeting would solve the problem. The Board would clearly see Linda was going to be persistent and that she now had a group of people behind her. Therefore, it was best to support her request. The Board I worked for had supported parental request when they presented their wishes with an advocate. We were sure that this Board would respond similarly now that they saw Linda was not going to budge.
The meeting took place two days later and was followed up with a letter the next day from the senior staff.
- Dear Mrs. ________,
- … I must inform you that your request for a placement for your son Paul at _______School in a fully integrated setting is being denied. … Although in principle, we are very supportive of providing for the instructional needs of special needs youngsters in as normal an environment as possible, we feel that the grade ______ would not be appropriate at this time (letter 1988 09 21).
Crushed
It should be no surprise, … that most grassroots activists run into resistance that seems unreasonable and sometimes even mean-spirited. …you will probably encounter someone - a group of people or an institution - who opposes your solution and resists your efforts (Dingerson & Hay, 1998, p. 17).
We were crest fallen from the rejection but Linda would not to be swayed. She was clear about what she wanted. She wanted to appeal the district's senior staff's decision.
- Dear Senior Staff,
- We are appealing your decision to deny our son an integrated education at ______________ School (letter 1988 09 27).
Preparation for the Appeal
We had so much to do. The needs were great. It required approaching the situation on a number of fronts. We needed to mobilize our resources (Oliver & Marwell, 1992; Zald and McCarthy, 1979). Although there were specific tasks to be done for the appeal, we also believed it was important to work at other levels that might externally influence the formal appeal procedure. Saul Alinsky, a well know community organizer, cited in Le Gras (1984) says, "(t)he organizer simultaneously carries on many functions as (she) analyzes, attacks, and disrupts the prevailing power pattern" (p. 34). This speaks to what needed to happen if we were to get Paul into his neighbourhood school. We needed to use multiple strategies to secure inclusive education for Paul.
Developing Further Allies
We talked about continuing to develop allies. Others noted networking with personal contacts as contributing to successful advocacy (Lahr & Brotherson, 1996). We knew that each ally we contacted the previous two weeks had friends, neighbours, acquaintances and coworkers. We needed to keep looking for allies and this was best done by talking about Linda's situation with as many people as we could.
National Public Support
CACL's national conference was to be held in two weeks in another part of the country. It was decided that this event would be used to distribute information sheets about Linda's situation and to secure support through a letter writing campaign. By making Paul's situation public at the conference we were able to rally support in a way that would have been simply too expensive to achieve through other means.
- Dear School Board,
- Our association has worked closely with the School District in ______________ to support integration and feel that valuable lessons can be learned from this experience. We hope that you will reconsider the placement of Paul into a regular classroom. We understand that some of his friends already wish that he were going to their school (letter 1988 10 14).
We learned from this tactic that the grapevine goes both ways. The Board heard about the letter writing campaign long before they received any letters. The energy the Board put into trying to find out who presented the family's plight at the conference surprised us.
The Board's insistence to learn who spoke publicly caused me great concern. This concern came from the fact that it was I who shared Paul's situation at the conference in a session I presented about the status of inclusive education in Alberta. I was stunned by their response. I was extremely naïve in believing my actions would have no ripple effect. I think I had the sense of protection from backlash because I was discussing the situation publicly in another province. I was to learn that distance did not safeguard me.
During numerous phone calls, the Board's senior staff requested Linda to name the people that shared publicly her dispute with their Board. They were adamant in stating to Linda that she had no right discussing this appeal with others and that they would not tolerate such public distribution of information. Linda remained calm throughout the calls and informed them that she had given her permission for her situation to be discussed and that she would continue to use whatever strategy she wished to make her situation public. During numerous phone calls, the Board's senior staff requested Linda to name the people that shared publicly her dispute with their Board. They were adamant in stating to Linda that she had no right discussing this appeal with others and that they would not tolerate such public distribution of information. Linda remained calm throughout the calls and informed them that she had given her permission for her situation to be discussed and that she would continue to use whatever strategy she wished to make her situation public.
The board's personnel were not satisfied with Linda's refusal to give names and they continued to try to gain this information by calling the Alberta Association and Canadian Association for Community Living.
I was relieved to find out that the associations did not feel that this was information that they needed to locate for the school board.
As Le Gras (1984) writes "(d)irect action, …involves risks of a similar kind. Where laws are not broken, social codes usually are and activists face hostility and danger. An individual alone can engage in direct action. However, most often, small groups are involved for reason of support. Activists also realize the power of collective action when peeling away the cover of silence" (p. 28). This situation highlighted that our actions could cause hostility and danger for the members in the support group and we need to consider safeguarding members from being personally attacked. The actions of one member were to be viewed as the action of the group and responded to in this fashion when hostility from the outside occurred.
Throughout this period of inquisition I was extremely disturbed. I was concerned about what would happen if they did secure this information and what would they do with it. But on the other hand it felt cathartic to name out loud what Linda and Paul were being refused. If they lived in another part of the province or country their request for inclusive education would be granted. Without talking about their circumstances we would never change the situation. Out of this struggle I became even stronger in my resolve.
Considering the backlash and flood of opposition from the senior staff we considered this to be a successful strategy (Lewis & Barnsley, 1990) in raising awareness of Linda's situation and gathering support.
Church Connection
Linda met with her pastor to ask for his support. He was not supportive and indicated to Linda that he did not see it as his job to get involved. This caused her great pain. Linda's religious beliefs were intertwined with her understanding of her child's rejection and she felt that her church should be on the side of questioning Paul's exclusion. This set of beliefs were similar to those of Catholics in Latin America that "argued that the church should be on the side of the oppressed in this life as opposed to simply promising them an internal reward after a life of suffering" (Hamilton, 1996, p. 29). As this complex belief contributed to widespread forms of social protest in Latin America, Linda's religious beliefs were at the heart of her struggle for Paul's acceptance.
To help Linda try and connect her pastor to her plight we contacted an advocate for inclusive education that lived in Toronto. He was a minister and was active in advocating for inclusive education. We asked him for advice on ways to connect Linda's desire to have Paul included in his neighbourhood school to the church's belief about people with disabilities and what it meant to be a welcoming religious community. We asked if Linda's minister could contact him to learn how he could support Linda in her quest to have her son included.
