Warmenhoven: Inclusion Collaborative efforts benefit all
Decades ago, Charmaine Warmenhoven spent a lot of time playing games and reading to children and patients residing in a hospital setting. The experience had a lasting impact.
"You could see in a small way what a difference you were making just by being there and interacting with the people," she said. "I thought, 'Wow. This is really powerful.'"
Charmaine learned early on that everyone learns and grows when people with
and without disabilities interact. And years later, that powerful experience
continues to resonate.
Charmaine is now the primary benefactor of the Inclusion Collaborative, a program housed at the Santa Clara County Office of Education that works to include children with special needs in child care, preschool programs and community activities.
Last fall, Charmaine made her fifth annual donation to the program. The contribution – amounting to about $120,000 – covers staffing costs, stipends for attendees of the program's annual symposium and dimensions of leadership, as well as books, training materials and other necessities, said Janice Battaglia, manager of the Inclusion Collaborative.
Thanks to Charmaine and other partners, the Inclusion Collaborative provides training for up to 3,000 people a year, and works closely with early educational settings to ensure that children with special needs have access to the same high-quality learning environments as other children do.
"What the Inclusion Collaborative and inclusion initiatives really try to do is help support all kids and teachers in ways so all kids can learn, and everyone can be involved," Charmaine said.
The concept of inclusion resonated so strongly with Charmaine that she has made it a primary focus of her life.
She earned a master's degree in special education from Columbia University's Teachers College, and taught children with special needs for many years in public and private schools.
Charmaine has also worked for inclusion with the local Catholic community, creating an office within the Diocese of San Jose to help parishes include children with special needs in church activities.
Inclusion is important for more than just children with special needs, Charmaine said. She frequently hears from parents raving about how much their children benefited from sharing classrooms with peers with special needs.
"We shouldn't put these people in isolation," she said. "People with special needs are really just regular people – and excluding them from my life makes my life less rich."
For now, the Inclusion Collaborative focuses on early-learning environments, but ultimately, Charmaine envisions expanding the movement to include all grade levels.
"I think when kids experience having all types of learners in their environment, they're going to assume that that's normal and natural," she said. "It becomes more normal to have kids with developmental disabilities in class than to not have them."
Charmaine and her husband, Dan, who is the executive chairman of technology company NetApp, moved from the East Coast to Santa Clara County in 1985. The couple is involved with numerous local charities, and have two grown children.
Charmaine was among those honored by the COE at its "Celebrate Inclusion" event May 20 for their work with the Collaborative. Hosted by the San Jose Children's Discovery Museum and underwritten by the Silicon Valley Education Foundation, the event featured keynote speaker Assemblyman Jim Beall.
Also honored were FIRST 5 Santa Clara County, including its commission and Executive Director Jolene Smith, and Mary-Anne Bosward, the COE's director of Special Education.
The Inclusion Collaborative also launched its campaign for person first terminology. Over 45 individuals signed the pledge of respect at this event.
Date last updated: June 20, 2011
