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The well-researched and accessible pedagogy, Seven Principles for Inclusive Education, is the underpinning for all of Tanenbaum's curricula and teacher training programs (training in the Seven Principles is a core piece of all our teacher training programs). The Seven Principles can be applied to any classroom or lesson plan to increase equity and decrease exclusion. 1. Teaching All Students Educators should take several different approaches to teaching the same material so that information becomes more interesting and tangible to a greater number of students. 2. Exploring Multiple Identities Students who are proud of themselves and excited by the world around them will be more compassionate and understanding people; the same is true for educators. 3. Preventing Prejudice Educators should take a proactive approach to debunking preconceived stereotypes and preventing them from escalating into prejudices and negative biases. 4. Promoting Social Justice Students are good judges of what is fair, especially when they are affirmatively challenged to consider issues of social justice. Educators should talk to them about issues of social justice and injustice in terms of fair versus unfair, respectful versus disrespectful. 5. Choosing Appropriate Materials Inclusive classrooms use books and materials that reflect accurate images of diverse peoples and challenge stereotypes. 6. Teaching and Learning About Cultures and Religions Educators should create curiosity and expand students' horizons by teaching about others in a positive manner. Students should have the opportunity to learn from their peers as well as other cultures. 7. Adapting and Integrating Lessons Appropriately Educators should be flexible when using and adapting lessons in our curricula, as well as in prescribed curricula in general. Many of the most teachable moments are unplanned and unscripted.

Life for most people with mental or physical disabilities is vastly improved over what it was twenty or thirty years ago. The Americans with Disabilities Act and other federal and state laws assure that people with disabilities have the same basic rights as people without disabilities. Some things have been slower to change; namely, attitudes and perceptions about people with disabilities. Ignorance and discrimination can be serious impediments to achieving integration, productivity, and independence for people with disabilities. The use of outdated language and words to describe people with disabilities contributes greatly to perpetuating old stereotypes. No longer should we view people with disabilities as helpless or tragic victims. Awareness is the first step toward correcting this injustice. If public opinion about people with disabilities is to be brought up to date, the public needs to hear and learn to use appropriate language. It is especially important for the media, elected officials, public speakers, and others in leadership positions to portray people with disabilities sensitively and realistically. This is a guide to using descriptive words and language when talking to or about people with disabilities.

Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice -- and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding. Inspired by Nigerian history and tragedies all but forgotten by recent generations of westerners, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's novels and stories are jewels in the crown of diasporan literature.