Research
We completed a literature review. We collected and organized articles that talked about the benefits of inclusive education for children both with and without a disability and how to include children in regular education classrooms. We developed a class profile of expectations in a grade six class and showed how Paul's learning style and needs could be accommodated in the regular classroom.
Ferree and Hess (1985) state that in a social movement in addition to specific skills and material objects needed for effective action "an ideology, or a way of explaining reality that makes sense to potential participants and justifies their involvement" (p. 26) is equally important. The results from the literature search on inclusive education were used to validate our position to the school employees and new recruits to Linda's cause.
If Need Be, Get an Independent Evaluation
We thought an assessment by a psychologist describing how Paul could be included would be helpful. However, this strategy backfired. When the psychologist was contracted, we were not clear about what we were looking for. In the report, the psychologist described how Paul could be educated in a regular class, but he also reported Paul's IQ scores. The school board had used Paul's IQ as a reason for his exclusion from his neighbourhood school. When the Board reviewed our independent assessment they ignored the portion that spoke to how Paul could be accommodated in the regular classroom and zeroed in on his IQ score. This traditional special education approach of using IQ scores to categorize and separate children for education was at the heart of the school board's argument to exclude Paul. They used our assessment against us by saying that our psychologist also stated that Paul's IQ was such that he could not handle the regular classroom.
Political Connection
Linda contacted her school trustees and asked friends to do the same. She was willing to ask as many people as she could to help. In addition to the trustees Linda wrote to the Minister of Education to keep him abreast of her situation.
Dear Minister of Education, This is to inform you of my difficulty in getting my son Paul into his neighbourhood school…. We are currently appealing the decision of the _____________ School Board. Paul at this time is not in school because he is being denied access to his own neighbourhood school (letter 1988 09 27).
Neighbours and Friends
Linda continued to ask friends to give testimony about how they viewed Paul fitting in with his peers in the neighbourhood school. She asked them to write why they wanted Paul to go to school with their children and what benefits they saw for both Paul and their children.
Dear School Board, … I cannot understand how our school system can fail a child such as this. The attitude of some associated with the school is quite frankly, cruel and not worthy of one of the most enlightened countries in the world. … I sincerely hope you will re-evaluate your program for handicapped children. Especially those that so obviously have the capacity to learn (letter 1988 10 14).
I was taken aback by the number of people who were eager to help after they heard Linda's story. I noticed that when Linda talked about her situation people often responded by sharing their own stories of rejection or their children's stories of rejection in relation to schools. The telling of Linda's story seemed to bring to the foreground listener's stories of similar experiences. There was a sense of solidarity as they told each other their stories.
Another Famiy's Struggle
In our quest for information we become aware of a family in another city in Alberta that appealed their Board's placement decision for their child. After a long struggle this child was now attending his neighbourhood school. We contacted them to get whatever written documentation they might have that would help Linda in her appeal.
Moral Support and Assurance
We encouraged families and friends to call Linda to assure her that she was doing the right thing and that there were many people cheering for her and her son. This seemed very important to Linda. She told us weekly who called and from where. We encouraged friends from across the country to make contact with Linda via the telephone or by sending her a note. We knew it was important that she knew other parents admired her strength to appeal the Board's decision.
Persistence
There was so much to do and so little time. The fact that normal life duty needed to be attended to made all of us tired but did not weaken our resolve. We were not afraid to look around us, look again and look harder to find an avenue to help Linda achieve inclusive education for Paul. We did not allow the stress of time to prevent us from being continually creative in seeking support in as many places as possible. We talked always of what needed to be done immediately and what could be addressed at another point in time. Nothing was not worth exploring. There was always someone at the 'kitchen table' that would offer to do the work.
Parents' Right to See Records
The next difficulty was trying to access Paul's school records. This took numerous phone calls and a visit by Linda to the school board office. This was a tiresome task that was not very informative. After many non returned phone calls from student services Linda went to the school board office and stated that she would not leave until she was given access to her child's file. After a long wait a consultant was made available to review Paul's file with Linda. The psychologist informed Linda that she could not give her the information that was in her son's file without permission from all the testers. She then implied to Linda that she would not gather any worthy information from the reports and would only provide Linda with the raw scores of tests written on a piece of paper. Although Linda continued to insist she wanted to see the whole file the consultant refused to give her access.
While Linda fought for access to her child's file the appeal panel appointed to hear her case were given an array of reports from early childhood checklists to school reports to assist them in making their decision. Linda was not to see what the appeal panel received until a number of weeks after the appeal hearing and then only after she gained legal council. In this situation she was denied the opportunity to properly prepare and respond to the information the appeal panel would rely on to support their position (Learning Disabilities Association of Canada, 1993). Control and domination is exerted over those who are oppressed, typically through "… the retention and control of information and knowledge (Giddens, 1993, p. 188).
I had no idea how to go about arguing Linda's right to view her child's file. I knew it was wrong that Linda was being denied full access to the contents but was not clear how to dispute the board staffs' refusal to give her the information she requested.
Supporters
The appeal procedure policy stated that parents had the right to be accompanied by a single advocate (at their expense) at the appeal hearing. This seemed unfair. Linda felt she needed the support of more individuals to present her case. Linda wrote to the Superintendent stating that she wished to bring a number of experts to the appeal. The Superintendent responded with,
Dear Mrs. ___________, In response to your request to bring more than one advocate…. Please be informed that only one advocate will be allowed. It has been the procedure of the _____________ board to allow only one advocate to be present... And in all fairness to other parties that have made presentations to the committee we will abide by this procedure (letter 88 10 11).
One more request denied. However, we were not willing to stop at no. Linda wrote back. She said that because English was her second language, she wanted the right to have a friend present to translate. In addition, she wanted the appeal hearing taped.
Both requests were agreed to.
Impartial Appeal Committee Members
Linda was informed, prior to the meeting, who the Superintendent appointed to the review committee. In this step of the appeal, the Superintendent appointed a Student Placement Review Committee consisting of a physician, psychologist and one other person. None may be staff of the school board.
From the support group's point of view there was nothing impartial about the committee members. The members were all well known in their fields and openly supported the status quo of the school systems delivery of education for children with disabilities. That was segregation. One of the panel members had been the cosigning psychologist of a test that was being used by the Board to support their view that Paul should remain in a segregated class. Another member had her child placed in a private special education school that this Board paid to provide services. We wondered whether this was a conflict of interest. At the time we did not understand our right to question this (Learning Disabilities Association of Canada, 1993).
