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Hometown Elementary School Celebrates Students of All Abilities

General education students join classmates in special education in Hometown Elementary School's first reverse inclusion event.

Students created beautiful art together while working on fine motor skills to tear paper and create butterflies.
Students created beautiful art together while working on fine motor skills to tear paper and create butterflies.

OAK LAWN, IL —Oak Lawn-Hometown School District 123's Hometown School hosted its first-ever Reverse Inclusion Day on April 28, inviting general education students to join their peers with disabilities in special education classrooms. The event aimed to foster understanding and respect for differences while encouraging positive relationships between students of all abilities.

Reverse inclusion, which involves general education students participating in activities with their peers with disabilities, has been proven to increase empathy, enhance attitudes toward diversity, and improve social skills among both typically developing and special-education students, according to research.

During the day, three students from each Hometown classroom were chosen to visit various CASE (Communication, Academic, and Social Education) classrooms, where they participated in games, artwork, and outdoor activities with their peers. One activity involved students working together to improve their fine motor skills by creating butterflies through paper tearing.

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This type of inclusion fosters a positive environment for modeling age-appropriate behaviors and promoting understanding among students with and without disabilities. It allows special-education students to showcase their strengths while giving typically developing students a better comprehension of their peers' needs and abilities, resulting in beneficial relationships for all involved.

"Reverse Inclusion Day was a special opportunity for our CASE students to share their experiences with their general education peers. They were able to give tours of their classrooms and collaborate on unique projects. Our CASE teachers and aides made this day so special. There were so many giggles and smiles throughout the afternoon," said Hometown School Principal Amanda Bencik.

Promoting reverse inclusion experiences can be instrumental in dismantling social barriers and cultivating a more empathetic and inclusive community. By providing opportunities for interaction and understanding, students and teachers fostered an environment where diverse abilities learned and grew together.

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Hometown School's Reverse Inclusion Day proved to be a resounding success, with the positive effects of the practice expected to ripple through the school community in the days and weeks ahead.

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