Burlington County Inclusion Project (BCIP)

BCIP is a collaborative effort to support the inclusion of special needs students in regular education classes and programs.

Inclusion provides:

• Ordinary Peer Models: People learn from watching and interacting with other people. Segregation can limit the opportunities for people with disabilities to learn normal behavior and peer modeling because the people in their environment may not behave appropriately.
• Functional Learning: People learn skills most easily in realistic situations as the need arises (functional learning). People with disabilities have a difficult time carrying over skills they learn in settings outside of the context the skill was taught in. Inclusion offers people with disabilities the opportunity to apply what they learn in a natural way in ordinary, natural settings.
• More Chances, Choices, and Variety: Inclusion gives a person with a disability the chance to experience the richness and diversity of many communities. It allows people to have experience and knowledge to make choices. Segregation limits social experience and knowledge.
• A Realistic Environment: Inclusion is the natural way to live. People's attitudes and barriers may limit choices. This is the reality of life: that things may not always be ideal.
• Less Stigmatization: Labeling is de-emphasized. Students leave the classroom for special help, not to see the teacher of students with mental retardation or emotional disturbance. Resource rooms have aided in decreasing the stigma attached to special education because they serve students of so many different types.
• Opportunities for Regular Education Students: Regular education students benefit from association with their peers with special needs. They learn about those different from themselves and have the opportunity to learn that differences are unimportant. Opportunities for friendships to develop are present especially if facilitated by teachers and parents. Inclusion provides a realistic introduction to U.S. society.
• Staff Integration and Opportunities for Collaboration: Teachers and specialists also gain when students with special needs are included in regular education. Special educators are able to serve more students. They can also serve the non classified students who need extra assistance. Regular educators benefit from the collaboration and support they receive in the team approach.
• Community Education: Inclusion offers community members the opportunity to gain increased understanding of the needs and abilities of other people in a way that may never be gained elsewhere. Once the needs are understood, the community can work to meet those needs within each community. Inclusion provides people with a group of students who reflect the genuine diversity of the community.