Discord in Support Group
In addition to dealing with the appeal to the Board, the Board's response to the public presentation and the need to gather more support, the group was faced with internal conflict. A member of the support group felt we had made the wrong decision in deciding who should attend the appeal meeting with Linda. In an effort to change the group's decision the individual contacted our supporters as well as senior staff with the school board to gather support for her position.
It was necessary to deal with the internal conflict and to resolve it as soon as possible so not to jeopardize Linda's situation and the IA group's integrity from which the support group was formed. We had a meeting with the IA Executive. The purpose was to establish ground rules for support groups connected to the association. The key purpose of a support group was to support the parent(s) and child. Support group member's needs were secondary. In addition, once a group decision was made the members were then required to speak with one voice. If this was not satisfactory to any member of a support group then it was incumbent upon them to withdraw from the group. In addition, to clarify IA's position on the role of a support group, we make numerous phone calls to our supporters and the school board to clarify Linda's decision as to who would attend with her and to assure others that the internal problem had been rectified.
This situation was devastating to Linda. I knew Linda looked up to the person who created the discord and she was taken aback by her behavior and was wounded by this member's actions. In addition to the stress of fighting the board she was also exposed to the conflict within the group.
Appeal Meeeting
The day finally arrived. Linda attended the meeting with two members from the support group and Paul. They faced a panel of three that would decide Paul's fate and two school board employees.
The Board presented first. They gave their rationale for why they believed Paul should remain in the segregated classroom. Linda spoke second once again stating why she wanted Paul in his neighbourhood school. The appeal hearing provided no new insights.
Appeal Committee Recommendations
The response had come on October 31.
- Dear Mrs. ____________,
- The committee has recommended that Paul continue in the segregated program at ________________________. It is further recommended (by the appeal committee) that we attempt partial integration for perhaps one day a week at his neighbourhood school on a trail basis. I do not feel that such a disruption in Paul's program is in his best interest…. (letter 1988 10 31).
Regrouping
The group gathered one week later to debrief. Linda shared that she felt the appeal panel had discussed her case prior to the appeal hearing. They stood in the room together when Linda arrived with her supporters. Although the panel members verbally welcomed Linda, she and her supporters were required to make their own way to their seats. Linda felt the sense of "them" and "us" before the meeting started.
To Linda, the meeting was formal and intimidating. Linda's supporter had stated this to the committee.
… that Mrs. ____________ felt intimidated and frightened by the Hearing. She felt that she should have had expert people with her. Dr. __________ explained the process of the hearing and stated it was not a trial but an impartial hearing and that their recommendations would go to the Superintendent. (Appeal Hearing Minutes 1988 10 19).
The chairperson then stated that either Linda or her supporter could speak to Linda's case but not both of them.
We talked about what we could have done differently. Upon reflection we felt that we should have prepared a formal presentation. An outline would have been helpful to ensure all of Linda's lines of reasoning were covered. The feeling was that this was an unfair process. Linda was limited to who she could bring and therefore her case was not adequately presented. The appeal was intimidating. As a parent Linda had limited resources and expertise and was expected to plead her case to a Board with virtually unlimited resources.
This meeting was very difficult for all of us. We spent much of the time second-guessing what we had done to date. We believed the appeal meeting would be fairly constructed. It was if the appeal panel saw Paul and Linda's experiences as if they were
Living in the blank spaces, the margin, or even off the page, their images have not been considered subject for regard or reflection. Their lives have been in the world of marginalia, little penciled notes at the edge of cultural texts (Smith, 1999, p.133).
What Next?
We questioned if we should go to the next level? Do we re-appeal? Who can apply pressure? How do we get money to secure legal assistance? Who do we talk to? The collective was tired, depressed, angry, and filled with anxiety. We felt defeated and did not know what to do next. However, to focus we once again asked, "What do you want Linda?" She was clear. She wanted Paul to go to his neighbourhood school.
We had no choice. We needed to forge ahead.
Looking Again, Looking Harder
We needed to know what the next steps were in the appeal process and how much time Linda had before she informed the Board that she would appeal the decision. A face to face meeting with the student service supervisor was arranged because there were a number of questions we had that would be best answered in this fashion.
AACL and CACL were contacted again for more formal support. They were the ideal organizations to go to for financial help because they were part of the group's social network that consisted of people already linked by our shared interest for inclusive education. There was a pre-existing basis for sympathy to our emerging need for assistance (Ferree & Hess, 1985). Both associations were willing to provide legal advice. In addition to legal assistance AACL provided staff support from one of their community advocates.
Where is Paul?
While we were helping Linda, Paul was still at home without any schooling. As we prepared for the next level of the appeal we also needed to help Paul to continue to learn. This was not going to be a battle won in a short time. We chose two avenues to pursue. These were, to request AACL for funds to pay a tutor for Paul and to access a community college student in a Rehabilitation Program to complete their practicum teaching Paul.
AACL made money available to hire a tutor until a student practicum could start. The college agreed to have a student complete their practicum work with Paul. The only stipulation the college had was the student needed someone to supervise them. I agreed to do this.
This support offered by AACL, CACL and the college helped to strengthen us. We were beginning to renew our forces and had a new set of allies in place to go to the next level of appeal.
Paul was home throughout these initial stages of dispute with the school board. I was often concerned with what he was making of this situation and the number of people that converged upon his house each week speaking his name. Linda tried to shield Paul from much of the discussion. However, he was in the house and we had no idea what he was experiencing if and when he caught parts of the conversations that were discussing his fate.
I was equally concerned with Paul's educational needs. Linda and I talked each week about ways she could maintain Paul's learning. This was not something Linda found easy to do. English was not Linda's first language and she felt inadequate in helping Paul to maintain some form of home schooling without assistance. I tried to provide simple tasks she could expect from Paul each day but I felt torn knowing that this was a stress on Linda as she juggled the advocacy tasks she took on each week. It was imperative that we find help for Linda with keeping Paul engaged in active learning each day. My energy was better spent securing home support for Paul than in trying to coach Linda on ways to give Paul meaningful learning tasks.
Government's Watchful Eye
Linda maintained communication with the Minister of Education. She received a letter from him stating,
A staff member of the Edmonton Regional office of Education discussed your concern with Mr. ______, who informed us that you were able to appeal Paul's placement to an independent appeal committee on October 19, 1988.
