Ensuring rightful presence and high-quality education for students is a critical responsibility for each of us. 

SWIFT Education Center at The University of Kansas was recently awarded the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) National Center on Inclusion toward Rightful Presence. The purpose of this national technical assistance center is to assist SEAs and LEAs to successfully implement and sustain evidence-based inclusive practices and policies that support students with Autism, Intellectual Disabilities, Traumatic Brain Injuries, and Multiple Disabilities who currently participate in alternate assessments in K-12 education, including those who are English learners.

Rightful Presence pushes beyond inclusion in education as a strategy for change. The school is built around student needs, and all resources are there to benefit all students. 

Rightful Presence provides a pathway for educators and staff to join students and their communities in the co-creation of a newer, more equitable environment for learning. 

Rightful presence occurs when a school is designed with and for the student, family, and community identities surrounding it. 

Imagine a place where students and their communities are part of the fabric of the school on a systemic level, nothing excludes their presence or invalidates their identities. 

Our work during the last two decades demonstrates that a schoolwide, integrated multi-tiered system of support can bring the equity and rightful presence that students deserve without overwhelming educators. We have found that students with disabilities experience greater school participation with their peers, fewer discipline referrals that limit access to teaching, and better academic outcomes. 

The National Center on Inclusion Toward Rightful Presence will partner with SEAs, LEAs and schools to center the needs of students, families, and communities who have historically been excluded. 

The Center will provide consultation, coaching, and resources to build SEA and LEA capacity to support K-12 schools to implement and sustain systems, policies, and practices that foster rightful presence.