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The Yes I Can Social Inclusion Program teaches interested students with and without disabilities to effectively work together to ensure that youth with disabilities are included in recreational and social activities of their choice.
Program Goals and Objectives
The primary goals of the Yes I Can Social Inclusion Program are to:
- promote the recreational and social inclusion of students with disabilities;
- facilitate a greater understanding of the support needs of young adults with disabilities as they relate to recreational and social inclusion;
- create a climate within the school and community in which individual differences are accepted and celebrated;
- empower students with disabilities to establish friendships of their own choosing; and
- strengthen leadership skills and volunteerism on the part of students who serve as supports for their peers with disabilities.
Why the Program is Needed
The importance of recreation and leisure activities with friends cannot be underestimated. The social relationships developed through such interests provide a foundation for the quality-of-life we experience. Unfortunately, youth with disabilities frequently have little opportunity to take part in recreation and leisure activities with peers without disabilities, lack friends, and experience less intimacy and greater instability in the friendships they establish. In recent years, we have come to recognize that:
- individuals with disabilities have, or can be taught the skills that will enable them to actively take part in and contribute to recreational activities as well as fully participate in other aspects of community life;
- given the right supports, peers without disabilities will discover that genuine relationships can be formed with persons with disabilities that can potentially enhance their own lives; and
- schools are one of the most powerful institutions of socialization within the community and a natural environment for breaking down barriers and increasing acceptance of persons who have previously been viewed within their communities as "different."
It is also clear, however, that persons with disabilities are confronted by numerous barriers that make it difficult for them to experience a sense of belonging. The physical environment in the community and the attitudes and beliefs of individuals without disabilities often limit meaningful recreation and social inclusion.
Program Activities
Students who take part in the Yes I Can Program receive instruction and supervision designed to:
- expand their understanding of disabilities;
- enhance their skills at cooperatively working with peers;
- facilitate their ability to identify personal characteristics/abilities in themselves and others that lead to a sense of empowerment and belonging;
- increase their ability to identify and remove barriers to recreational and social inclusion within the school and community; and
- develop their skills at planning and carrying out inclusive recreation and leisure activities.
All students who take part in the program regularly participate in both instructional meetings and community activities over the course of the full academic year. Meetings take place on a weekly or semi-weekly basis and are led by a coordinator from the student’s school who will be trained and supported by Institute personnel.
Based on personal interests and place of residence, students with disabilities and peers who serve as their bridge builders are paired during the fourth week of the program and work together over the remainder of the year to increase recreation and leisure opportunities and facilitate the development of social relationships.
What Participants Say About the Yes I Can Program
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“I remember when students with disabilities walked down the school halls at the side of the hallway with their heads down. Since we began using the Yes I Can program, these same kids are now walking down the halls in the middle, saying ‘Hi’ to students, smiling, and giving high fives.”
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– Teacher
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| “My son was born with Down syndrome. One of our biggest concerns has been that he have the same opportunities as others to engage in community/social activities and make friends. The Yes I Can program has helped meet those needs. Through his Yes I Can partner he has met many other students. Now, when he attends school events he is talked to by other students, and invited to join them.” |
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– Parent
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“It can be kind of lonely not having friends. In Yes I Can I made good friends and had fun with them. We learned that everyone has disabilities; it’s just that some are invisible.”
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– Student
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Who is Offering the Program
The Yes I Can Social Inclusion Program is offered by your school district in collaboration with the University of Minnesota's Institute on Community Integration (UAP), a University Affiliated Program on Developmental Disabilities.
As part of the Institute’s program for school-age children and youth, the Yes I Can Social Inclusion Program has, over the past five years, been successfully implemented in numerous states throughout the country (see Current Sites).
Who is Eligible to Participate
The Yes I Can Program is open to all interested students, with or without disabilities, however schools may develop selection criteria (i.e., first-come/first-serve basis, need basis, etc.) to limit the size to an optimal number of participants. Since instruction and supervision is provided, no previous training or expertise is required.
How the Program is Run
The Yes I Can Program has been implemented in a variety of ways in order to meet the specific needs of participating schools. Most schools initiate the program as an extra-curricular activity in a manner similar to that used with clubs/student groups. In some schools, the program is offered as a service learning opportunity. After initiating the program as an extra-curricular activity, a number of school districts now offer it as a stand-alone credit producing class or have infused it into existing courses.
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