… If you did not agree with this decision, you may then appeal to the Board. If you believe that a fair process of appeal has not been provided to you, you may appeal to me. Please note, however, that the Minister's role in this instance is simply to ensure that you have access to a fair hearing. The decision on the appropriateness of Paul's educational placement is the responsibility of the school board (letter 1988 11 29).
Pressure
As we were regrouping we had yet to decide when we would inform the Board that Linda intended to appeal the panel's decision. A letter from the Board senior staff pushed us to respond.
Dear Mrs. _____, In the best interest of Paul's education, we feel it necessary to have the matter of Paul's educational placement settled as quickly as possible. … Pending your request for a further appeal I have arranged to have the school district homebound teacher visit Paul at home to help to maintain some educational progress.
Since you have not, to this date, formally written to the Superintendent requesting an appeal to the Board of Trustees, we would like to advise you that if you have not pursued this matter by 1988 12 07, it will be our expectation that you will be in compliance with the direction provided to you by the Superintendent in the letter dated 1988 10 31 (letter 1988 11 30).
This letter added to our stress. We were feeling at a loss not knowing what to do next. The Board's demand that we respond added to our doubts of our ability to determine our next move. If the Board was so concerned with Paul's education why were they fighting Linda? If they put this much energy into figuring out how to include Paul in his neighborhood school we would have had the problem solved. I felt we had Paul's best interests in mind, and because of this, we were cautious about going to the next step. We did not feel ready to respond. We did not want to lose at the next level. We were finding our way. There was a need on our part to have more in place before we indicated our intentions. The letter forced us to state our intentions. To respond before we were ready added to our distress. At this point we still had the sense that we must follow the Board's imposed timelines and could not set ones that met our needs.
Response
Dear Superintendent, …. Please be informed I wish to appeal the decision of the panel which convened October 19, 1988 (letter 1988 12 03).
A date was set for December 19.
We were worried about this next level of appeal. Would it be more of the same? Would we really be heard? Would Linda's perspective be taken into consideration? We would not be going into this appeal as naïve as we were the last time but we were also not sure we would be able to take on the established Board's perspective of what education was for children with disabilities.
We were very weary at this point in time. We had had offers of support from AACL and CACL but we had not acted formally upon these offers of support. We needed more recruits to continue the battle in which we were immersed. In some ways this was hard because we had to admit to ourselves that we could not do it alone. The group of advocates that had a vision for inclusion needed more formal in what seemed to be a David and Goliath battle. We sought help.
Preparing for Next Level of Appeal
A letter was written to the Board stating that Linda felt the appeal procedure to date had been an unfair process and listed what she expected from the Board prior to the next appeal meeting. This included clarification of the procedures, access to all written documentation the Board received, complete access to her son's file, right to bring counsel and any others she wished to the hearing and a deadline as to when their response was required to give her sufficient time to prepare.
Dear Mrs. _______ The appeal to this committee is very similar to the independent Appeal Hearing that was held previously. …. As at the previous Hearing, you may have one advocate and an interpreter present. You may also have legal counsel present, but if you choose to do this, we must be informed immediately in order that the district may have sufficient time to arrange to have counsel in attendance also…. Please note that while your husband and son are welcomed to be in attendance, other family members and friends are not invited. … Please be advised that the Appeal Committee's decision will be made with Paul's educational interest being the major factor (letter 1988 12 14).
A Whirlwind Support Group Meeting The response to our most recent call for help to AACL and CACL was access to legal advice. We had three lawyers participate in the December 15 support group meeting. One lawyer was from Edmonton, another had flown in from Toronto and the third was on the telephone from Calgary. Each group wanted their own legal council to participate.
The meeting began by updating the lawyers on the status of Linda and Paul's situation. There was much to say. We all added our thoughts and comments as we shaped what Linda had gone through.
Upon hearing the history the lawyers began to discuss their read of the situation. The lawyers exchanged comments in a whirlwind. It was hard for the group to follow all the legal rhetoric they used. Linda's stress level was apparent, as she could not remain seated while the lawyers debated what had happened and what should happen next.
Watching Linda through this meeting was like watching a roller coaster. She was up and down in and out of the room. She seemed never to sit longer than a minute. She busied herself at the food table or in the kitchen making more coffee. Her constant movement made me nervous. We had worked hard to keep Linda central to all discussions. Her absence from the room was of concern especially when we would talk about strategies that needed Linda's approval or input. I remember at one point going into the kitchen and offering to do what she was doing so she could rejoin the discussion. I was unsuccessful in convincing her to join the group. I was uncomfortable throughout the meeting because Linda was so distant from us.
She seemed so vulnerable that evening. Up to this point I had seen her as someone who picked herself up and put on a strong face and went ahead no matter what. When I look back on this evening I was not sensitive to what this was like for Linda and her family. I focused on the issue of getting a child into his neighbourhood school but not on the hurt Linda must have felt. Linda saw her son as a normal child first, who just happened to have a disability layered over his normalcy. She had to go through so much to get what other parents take for granted for their children; an opportunity to belong; to become a welcomed part of the neighbourhood school. It mattered to her where Paul went to school. This battle hurt. I began to see it as a wounding process for Linda.
I was to learn later, Linda who was a well-organized individual had not begun her Christmas shopping at the time of the meeting with the lawyers. This was the second week of December. It was not until a few days before Christmas that she finally completed this task. This appeal was taking its toll on Linda.
The lawyers talked about the gross unfairness, how the appeal procedure did not start out fair, and how Linda should have been given the right to bring evidence. They questioned if the appeal panel was impartial, if it acted in a reasonable way, if it was an independent judgment. They commented that this could not be seen as a fair appeal so we should appeal again before going to the Board. They questioned the panel selection procedure. Linda should have been able to select one member, the Board select one and then they should select a jointly agreed upon member. They said we should go to court and ask for a judicial review of the appeal process and to the minister to state that the procedure was not fair. To the lawyers it was fundamentally unfair to have to go through so many hoops. They thought we could use the new Education Act, which allowed the Minister of Education to overrule student placement decisions made by a school board.
New ideas were flowing. The list of new tasks to be accomplished was extensive. Included among them were contacting MLAs, setting up a meeting with the Minister of Education, making a presentation to the Board and principals about inclusion, challenging the Board's materials, using media to publicize the situation, and involving Paul in other community activities to keep him connected.
