Excerpts from the fact sheet:
Who are the children with special needs?
An estimated 10% of children have special needs that require some level of additional supports and/or consultation and training to assure their full participation in community-based, "regular" child care programs. These children are characterized as having disabilities, delays or disorders in the areas of physical, social, intellectual, communicative, emotional, and/or behavioural development.
Why inclusion? Segregation is never appropriate.
- Legally, interpretations of the Charter of Rights and provincial human rights codes will soon mandate inclusion.
- Effectively, children with special needs benefit from inclusive settings. So do typical children.
- Morally, segregation on the grounds of disabling conditions unfairly excludes one group from the culturally normative setting, and is thus never appropriate.
- Societally, children need to get along comfortably with a wide variety of people.
An inclusive setting encourages tolerance, understanding and cooperation in all children.