Inclusion in Schools

* Thank you for Suzanne Gordon’s article (“A Child’s Lesson in Care-Giving,” Aug. 15) on the inclusion of disabled students in the classroom.

In order to communicate with deaf students, my own 6-year-old son Erhan, has been learning sign language in his first-grade class. I am convinced that it is facilitating his own reading and writing skills as well I have observed him signing spelling words for his 3-year-old brother and trying to teach him the phrases he learned at school. They have even started watching a signing program on PBS.

These kids are having fun while learning a life skill, which will enable them to communicate with a whole segment of the population. The hearing-impaired kids at school are gaining the acceptance they need to boost their own self-esteem. I believe “communication” is at the heart of the whole “inclusion” debate!

ELIZABETH ARAT

Corona