The lawyers challenged much of what had transpired to date in relation to the Board's response to Linda's request and decided that a letter stating this along with indicating Linda would not be attending the appeal meeting set for December 19 was the next necessary step. This was the most radical action we had done to date. We gained an explosion of confidence. We had been responding to the Board rather than taking control of the process. The legal members of the team brought new life to the group and we felt in control for the first time.
My head was spinning. Three lawyers, each trying to out do the other while the support group sat trying to grasp all they were suggesting and how we would go about doing this. The meeting went on for three hours. I was exhausted by the many ideas.
The presence of the lawyers evoked different feelings. In some ways I felt an explosion of confidence. We were in charge. We could reject the deadlines imposed by the school board with the support of the lawyers' legal perspective on the case. We could make our own demands on the Board expecting clarification of the appeal procedure. We could impose our own deadlines. We had been dancing to the tune of the Board rather than imposing expectations on the Board.
However, with the sense of confidence, I also had a feeling of losing control. We were now in an arena that was not our domain. The lawyers were in control; it was their territory we were entering. As we gained support from the various advocacy groups it came with strings attached. Each group had their expectations and demands that they placed upon the support group. There were political struggles between the national association and the provincial association as to who was in control. This brought a new dimension to the advocacy efforts.
We were moving away from our grassroots group and handing over the decision making to the professionals. The professional knowledge came not only from the legal council but also from the institutionalized advocacy consultants. Though they had knowledge, I struggled with the idea that we had the local knowledge. We understood the context and we were the physical support to Linda. This was important not to lose because in many ways we were the doers. The ideas were of no value without the people to act upon them. As ideas were being generated it required those of us who sat at the kitchen table to act upon the suggestions. We were a small group and the professionals seemed oblivious to this. They set the stage and we were expected to act upon the directions. So much was required to create continued community support and shape the dialogue in Linda and Paul's favor. I often wondered how we would accomplish everything. Exhaustion was mixed with commitment to Linda and Paul. So many directions, so few people, so little time. How could we keep up this pace?
The Legal Battle Begins
A letter was sent from Linda's lawyer to the Board stating her position.
Dear Chairman of the Board, … respectfully request that the appeal hearing be canceled. I have reviewed some of the proceedings to date with Mrs. _______ and, to be frank, am dismayed at the unfairness of the hearing to which she was subjected by the Appeal Committee on October 19, 1988. In my view, the hearing did not meet the fairness requirements of either the guidelines set out by the Minister of Education in December 1984 or the common law…(letter 1988 12 19).
The letter was scheduled to arrive at the school board before the scheduled appeal hearing. This turned out not to be the case and Linda was called at home on December 19 to request why she was not present. She replied that her lawyer had forwarded a letter on her behalf indicating she would not be present.
The Board retained a lawyer and she responded to Linda's lawyer's letter.
Dear ___________, The writer has been retained as the legal counsel for the __________board with the respect to the appeal by your client Linda ___________, from the placement decision for her son, Paul _________.
I anticipate having sufficient information to respond to your letter within the next week. In the interim, enclosed is a copy of the minutes of the Board Appeal Committee meeting on December 19, 1988 (letter 1988 12 30).
Minutes from the appeal meeting that Linda did not attend were included with the Board's lawyer's response to Linda's lawyer's letter.
The above people were present (school trustees) at 4:30 p.m., however Mrs. _______ was not in attendance. At 4:40 p.m. Mrs. _______ was called at her home and she stated that she would not be present and had we not received a letter that had been sent to the _______Board that day. She was informed that the committee had not received a letter. Two letters were located at approximately 5:00 p.m., addressed to _____ from Mrs. _______solicitor requesting that the appeal hearing be rescheduled. (Minutes: Board of Trustee Appeal Hearing for Students with Special Needs 1988 12 19).
Linda was very disturbed by her letter arriving late at the school board office. Not giving the committee members sufficient time to learn that she did not plan to attend was very distressing to her. This was an unpleasant experience for her and she worried that this would jeopardize her situation in the eyes of the school board members. She did not wish to antagonize them.
Quite on the Front
There was no further correspondence between the Board's legal council and Linda's legal council. The ball was in our court. The support group met in mid January. We were anxious to know what the next steps were. We had grown accustomed to discussing more frequent interactions between Linda and the Board.
In some ways the slowed down pace was helpful. The struggle was draining for Linda as well as exhausting for the support group members. The time between the pre-Christmas meeting and the January meeting allowed everyone to take a break, gather their strength and get ready for the next advance.
Work Never Ends
Although it was quiet on the front we had not stopped working.
Our lawyers questioned whom the Board retained as a lawyer because she worked for the Alberta Association of Trustees. Her letterhead stated that affiliation. It was decided a letter would be written to determine whether she was representing the Association or the Board.
Home instruction was finally in place. The second week after the holidays, the Board sent a home bound teacher to meet with Paul. Linda asked her to prepare a list of learning activities for Paul to complete with the community college student who had started the week before. The teacher left without doing this. A date was set for me to meet with the practicum student to design an education plan for Paul. Linda shared that Paul was happier now that he was working with the practicum student.
Linda sent a letter to the Minister of Education requesting a meeting. When she called the minister's office to follow up on the letter she was informed that they had not received a letter from her. She hand delivered another letter and there had still been no response. It was decided a phone call from someone from the Minister's constituency was in order. If there was no response to this phone call, then Linda would write a letter stating all the attempts she had made to contact him.
In our attempts to keep reaching out to gain support it was decided to try and gain the support of Linda's church minister again. A meeting was set with Linda and another parishioner from the support group to meet with her minister.
We decided to seek a meeting with the president of the school's parent group to gain support from that community. The president had written a letter in support of Paul attending his neighbourhood school. Linda knew the president personally. We also planned to invite the parents from the school group to attend one of our support meetings or fundraising social events to understand what we were trying to accomplish for Paul. Through these visible events (Oliver & Marwell, 1992) we could invite others to participate in supporting Linda.
More work needed to be done to connect Paul to his community. We needed to find out what youth did in the community after school and to get Paul registered in these activities. Paul and the practicum student would take walks to the school during recess time so he could see his friends. The president of the parent group would be approached to see if her daughter, who was in grade six, would be willing to introduce Paul to her friends when he was at the school playground. Linda would work on inviting friends after school to hang out with Paul.
