Inclusive Schools Week

December 2-6, 2019

Athlete Leader Justin did an awesome job today speaking at four @SFUnified schools as a part of Inclusive Schools Week! #ChoosetoInclude

As part of #InclusiveSchoolsWeek, student Patrick Martin told @CobbTigers about how his sound sensitivities and attention issues made school hard for him when he was younger, but now it's a strength & helps him succeed in the music department at @Ruth_Asawa_SOTA! #WeAreSFUSD

Inclusive Schools Week has been very busy, with games, speakers, and fun activities for our students.

A World Made for Disabilities

Inclusion at AP Giannini Middle School

Celebrate Inclusion!

This December join SFUSD school sites across the district in celebrating Inclusive Schools Week. By engaging in discussions about the importance of inclusion and by participating in Inclusive Schools Week we can help to make all marginalised students and families feel included at our schools.

Inclusive Schools Week is one of many weeks during the school-year when we can reflect on our charge to assist students to be the best version of themselves. This year's national Inclusive Schools Week theme is "Charting the Course for Inclusion”. Many of us have seen positive changes in awareness of inclusion as a requirement for achieving greater access, equitable opportunities and more authentic relationships. At the same time, most of us recognise that we have many more steps to take to reach our goal of fully inclusive schools.

Contact your school today to see what they are planning and how you can help!

SFUSD Inclusive Schools Week 2019 Celebration Calendar of Events

Tuesday, December 3rd

  • Special Olympics Unified Teams Basketball Tournament - 10:30am-12:00pm @ June Jordan High School

Wednesday, December 4th

  • Ability Awareness Fair @ Alvarado Elementary

Thursday, December 5th

  • ACCESS Program Inclusive Talent Show & Special Olympics Guest Speaker @ Thurgood Marshall High School
  • Special Olympics Unified Teams Basketball Tournament 10:30am-12:00pm @ Galileo High School
  • Special Olympics athlete speaker 10:20 - 11:20am @ AP Giannini Middle School
  • Early Ed Black Family Workshop: “Young, Black, and Gifted OH MY: STEM and Literacy for Young Minds”. - 6pm @ Leola Havard
  • Film Screening & Panel Discussion: The Kids We Lose - 6:00pm-8:30pm @ Support for Families of Children with Disabilities. The film is about the challenges faced by students with disabilities who have behavioral and emotional challenges and the shortcomings of our institutions. For more information about the film and the work being done, read this review from Additude Magazine.

Friday, December 6th

"Ruth Asawa School of the Arts will proudly host Superfest San Francisco on Friday, December 6, 2019, as part of Inclusive Schools Week. Superfest International Disability Film Festival is the longest-running disability film festival in the world. For more than 30 years, Superfest has celebrated cutting-edge cinema that portrays disability through a diverse, complex, unabashed and engaging lens. Superfest is one of the few festivals worldwide that is accessible to disabled filmgoers of all kinds."

Saturday December 7th

Sunday, December 8th

Come to this fun open house to get more information about joining this inclusive basketball team. This event is a partnership between SFUSD, EHoops, USF and Special Olympics

Additional Weeklong Activities

  • Special Olympics Athlete Speakers & Presentations at Clarendon ES, Sherman ES and Sunnyside ES
  • Spread the Word to End the Word campaigns at Sunnyside ES
  • Respect Banner campaigns at Monroe ES, Lafayette ES and Clarendon ES
  • Disability Awareness Activities: Lawton K-8 and Presidio Middle School

10 EASY CELEBRATION IDEAS:

  1. Create an Inclusion Committee that supports inclusive education all year long.
  2. Test your inclusion muscles by taking this Inclusion quiz and if needed, take steps to improve.
  3. Highlight a different inclusion topic each day during morning announcements.
  4. Create an “empathy wall” - Ask students to write about what inclusion means to them and post it on a wall in the school.
  5. Host a lunchtime inclusion event or movie with general ed students and students from the SDC classroom.
  6. Have a school wide art, video or essay contest using the theme of Inclusion.
  7. Ask your school librarian to highlight diverse books in the library or have all students and staff read a common book
  8. Host an Ability Awareness Fair during PE or at lunchtime. Have students participate in various disability simulations.
  9. Develop a position within the student government or PTA to represent issues related to building a more inclusive community.
  10. Hold an Augmentative Alternative Communication(AAC) devise challenge with general education students.

Resources for Inclusive Schools Week

Find more resources regarding inclusive schools and inclusion on this page.

Inclusive Schools Network - Activity Ideas!

The Inclusive Schools Network (ISN) is a web-based resource for families, schools and communities that promotes inclusive educational practices. They Inclusive Schools Week every December and have put together a packet of Activities and Lessons for schools to use when planning their Inclusive Schools Week Activities.

Special Olympics of Northern California - SFUSD Activities, Events and Speaker Requests

Special Olympics of Northern California works closely with the SFUSD PE department to coordinate activities and provide resources for schools about Inclusive Schools Week. Check out their website for PE activities, lessons and videos you can use during the week. You can also request to sign your class or school up for a speaker or rally (Options include: Athlete Speakers, Special Olympic Representative Speakers, among others)

Misunderstood Minds- Disability Simulations

Computer simulations that let participants experience what it feels like to have a reading disability and visual and auditory challenges.

Teaching Tolerance - Classroom Resources

Teaching Tolerance, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, provides professional development, classroom activities, teaching kits and other resources.

Inclusive Practices in Early Childhood Programs

This web site provides information on inclusive child-care and other related topics.

ABILITY Awareness

ABILITY Awareness has been working to build a world of inclusion for people with health conditions or disabilities. By creating highly visible opportunities for people with disabilities to showcase their skills and talents, ABILITY Awareness is committed to demonstrating their potential as volunteers, mentors and employees, while shattering age-old paradigms.

Including Samuel

This award-winning documentary film, Including Samuel, chronicles a family’s efforts to include Samuel in every facet of their lives. The film honestly portrays his family’s hopes and struggles as well as the experiences of four other individuals with disabilities and their families.

ASCD - Articles on Inclusion

ASCD (formerly the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development) is a membership organization that develops programs, products, and services essential to the way educators learn, teach, and lead.