Why I Call Myself An Inclusionist ~ 803

Tim Villegas:
Hello and welcome to Season Eight, Episode Three of the Think Inclusive Podcast presented by MCIE. I’m your host, Tim Villegas. I am literally recording in my closet today because there’s a very noisy dog barking in my neighborhood, and I’d rather not try to edit that out. This is also my first solo podcast—no guests, just me talking. If you prefer episodes with guests, we have plenty of those, but I hope you’re here because you’re interested in what I have to say about inclusion and inclusive education. Thank you for indulging me. I really appreciate it. If this goes well, we might do more solo episodes.

The Think Inclusive Podcast features conversations and commentary with thought leaders in inclusive education and community advocacy—and sometimes solo podcasts by me. Think Inclusive exists to build bridges between parents, educators, and disability rights advocates to promote inclusion for all students. That’s right, y’all. All means all. To learn more, visit thinkinclusive.us, the official blog of MCIE, and check out our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter feeds.

Tim Villegas:
Before I dive into today’s topic, I want to tell you about our Patreon page. Go to patreon.com/thinkinclusivepodcast and become a patron. You’ll get access to patron-only posts, unedited interviews, and more. We have three levels: the inclusionist level, the advocate level, and the activist level. Help us reach our goal of 50 patrons. Once we do, we’ll produce an additional podcast episode per month just for patrons. It might be something like this—me sharing thoughts or doing research. If that interests you, check it out. Thank you for helping us equip more people to promote and sustain inclusive education. Stick around—after the break, I’ll talk about my journey to becoming an inclusionist and share a few more thoughts.

Tim Villegas:
Welcome back. Today, I’m going to talk a little bit about myself. Many of you may not know my story—why I started Think Inclusive, my background, and why I do what I do. First, let’s talk about the word “inclusionist.” For some, it has a negative connotation—like someone who wants to eliminate special education or insists on 100% inclusion no matter what. But I want you to understand the decades of research, the stories of successful inclusion, and the collaboration and planning that make inclusive education work. It’s not just about putting students with and without disabilities in the same classroom because it sounds nice. LRE isn’t just a nice idea—it’s the law.

Tim Villegas:
When you look at IDEA, the assumption is that we start in general education classrooms. But that idea is often glossed over for students with significant disabilities. I know this because I did it—I was a self-contained special education teacher. Some colleagues didn’t like me using the term “segregated,” but I use it intentionally to provoke thought. I’ve sat in many meetings where students could have been included in general education classrooms, but the team had already decided otherwise. Even when general education placement was discussed, the mindset wasn’t there. The team—and sometimes the parents—believed that supplementary aids and services couldn’t be provided in a regular classroom.

Tim Villegas:
I want to emphasize this for educators, parents, and disability advocates: we need to provide special education services in general education. We need to stop making excuses that separate classrooms are better when the data says otherwise.

Tim Villegas:
I don’t want to fault educators or parents for choosing segregated classrooms. I’m not in your meetings. I don’t know your personal situation. We all have to make the best choices we can.

Tim Villegas:
Personally, I stayed in the classroom for 13 years as a self-contained teacher, trying to move inclusion forward. Now, I have some perspective. I know how hard it is to make change from within. But I want you to know I’m on your side. At Think Inclusive and MCIE, we want to equip you with stories, research, data, and practices to move inclusion forward. But the burden needs to be on school administrators—principals, special education supervisors, assistant superintendents—leaders who have the power to make change.

Tim Villegas:
You’re the ones who need to lead your schools toward inclusion. We’d love to help. Let’s get back to the term “inclusionist.” I don’t mean someone who wants to eliminate special education and throw students into classrooms without support. Things need to change, and there needs to be a systematic way of doing it.

Tim Villegas:
When I started in special education, I was a skeptic of inclusive education. You might be too. It might seem scary or wrong. Let me tell you about my first teaching job. I taught in a self-contained classroom for students with moderate to severe autism. I went the alternate certification route—got a provisional credential, started working, and went to school to clear my credential. One of my classes was about supporting students with challenging behavior. My professor, Dr. Jan Weiner, asked me to pick the student I thought would be hardest to include and create an inclusion plan.