A letter had gone to Linda's MLA asking for his support. A follow up call would occur if she had not heard from him in a week. Further work on reviewing the research on inclusive education was being completed by a student from the University of Alberta. He was compiling a literature review that included an annotated bibliography. The student was contacted to get the draft and the final copy when it was completed.
Media was not yet contacted. We were still leery about going public. It was decided to use the internal written communication forms that IA, AACL, and CACL had in place to raise our memberships' awareness of Paul's and Linda's situation and to gain further support.
A phone call needed to be made to the Psychologist Association of Alberta to clarify a point of conflict. The chair of the October appeal panel, in which he was supposed to be an impartial party, used a report as evidence to exclude Paul from his neighbourhood school that had his signature as the supervising psychologist. We wondered if this placed him in a conflict of interest.
Two conferences on the topic of inclusive education were planned for Edmonton in March and June. We would encourage the Board's senior staff and school staff to attend.
The suggestions and expectations generated with the new advisors overwhelmed us. There were more ideas generated than we could physically follow-up. However, we knew it was important to do as much as we could to keep up the pressure and to continually think of new ways to approach the situation. Each idea was valuable but required time and human resources. I felt a real sense of responsibility to capture all that was being suggested and to ensure that we made an effort to make it happen. There just was never enough time. As we got a handle on some of the suggestions we needed to do even more. The list never seemed to get smaller. The feeling of being overwhelmed never seemed to go away.
Retaliation
The Board's lawyer finally responded to Linda's lawyer's letter dated December 19, 1888. The Board's lawyer said that, in her view, the letter formed the basis for a defamation action because of the wide circulation of the letter. Linda's lawyer's letter had been sent to all parties supporting her. As well the letter named specific senior staff and indicated that in the lawyer's opinion the members of the appeal panel had not treated Linda fairly. The Board's lawyer's letter countered every item and challenged Linda's lawyer's interpretation of what had transpired. In addition to countering each of Linda's lawyer's points, the Board's lawyer requested a written apology
The boards letter stated that
As long as Mrs. __________ insists on keeping Paul from attending school, his education is placed in jeopardy (letter 1989 01 18).
This letter was unnerving and felt very heavy-handed. My naïve understanding of legal process created turmoil for me. Although the lawyers reassured us that this was due course, it seemed very serious and I felt intimidated. I keep asking myself 'what have we gotten into?'. I was losing sleep over the letters.
I remember being extremely concerned for Linda's well being when she received this letter. Linda's husband worked out of town for long periods of time. He had been in town when this letter arrived. He began to doubt that the struggle was worth it. He too was asking the question 'what had we gotten into?'. Linda was extremely distressed. She was not willing to abandon the struggle but was concerned about the financial cost and further disruption to her family life.
The support group continued to gain assurance from the advocacy groups that they would support Linda financially during the legal battle. This helped alleviate Linda's family concern and the support groups' concern. Without these financial resources it would have been prohibitive for the family and the support group to engage legal council.
Counter Attack
Linda's lawyer responded to the Board's letter by questioning if the lawyer was in a position of conflict of interest because the Trustees' Association also retained her. How could she represent a single board in this case? He also indicated that a reply to her allegations would arrive in due course.
What had all this to do with getting a little boy into school? The path seemed to be veering off in a different direction. I understood the purpose of this sparring but was stressed by what Linda was experiencing as she received these letters. This was not something we had had a sense of when we started this appeal. As a teacher I was concerned with my ethical responsibility to my profession. Linda's lawyer was questioning the professional conduct of educators. Where did this place me within my professional code of ethics? I did not feel at ease as the lawyers began to critique, in public forums, the skill and integrity of other educators.
Responding to Conflict of Interest
The Board's lawyer clarified how the arrangement worked between the Board and the Trustees' Association and hoped that her explanation would ally any fears or questions Linda's lawyer had regarding her involvement in the matter. If he was not in agreement with her involvement she suggested he approach the Law Society to determine if the arrangement which the Alberta School Trustees' Association had with its member boards was acceptable to the law society.
Risk and Faith
Much had happened in a week. We gathered to debrief and plan the next steps.
The series of letters were discussed and the lawyers kept assuring us this was typical and we should not be concerned. The content no longer seemed to be focused on Paul and his schooling but rather on establishing the lawyers' positions. Although Linda and her supporters felt that we were at risk, we needed to put our faith in the lawyers. This was not easy to do. The letters continued to feel very threatening. I was aware that other parental requests for inclusive education for their children with disabilities resulted in formal legal action but had not visualized Linda's case coming to this.
Support Group Update
A meeting had taken place with Linda's church minister and he was more positive this time. He agreed to talk to the neighbourhood principal and to central office. He suggested Linda speak to the church women's group for further support. He suggested Paul become part of the youth group. He agreed to speak to the minister in Toronto for advice. He also said he would speak to his friend, a trustee on the school board, and said he would show his support by attending any meetings she wished him to attend.
This renewed support from Linda's minister reminded us of the importance of not sending a parent into a meeting alone. The presence of a friend explaining Linda's need for her minister's involvement helped to make clear for the minister what Linda was seeking. As well, it demonstrated that Linda was not alone. The minister was one of many players who shaped this plot line of Paul's journey to his neighbourhood school.
Linda had met with the School's Parent group and they were open to a presentation on inclusive education at their next parent meeting. This was exciting. Talking to the parents could help build a stronger base for Linda's position. The next dilemma was who would do this. I did not feel comfortable talking about inclusion at a public meeting. I was too close to the advocacy work to speak publicly. My Board's consultants provided support to this board. I was concerned if I spoke to the group it may be construed as being in conflict. After much talk it was decided that the parents would do the presentation. It seemed appropriate that the session be parent to parent.
We decided that if we could not get a meeting with the Education Minister, a meeting with the Deputy Minister would still be valuable.
We continued to debate when media should be contacted. We decided to continue to wait.
A letter was to be sent to The Alberta Psychologists' Association to get in writing their ruling on the matter of conflict. In a telephone call the executive director confirmed that a psychologist, who had signed an assessment in a supervisory capacity, would be in conflict if said report was used in an appeal in which he was to be an impartial member.
Linda's lawyers planned a meeting with the Board's lawyer in order to discuss the appeal procedure with the trustees. They would negotiate procedure, discuss natural justice and discuss having Paul attend school in a regular classroom until the dispute was settled.
And Yet Another Meeting
The meeting with the Board's lawyer was yet to occur. This would happen by the end of the week.
