Inclusion Theater

Inclusion Press and the Marsha Forest Centre began working on the very simple premise that all children belong – together – and thus a good place to start was ‘education’. This collection of nearly 20 videos scan some of our efforts, and the stories of and by others we have collaborated with on the journey.

Jim Hansen, the late Superintendent of the Hamilton Wentworth Roman Catholic School Board, shepherded ‘his board’ to a policy of admitting all children, able and disabled alike, to inclusion in their neighbourhood school beginning in 1969. HWRCSB was the first School Board in the world to welcome ALL children into regular classrooms. Jim was a remarkable leader with deep wisdom. We created a book and a DVD (EACH BELONGS) .. and you can see and hear Jim and colleagues in action – perhaps even more relevant today!!

PATH, MAPS and Circles have been introduced around the globe over the last four decades. On that journey – we have produced a few videos – and many ‘clips’.. There are 30 videos here – reflecting the history – and many experiences with these conversational processes over time.

The Toronto Summer Institute (and formerly the McGill Summer Institute) has been creating shared learning opportunities for thousands of people from every continent (except Antartica) since 1984. Here are nearly 30 videos – from over the years… reflecting some of the many treasured moments we all created together.

This is your chance to meet, or remember, or be challenged by Judith Snow. A collection of videos from as early as 1980 – and close to her 65th birthday – some wisdom, some adventure.. Judith

Marsha Forest  – 18 videos from history – was a relentless life long advocate for Inclusion. Marsha spent her life teaching and supporting families to explore any and all forms of communication. While teaching at York University, she met Judith Snow and Jack Pearpoint (who she married). The result was the Circle of Friends, and then the MAPS process and later PATH – conversational approaches to reveal and nurture the gifts and capacities in every person – no exceptions

John O’Brien and his wife and partner Connie Lyle O’Brien have been in the forefront of thinking and creating precedent setting innovations that helped to created full lives for people with disability labels the world over. In addition to developing many of the planning systems used internationally, training thousands of facilitators and human service workers, they have also been writers with enormous insight and sensitivity. They are prolific authors – and here you can see a few video images.

Beth Mount is a creative genius with a focus on inventing, teaching and delivering full life options for people with developmental disabilities, their families and the partners who support them on diverse paths to social inclusion and self direction.  Beth’s tapestries are a remarkable triumph to art and resilience built with the wisdom and partnership of people once excluded.

Mike Green and Henry Moore built on the foundational work of John McKnight and Jody Kretzmann who created ABCD – Asset Based Community Development. Mike and Henry wrote a book and created a DVD in answer to the question: What do I do Monday morning?

John McKnight is the co-founder of ABCD – Asset Based Community Development – an institute, books, world leadership. His remarkable thought leadership has a very special connection to the Toronto Summer Institutes. John is one of the founding faculty members – and has been relentlessly consistent in making space in his calendar to lead a module – every year – for over 30 years.!! That is commitment – and friendship.

Jack Pearpoint is an independent Canadian Publisher and catalyst for Inclusion, Diversity, Teamwork and CHANGE! He directed Frontier College for 16 years, then founded Inclusion Press, and the Marsha Forest Centre. He is a writer, and advocate who has worked learning from and supporting people on the edge, his whole career.

Gary Bunch was captured by the challenge of inclusion. At York University he met Marsha Forest and a relentless partnership of advocacy of inclusion began. Gary taught, crafted materials and books. Always looking for ‘another way’ he created PlayFair Teams – to create education and supports for all students in regular classrooms. His leadership has been international. He has been a resource in many countries,. He was also the founding Chair of the Marsha Forest Centre and is currently Chair Emeritus.

Lynda Kahn is a co-leader with Inclusion Press International, Toronto, working with individuals, families, organizations and governments interested in positive change. Lynda, together with her partner and husband, Jack Pearpoint, works with individuals, families, organizations and governments interested in positive change through facilitating conversations, planning sessions and offering training workshops.

Gerv Leyden was a brilliant educational psychologist (and soccer player) who against all odds became a university professor. His commitment to inclusion and to ‘trouble youth’ was as powerful as his relentless lobbying to change education policies in England to support inclusion.

In our micro-second attention span culture, it is hard work to even recall that there is a story – a history – underneath even the mini clips we encounter. This is a collection of 84 ‘historical’ videos that BEGIN to capture some of the history, complexity and characters that are the foundation underneath the inclusion journey’s of today. Dive deep, enjoy… learn.

One of the many roots of inclusion is basic literacy. Illiteracy is a serious ‘disability’ which can be resolved by learning to read. People labelled with other disabilities were typically excluded from education – so were doubly handicapped!. Literacy was/is a liberation movement for all – and all means all.

Beat the Street was a remarkable program that mobilized the talents and capacities of ‘street people’ to tutor street people. It played to strengths!! Tracy LeQuyere (Justin Page) and Rich Parsons were the founders in this Frontier College prototype program – which was the darling of many media clips – and awarded the Order of Canada to Justin and Rick for their efforts.

In Canada, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission brought the truth of Canada’s brutal genocidal policies for the last 150 years into public awareness. The work of truly acknowledging that all Canadians are Treaty people will require generations to fully reconcile – but these few clips are an introduction to the journey.

A small group of friends and colleagues are committed to assist a remarkable grass roots network of Ugandan citizens to create the future they want – and are making. We invite you to join us. Listen to the wisdom of people who have been on their land for 6000 years – and are recovering from the stresses of colonialism and climate change. They could teach us all a great deal.

Waddie Welcome – a remarkable story, video demonstrating that anything is possible… one at a time… all it takes is a lifetime of effort, a strong community created with great friends. Tom Kohler and Susan Earle capture that journey brilliantly – as part of the circle of friends.

Five Ways to Go into the World – TOM KOHLER – 3 minutes of deep wisdom about meeting people in your community.

PLAYFAIR TEAMS   A national project, conceived by Gary Bunch and led by the MFC to introduce ‘playfair teams’ to schools from coast to coast. 

De’Amon Harges – Roving Listener – Community Mobilizer – a whirlwind of capacity specializing in identifying and nurturing everyone’s gifts – where others could only see deficiency.

Patti Scott and David Hasbury are partners and co-conspirators to create support networks that build communities with friendships and secure community engagement for everyone. In addition to creating Neighbours Inc, and teaching world wide, their latest venture is creating remarkable videos that feature the learnings and reflections of some folks they work with…

Heather is a brilliant writer, speaker – thinker. With a lovely Scottish brogue, she is relentless in challenging us to dig deep, think harder.. be better. Hear her and pause – what can I do now to do better – to be better. Her roots in this work are life long, and incorporate a depth of experience internationally – starting in UK, then Australia, and now back home in Scotland.

Norm Kunc and his partner Emman Van der Klift are modern day storytellers, continuing the long held tradition of using humour and narrative to initiate self-reflection and social change.  The are authors, and the creators of “Conversations that Matter,” an online values training platform consisting of over 120 videos of conversations with the leading voices in the field of community living and disability rights.

Also: get Norm’s first book: Ready Willing & Disabled (free download – 1984) , and order Norm and Emma’s NEW book (2019) – Being Realistic isn’t Realistic.(amazon)

Gerima Harvey is a master drummer – who has been ‘the heartbeat’ of the Summer Institutes for many years. Germina works out of Kitchener, Ontario and currently plays with seven bands. He has cut some CD’s which we hope will be available from Inclusion Press soon. His ambition is to share his music even more widely. Stay tuned..