Office of Administration
Governor's Council on Disability
Missouri Poster & Journalism Contest

Second Place – Middle School Division

Alex Steinman
South Valley Middle School
Liberty, Missouri

What Are You Doing?

Have you ever been left out or not included in a game or activity? If you have then you know it is not very fun. People with disabilities are left out almost all of the time because people think they are different or you think because they have a disability they cannot do what others do. Although we have increased inclusion in our schools and community, there are still barriers in society that have impeded progress. If we can rid our society of some of these barriers, then people will see how much we can learn from people with disabilities.

There are many barriers in today's society that are slowing inclusion. One of the huge barriers in society is cars. There aren't many cars that can be driven just by people with disabilities. Another barrier is people. Some people just won't accept people with disabilities and won't include them in what they're doing. We need to show these people that people with disabilities are people just like them; they have feelings and want to have fun just as much or more than we do. One last barrier is sports. Yes, there are sports for people with disabilities, but there aren't many sports where people with and without disabilities play together.

Nevertheless, we have improved inclusion in our schools and community. In our schools, we have handicap doors to allow entrance into the schools, where you only have to push a button for them to open. We have cut out almost all of the stairs in our school and have mostly ramps. Also, our school provides certain classes for those in need. In our community we have been advancing inclusion. When you go to stores there are usually automatic doors and ramps to go up instead of stairs. Since we have stores like thin we are beginning to have more places where people with and without disabilities interact with each other.

If we continue to increase our inclusion of those with disabilities in all aspects of school and community, life leads to more opportunities for both those with and without disabilities. Inclusion will lead to those with and without disabilities to learn about and try new things. Inclusion will also enhance the self-esteem of those with disabilities and without disabilities. AS people get involved with people with disabilities it will cause more people to get involved and eventually we will have total inclusion.

If we want to have total inclusion we will have to work hard. Even though we have advanced we still need to work hard to develop or adapt our society to improve inclusion. Through inclusion, people with disabilities can enjoy the same things everyone else enjoys. They enjoy going to movies, going shopping, and participating in sports activities among other things. Inclusion with people will also improve accessibility issues in schools and the community. So, what are you doing to improve inclusion?