Linda and a friend met with the church women's group. The group agreed to put forward a resolution at their annual provincial meeting to support inclusion. An educator who supported inclusion and attended the same church as Linda agreed to make a presentation to the women's group to assist them with forming their resolution.
A meeting had been secured with the Deputy Minister of Education. Linda's church minister, along with other members in the support group, would go with her. An outline as to who and what would be discussed was shared.
It was discussed that we needed to have a legal opinion in place concerning our legal position. The lawyer from Toronto felt that this was necessary because she was concerned that Linda's situation was not as favorable as we all felt. Using the courts could be detrimental. Negotiating with the Board might be advantageous.
The Toronto lawyer was extremely concerned that the Alberta lawyers were not counseling Linda accurately. She felt going to court would be the wrong thing to do and that a legal opinion was necessary to better understand our position. Her insistence added to my level of anxiety. The legal opinion cost money and required further negotiating with AACL and CACL to determine who would pay for this. The lawyers' disagreements added to the work that we needed to do to as we negotiated with the two advocacy groups. There were so many unknowns, so many different opinions.
Biting Chill
February had touched Edmonton with a biting chill and the group was bitterly affected by it. The blizzards caused disruption to our meetings and added to our exhaustion. As if the weather was not bad enough, we had to deal with lawyers' varied advice. There were continual debates among the lawyers as to how to best proceed. Each lawyer had his own views and sometimes they disagreed on the next steps. On some occasions Linda had to decide what to do next after listening to their advice. During the cold storms of February the struggle among the lawyers came to a head.
The lawyers felt Linda needed to decide who her formal legal council would be. Up to this point all three lawyers were giving advice. However, in the next level of appeal, the lawyers felt Linda needed to establish one legal council. The question was put to Linda to decide who she would like to legally represent her.
After much deliberation between Linda and the support group, Linda decided to work with the lawyer that resided in Edmonton. This was not an easy decision. We needed to deal with the political aspect of which group had provided the lawyer to the support group and to ensure we were not offending anyone. The Edmonton lawyer was selected because he volunteered his time in the beginning to the support group and had been there from the beginning of the struggle. As well he resided in Edmonton and this would make it easier to work with him. It was also decided that the other two lawyers would continue to provide advice but that Linda and her chosen legal council would make the final decision.
Meeting with the Deputy Minister of Education
The Deputy Minister indicated that he personally favored inclusion. The Department encouraged integration. He said it was desirable that the decision regarding this matter was made at a local level. He would speak with the Superintendent. He said that because the Minister of Education might have to hear an appeal, he could not meet with Linda.
Laying Out the Procedures
Linda's Alberta lawyers met with the Board's lawyer to lay out procedural matters in relation to the Board Committee Hearing. Much of what had been challenged and requested on Linda's behalf in previous communications was granted. Linda would be able to prepare her case with necessary resource people present to assist her in addressing her request for Paul to attend his neighbourhood school.
The decision would be made in accordance with the new School Act. This was felt to be in Linda's favour. Under the new School Act, appeals to the minister were allowed on the grounds of substance as well as process.
Cracks in the Armor
During the meeting with the Board's lawyer to discuss procedural matters in preparation for the appeal to the Board, the Board's lawyer stated that the Board was not resistant to inclusion but rather inclusion at the school Linda requested. When this was discussed in the support group, we questioned the Board and their lawyer's definition of inclusion and felt that this needed to be clarified. The Board's lawyer implied Linda could have Paul included if he went to another school and wished Linda's lawyers to clarify this point with her to see if this would be satisfactory.
Linda's lawyers asked if she would be willing to send Paul to another school if he was included in a regular class. Linda said with confidence, " I wish for my son to go to his neighbourhood school so he can become a member of this community". Linda was not willing to compromise on inclusive education, which means attending one's neighbourhood school. The fact the Board was beginning to discuss the possibility of inclusive education was promising.
In the Board's lawyer's follow up letter confirming the agreed upon procedure for the appeal to the Board of Trustees, she again indicated that the defamatory remarks made in the December 19, 1988 letter would be pursued by the Board unless a satisfactory resolution took place. However, the issue would not in any way affect or delay the placement hearing. Linda was also asked to state what her wishes were, in writing, concerning Paul's inclusion.
Linda was continually asked to reaffirm her commitment to Paul attending his neighbourhood school. It was always the professionals that sat around the table and never the parents that asked her that question. I was proud of Linda. Her continual commitment to the idea of inclusion for Paul was a beacon we had all come to count upon. As our doubts and exhaustion set in, it was Linda who would pull us back to the issue at hand, that is, making it possible for Paul to go to school with his neighbourhood friends.
Reply
The procedures were agreed upon. Linda provided her wishes, which were:
The issue for our client is Paul's integration in the normal stream within a neighbourhood school in order to be among his age peers and friends; academic achievement is secondary. ______ is the neighbourhood school, though it is recognized that integration in that school would take time and planning Paul is able to walk to that school. _____ is not acceptable for two reasons; it does not go past next term; and our client has lost confidence in the staff there.
As for the defamation matter, we will propose dealing with this separately and divorced from the other issues as soon as possible (letter 1989 02 27).
In addition to this, Linda's lawyer proposed a meeting between the two parties legal counsel, Linda, two members of Linda's support group and the school Superintendent with a view to avoid the time and expense of a formal hearing.
During the first appeal the Superintendent was away on a leave. It was the district's Acting Superintendent that supported the first appeal committee's recommendation that Paul remain in a segregated class. The Superintendent had just returned. His return was seen as a window to avoid the formal appeal.
Gathering More Power
A coalition was formed to help raise the profile of inclusive education. We "networked with partners and community members developing a common unity and energy" (Lahr & Brotherson, 1996, p. 354) by inviting associations that advocated for individuals with developmental disabilities to meet in order to discuss what we could do to support each other in securing inclusive education. We met and decided the group would send letters to trustees of the various boards in and around the city. In the invitation letter we introduced the group and stated our wish to make formal presentations to the board on the topic of inclusion.
The formulation of the coalition had once again placed the actions of the support group into a wider public sphere. My anxiety was once again heightened because of the proposed public activities the coalition would take on. One of the boards that was sent an introduction letter was the board I worked for. Being involved in the coalition required me to once again pay attention to which tasks I could participate in as I resided between the two landscapes.
Linda had thirteen more letters from neighbourhood members supporting Paul's inclusion at the neighbourhood school.
