What to Say When Families Think Segregated Special Education Classrooms Are Best

Janice Fialka — Author, social worker, and longtime activist; mom of two adult children, including Micah, who lives interdependently in Syracuse and was featured in the film Intelligent Lives. (Emma—her daughter—is a school principal in Boston.)

Sara Jo Soldovieri — Doctoral student at Syracuse University studying inclusive special education; inclusive special educator by training; previously created and ran the inclusive education program at the National Down Syndrome Society; appears in the documentary Forget Me Not about inclusive education in New York City.

Host Tim Villegas sits down with Janice Fialka and Sara Jo Soldovieri to talk about how to respond when families believe segregated special education classrooms are “best.” The conversation centers on listening first, naming fears, presuming competence, and taking practical steps—because inclusion is a process where all students learn together with the right supports.

Complete show notes and transcript: https://mcie.org/think-inclusive/janice-fialka-sara-jo-soldovieri-what-to-say-when-families-think-segregated-special-education-classrooms-are-best/