A Lifestep individual and community home resident enjoys a train ride at an amusement park. Submitted photo

Inclusion wasn’t always a priority for schools and early childhood education programs. Children with disabilities often found themselves segregated from their peers.

It wasn’t until 1975 when the Education for All Handicapped Children Act became law that the walls separating children began to come down.

Known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act today, it protects the rights of individuals with disabilities, including school-aged children.

Before the act, many children were denied access to regular education programs and other opportunities to learn. The separation prevented them from being seen as valuable members of the community. It also was a missed opportunity to teach children compassion and empathy for people with disabilities.

“When the organization started, there was no such thing as an integrated classroom,” said Karen Sue Owens, Lifesteps president and chief executive officer. “Kids with special needs were separated from their peers, which created an ‘us and them’ mentality that could lead to children with disabilities being mistreated.

“Today, we’ve come a long way in terms of integration, with inclusive classrooms giving all students a learning opportunity by teaching children how to adjust and adapt as well as treat others with dignity and respect.”

Programs like Lifesteps’ PA Pre-K Counts provide an inclusive environment for children of all abilities. Children with visible and invisible disabilities share classroom space, finding common interests and learning to appreciate one another’s differences.

“When you walk into classrooms today, you might not even know that a child has a disability,” Owens said. “Some disabilities — like autism — may not be obvious when you first see a child, which makes it difficult to recognize disabilities because they’re not always visible.”

One way Lifesteps helps identify disabilities early is with its Child Check free developmental and autism screenings. The screenings can identify some of the most common invisible disabilities, including autism, language processing and behavioral delays as well as fine and gross motor skills deficits.

“Developmental screenings identify potential concerns from an early age, and help inform parents about available resources, so children can get early intervention services and access supports in achieving their highest potential,” said Michael Gathje, chief program officer at Lifesteps.

“Ultimately, we strive for children to no longer need services by the time they reach school age,” he said.

Restrictions before 1975 weren’t isolated to classrooms and other learning environments; it took another 15 years and the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act for disabled adults to gain access to much of the community, businesses and services.

Actions that most people took for granted — getting into a telephone booth, navigating a public sidewalk, using a public restroom — were often impossible for individuals with disabilities. In addition, many families had a hard choice: to try to support their loved one with an intellectual and developmental disability in their own home or place them in a state institution.

As it did for children suffering from the debilitating effects of polio, Lifesteps — then Easter Seal Society — advocated for accessibility and inclusion for persons with disabilities in the Butler community and beyond.

In 1993, the organization opened the first of what would become 51 residential community homes for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

“The organization has done a lot of advocacy for people with disabilities to work toward getting greater access to the community,” Owens said.

It’s not just the physical spaces that have changed. Part of being more inclusive of those with disabilities required a change in the language used to describe a person with a disability, Owens said.

“Years ago, people used the terms crippled children and mentally retarded that defined the person by their limits,” she said. “People deserve respect and dignity; therefore, put the person before the disability.”

Person-first language has become an important tool for reminding the community at large that there’s more to a person than their disability.

Moving forward, Owens said the next shift in advocacy involves assistive technology. Remote supports and assistive technologies can enable individuals with disabilities to live more independently. Technology can help enable a person to live independently while still accessing support when needed versus having a person in their homes 24/7.

“The whole role of assistive technology is changing again, giving people greater independence,” she said. “So, that’s the organization’s focus as we look to the future.”

Lifesteps Look Back: People who use wheelchairs were unable to access a public phone.

Lifesteps Look Back: Persons with disabilities had difficulty accessing public buildings.

Lifesteps Look Back: Separate classroom were offered in late 1950s for kindergarten children with disabilities. Today, classrooms are inclusive.