The presentation to the provincial women's group connected to Linda's church was about to happen.
We approached the Premier's Council for Person's with Developmental Disability for their support.
The student was finished her practicum but continued to support Paul's learning by coming by each evening to give him homework assignments and to correct his work.
Agreement
Further to your memorandum of March 8, 1989, I wish to confirm that the meeting in this matter is set for Friday March 17, 1989 at 10:30 a.m. at the office of Dr. ______________, Superintendent of _________________ (letter 1989 03 09).
The Meeting
Present at the meeting were Linda, her translator/friend, Linda's legal council, advocate from CACL, Board's legal council, and Superintendent.
Legacy of Action
Linda was asked to share what had happened to this point and what she wanted for Paul. She and her supporters wove the journey we had traveled since September 1988. As part of the discussion a clarification of the meaning of inclusion was presented.
After hearing Linda's case the Superintendent indicated he would give his recommendations to Linda by April 10, 1989.
The supporters at the meeting felt it went well. The Superintendent listened intently and asked insightful questions as he worked to understand Linda's request. The meeting had a different tone and feeling. The decision was now in his hands. Once again it was a waiting game. We could not sit idly. We needed to use the time wisely while we waited for his decision. We hoped for a positive response but we had learned we could not count on it. After all we had had so many rejections. We could not rely on this meeting be the solution.
Strategizing Never Ends
While we waited for the Superintendent's response the support group continued to follow up on tasks and seek new supports.
The president of CACL would be in town in a few weeks. He was an educator and worked in an inclusive school board. We discussed ways he could help us. We set up meetings for him to talk to key players in the school board, church and community.
AACL had its provincial conference and Linda was invited. The Vice -president from CACL was there and spoke to the assembled group about Linda's struggles and introduced her to the group of 350.
CACL ran an article in their national newsletter.
The coalition was preparing to make presentations to a number of school boards. Multiple copies of the book "On Trial" by Jack Batten were purchased to be given as a gift to each trustee when the group made its presentations. The book highlighted the court case in Nova Scotia of Luke Elwood v Halifax County-Bedford District School Board in which Luke's family successfully secured an inclusive placement for their son.
The desicion
The Superintendent informed Linda by telephone that Paul could go to his neighbourhood school in the grade 6 class with the necessary supports for success. He could start in one week's time after Linda met with the Board staff and school staff to discuss his program.
I was elated when I heard the news, while at the same time shocked. It was hard to believe that we finally had a positive decision. It was unbelievable. We had become so accustomed to being rejected. Although it was fantastic that we had been successful the victory felt anti-climatic. It seemed so simple. We had done so much to get to this point. It was over. We won. We were thrilled. We were exhausted.
Inclusion Makes Strange Bed Fellows
We gathered to share our enthusiasm for the victory. We were also aware to have Paul attend his neighbourhood school, Linda needed to work with the board staff that rejected her request and that fought hard against her. As quoted in Bell (1987), Steel illustrates that this was a similar experience of African Americans in their legal hurdles to racial justice in the civil rights movement "… it gave the primary responsibility for achieving educational equality to those who had established the segregated institutions" (p. 60). This would be work for Linda but "in the end, result - not revenge or egotistical self-interest-should be the family's overriding goal" (Munro, 1991, p. 3).
Linda, accompanied by a member of the support group, met with the district staff. The staff was positive and was focused on the job of designing a successful program for Paul. They were professional in their willingness to do as they were directed to do. Linda continued to struggle with having to work with them but, with guidance from the group, she worked well with them to plan for Paul's success.
The support meetings now took a different focus. We worked with Linda over the next few months to help make the transition to the neighbourhood classroom a success for Paul and Linda. We continued to meet on a regular basis. We understood that getting Paul into his neighbourhood school was just the first step in inclusion. Helping Linda to support Paul's new teacher to include him was the focus. For me this task was most enjoyable because, as a teacher, I was interested in figuring out how to include children. I longed to think about how to support Paul's learning in the regular class. To plan and modify classroom curriculum so Paul could be successful intrigued me. I was excited as I talked with Linda about ways she could coach the teachers to think about how to include Paul in their classrooms. I felt rewarded as Linda shared their willingness to try and help Paul become a member of their class.
Last Item on the Legal Agenda
Concerning the above referenced matter, I'm happy to report that the issue of Paul's placement has been settled through the good offices of Dr. _______ (Superintendent). Paul is now happily attending the neighbourhood school in a fully integrated setting and his progress is remarkable. Allow me to express my gratitude to School District No. ___ and the Board of Trustees for helping us resolve this matter.
At the same time, I take the opportunity to make apology for my misleading statements or derogatory allegations that may have been perceived in the contents of my solicitor's letter sent to you December 19, 1988. I can assure you that there was no intention to impugn the actions or motives if any of the persons named in that letter or of anyone else. I regret any discomfort that inadvertently may have been caused by the distribution of that letter (letter 1989 05 16).
Last item on Paul's Agenda
The opportunity to go to his neighbourhood school gave Paul the possibility to be one of the children. Soon after Paul started attending his neighbourhood school he had many new friends within the community. On a visit to Linda's house I would often greet Paul outside where he was playing his new friends.
Last Item on the Support Group's Agenda
We celebrated Paul's inclusion in his neigbourhood school but knew this would not be our last struggle. We had started a momentum that we could not stop. We had much to do in laying the foundation for future families to secure inclusive education for their children. We were now less naïve about how easy this would be to accomplish. We were soon called upon to help another family to secure inclusive education for their daughter. We learned much from Paul's situation. We were to learn more as we supported the next family and the many more that came forward in the next ten years. Parents still find their way to my husband and I as we continue our advocacy efforts for children with disabilities to be welcomed members of community schools.
In Conclusion
It took seven months, thousands of volunteer hours and thousands of dollars for legal advice to get Paul into school. Linda's clear vision and determination kept me dedicated and focused to her cause. My commitment to inclusive education grew because of the vision and determination of the parents who joined the group to support Linda.
Linda's desire to have her son included was my first advocacy effort and marked a step forward in my understanding of the struggle for inclusive education. Being directly involved in Linda's support group was at once physically grueling, emotionally exhausting and politically educational. It is difficult to describe the enormous inspiration that sprang out of Paul successfully starting school at his neighbourhood school. This collective success was to set me on a path towards other advocacy work.
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