Tim Villegas:
I picked Nathan. He was non-verbal, had significant behavioral challenges and sensory sensitivities. He struggled around typically developing students. But we looked at his strengths and interests. He loved cutting and tearing paper. A fifth-grade colleague was planning a science activity on topography maps. Students would cut and stack cardboard to make 3D maps. Nathan was great with scissors, so we set him up to cut cardboard. He did a perfect job and worked alongside other students.

Tim Villegas:
That experience showed me that inclusion is possible—even for students with significant disabilities. When you plan for success, it can happen. Did that assignment set Nathan on a path to full inclusion? No. But it opened my eyes. If Nathan could do this, who else could?

Tim Villegas:
After four years in Pasadena, we moved to Georgia. I taught in a segregated classroom for students with severe and profound intellectual disabilities. The Georgia Department of Education asked my district if anyone would work with a consultant to include a student with significant disabilities. They knew I was interested, so I said yes. I worked with Gail Wilkins, who’s still a mentor and friend. We developed steps for Damien to move from self-contained to general education classrooms. By fifth grade, he was in general education more than 80% of the time. He had a one-on-one aide, which not everyone can have. But it wasn’t just about placing him and hoping for the best—we planned and modified.

Tim Villegas:
Even though it wasn’t the full vision of inclusive education I have now, it was a start. It made me want to learn more. That’s when I started Think Inclusive—the blog—and began writing about inclusion. Other educators and advocates joined in. I realized there are many of us who want inclusion to move forward, but we don’t always know how.

Tim Villegas:
After 13 years in the classroom, I moved to a district-level position as a special education program specialist. I supported curriculum for self-contained and adapted classes and behavior support. I loved that job. But there was an assumption that students with significant disabilities didn’t fit in regular classes. They needed something “special,” meaning a separate program or class. That’s how most districts operate.

Tim Villegas:
Here’s a thought: unless authentic inclusion is expected throughout the entire school system, it often stops when students transition to a new school or teacher. Inclusive practices must be communicated from the top down. It’s unsustainable when it comes from the bottom up. That’s where I was—pushing inclusion from the bottom up. Trying to convince supervisors and general ed teachers to make changes. Going to conferences and meeting others who felt powerless. The only way to make a difference seemed to be getting advanced degrees and becoming a school leader. That felt limiting.

Tim Villegas:
That’s one reason I left the district and joined MCIE, which helps schools move toward inclusive education. So what’s the biggest barrier to inclusion? Is it funding? Mindset? Teachers? From my conversations, I believe it’s school administrators—their lack of belief that inclusion is worth doing.

Tim Villegas:
Inclusive education means natural proportions—not classrooms where 50% of students have IEPs. Students with IEPs should be spread across grade levels and supported in different classrooms. Special and general ed teachers should collaborate, and administrators should give them time to do so.

Tim Villegas:
I recently read an article on Good Morning America. A teacher in Raleigh, North Carolina, Mcalister Greiner Huynh, decided to call herself an “accessibility specialist” instead of a special education teacher. She said, “Special is only used as a term of othering.” Euphemisms like “special needs” or “differently abled” are rejected by the disabled community. She said, “Being disabled is just another perfectly valid way of being human.”

Tim Villegas:
I love what she says about her work—adapting curriculum, building sensory time, providing visual supports, supporting communication, teaching self-regulation, and collaborating with other educators. That resonates with me. But here’s what I don’t love: why can’t this be done in a general education classroom? Why is it assumed that these services must be provided in a separate space? That’s simply not true.

Tim Villegas:
Collaboration is key. Inclusion isn’t inclusion without it. When we plan for students with significant disabilities and create accessible environments, everyone wins. So if you’re an educator, parent, or administrator, ask yourself: what about these services can’t be done in a regular classroom? If the team can’t answer that, reconsider the placement.

Tim Villegas:
That’s it for this episode of the Think Inclusive Podcast. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, or Anchor. Leave a review and tell your friends. Email us at podcast@thinkinclusive.us. Thanks to our patrons Pamela P, Tori D, Veronica E, and Kathleen T. Help us reach our goal of 50 patrons at patreon.com/thinkinclusivepodcast. This podcast is a production of MCIE, where we envision a society where neighborhood schools welcome all learners. Learn more at mcie.org. We’ll be back in February with our guest, UDL expert Katie Novak. We’ll talk about misconceptions about UDL, how it works with students with significant disabilities, and why standardized tests are a barrier to inclusion. Thanks for listening.