Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes: The Role of the Inclusion Facilitator.

This guide for inclusion facilitators was developed as part of New Hampshire's Inclusion Facilitators Support Network, created as an activity of the New Hampshire Statewide Systems Change Project. The Network provides a forum for Inclusion Facilitators to meet, share ideas and strategies, and discuss the latest innovations in inclusive education. The Statewide Systems Change Project was designed to increase the capacity of school districts to include students with severe disabilities in regular education classrooms and neighborhood schools. An introduction reviews the trend toward more inclusive schools and considers the role of special educators as inclusion facilitators. The next sections consider aspects of the inclusion facilitator's role and recommend specific strategies in the areas of: (1) advocacy; (2) family involvement; (3) facilitation of peer supports and friendships; (4) curriculum modification; (5) collaboration; and (6) coordination of supports. Appendices provide: a checklist to evaluate a school's or school district's practices and philosophy regarding inclusion, one parent's ideas concerning the ideal individualized education program meeting, a flow chart of curriculum modification and student supports, and a list of suggested resources for curriculum modification and classroom strategies. (Contains 35 references.) (DB)