The Golden Rule of Providing Support in Inclusive Classrooms: Support Others as You Would Wish to Be Supported

Consider for a moment that the school system paid someone to be with you supporting you 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. Now, imagine that you had no say over who that support person was or how she or he supported you. Or imagine that someone regularly stopped into your place of employment to provide you with one-on-one support. This person was present for all your interactions, escorted you to the restroom, and at times supported you by touching your back or shoulder or by manipulating our hands, head, or other parts of your body. This support person might also give you oral directions for upcoming tasks. • Would you become more independent or more dependent? • How would this support change your relationships with your peers? • Would you notice a loss of privacy or freedom? • Would this person’s presence affect your creativity? • At times, would you feel self-conscious about having someone supporting you? • What if you asked him or her to move away from you and he or she did not? • What would happen if you did not want him or her to touch you? • What would you do? • Do you think that you might develop negative behaviors? Now consider how your presence affects the students whom you support. Inclusion is a way of thinking, a way of being, and a way of making decisions about helping very one belong. Educators must provide supports that align with that vision. To enact the golden rule of adult support, educators need to imagine themselves receiving support from others. Educators need to think about how they would wish to be supported. They then need to give support that is planned and responsive to students’ wishes, in addition to being discreet and unobtrusive. With knowledge, imagination, and the golden rule, educators can furnish adult support that embodies the true philosophy of inclusion.