From the 1990s through 2010s, Ceil Belasco and Liz Healey were at the forefront of the movement for inclusive education for students with disabilities in the Pittsburgh Public Schools. They worked to ensure that students with disabilities had the opportunity to be educated alongside their peers in regular classrooms, and that teachers received the support they needed to engage diverse learners.
Belasco, as an educator, and Healey, as a school board member, worked with others to create a system-wide commitment to educating students with disabilities alongside their non-disabled peers.
In addition to their professional roles, Belasco and Healey were parents of children with disabilities who were among the first generation of students to be educated in inclusive classrooms.
In their respective roles in the Pittsburgh school district, they networked, organized, and advocated to bring about a district-wide, transformational commitment to inclusive education practice, advance the rights of students with disabilities, and open minds about the benefits of inclusive education for all students. They worked closely with district officials to develop the vision and best practices for inclusive education, and to earn a reputation as one of the districts in the nation most engaged in inclusive education.
Download the transcript of the interview with Ceil Belasco and Liz Healey.
