Module 4: Enhancing an Inclusive School Culture for Students with Complex Needs
Labels and Positive Language
“The stories and language we use to describe each other are much more important than we sometimes recognize. They have the capacity to influence real lives in profound and far-reaching ways. Language actually does things… it influences the way we think, the decisions we make, and the actions we take, and we should never take their power and influence for granted.”
Norman Kunc and Emma Van Der Klift
The practice of using positive language is simple, we just have to leave all labels behind except for one—a person’s name.
Opportunity for Practice: Reflection
Create the table below and fill in with your own information. We asked Elaine from the previous topic to provide us with an example for you to follow:
| Who knows this information | Attributes/characteristics | Labels |
|---|---|---|
| Family and close friends | Extrovert, patient, friendly, creative, strong, caring, night owl, usually slightly late, hardworking, not a strong finisher, reliable, loyal, leadership skills, good listener, empathic, honest, autoimmune disease, funny, respectful, sometimes introvert when vulnerable, determined, (beautiful) | Elaine – name Wife – relationship Mother/Nana – relationship Sister/Daughter – relationship Friend – relationship Employee — relationship |
| Acquaintances, workmates, schoolmates | Extrovert, patient, kind, caring, hardworking, team worker, funny, reliable, usually slightly late | Elaine – name Colleague – relationship Friend — relationship |
| People I interact with | Friendly, patient, kind | Elaine – name sometimes, but not always, my doctor, dentist and hairstylist know my name, but the cashier at Save on Foods doesn’t |
| People I do not know | Attributes not shared, except by choice in public realms of social media | Labels (name, etc.), except by choice in public realms of social media |
This exercise is meant to help you to reflect on what labels you use, what information you share about yourself and how the labels and attributes you share change for different audiences. You can use this example to guide you regarding what labels and attributes you share about your students, when you share that information, and with whom you share the information. Students with multiple disabilities and complex needs frequently have unnecessary labels and information shared about them.
Imagine you are an educational assistant (EA) and you are on the playground talking with a fellow EA about a student you support with the intent to generate some ideas of how to support this student to use a switch. The conversation goes like this, “I have a student with some kind of cerebral palsy (CP), lots of stuff going on at home. I don’t know how they manage. Anyways, we are supposed to have him participate in classroom curriculum and someone suggested a switch, and you’ve used one with another student, so do you have any ideas?”
What pieces of information were needed to convey enough of an understanding so that the other EA could provide you with some meaningful feedback?
Possible Responses
Rather than say CP, try describing his movement. For example, "his arms are in constant movement, which is making switch placement challenging".
What pieces of information were needed but were absent from the dialogue provided?
Possible Responses
Here is a good example of when to use a label, specifically the student’s name – John. You can even add more details for the other EA, such as, "You might remember him from his part in the school holiday concert" or "I don’t know that you have had the chance to meet him yet". Provide specifics about what is making switch placement challenging, like the description of being in constant movement, or what is being worked on in class and what activities are planned to support his learning. These pieces of information help to generate ideas of how your student could be involved and where switch use might be helpful.
What information was included, but did not need to be included for the purposes of this example?
Possible Responses
"Lots of stuff going on at home" is likely impacting the student, but it is not pertinent to switch placement or assisting him in the classroom.