Abstract

Within public schools, students with Down syndrome are often placed, to varying degrees, in a special education setting, despite the fact that students with Down syndrome and their peers can benefit from the inclusion of students with disabilities in a general education classroom. Resources included with this creative project will show that there are educational and social benefits to all involved when students with Down syndrome are included in general education classrooms. This creative project set out to survey the parent/guardians of some students that had been in public school at some point in their education to find out about their experiences. Many obstacles to true inclusion were identified and this project is an attempt to answer each concern or obstacle with a strategy to address the issue. This project lays out a classroom design that can lessen if not eliminate some of the barriers these students have encountered when attending public school. The survey of the parent/guardians revealed some positive notes about what students with Down syndrome enjoy the most about attending public school, and this project includes strategies to specifically capitalize on these special interests. The primary goal of the entire project is to create an educational environment that will help accommodate, inform, and create social interaction that benefit students with Down Syndrome, their families, and their peers while maximizing their educational experience.

Semester/Year of Award

Winter 12-2017

Mentor

Kelly L. Leigers

Mentor Professional Affiliation

Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy

Access Options

Restricted Access Thesis

Document Type

Bachelor Thesis

Degree Name

Honors Scholars

Degree Level

Bachelor's

Department

Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy

Department Name when Degree Awarded

Occupational Therapy

IRB Approval Number (if applicable)

000777

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