Local Inclusive Education Pioneer, Barbara J. Newman Passes Away

Barbara J. Newman, author, Henry J. Nouwen Award winner, and former Zeeland Christian School Director of Inclusion passed away on Friday, September 18. Mrs. Newman has been battling cancer for the last four months.

Mrs. Newman was instrumental in establishing the first inclusive education program in the United States at Zeeland Christian in 1989. While the conversations and decisions to begin this work were had before she came, Barb quickly became its champion as one of the first two teachers who supported classrooms and trained teachers on how to make sure every student was included. The beautiful aspect of this model which Barb (and others) quickly realized is that when everyone belongs, the puzzle is complete. In her article celebrating the 30 year anniversary of Inclusive Education at ZCS Barb remarked,

“Our building now had students that showed the most amazing diversity. Classrooms would include children who may have more typical learning profiles as well as children with Down syndrome or autism. … And we were learning about living in this kind of a community every single day.

The teacher’s lounge was our best place of discovery. “My student decided to crawl out the window.” “My student got locked in the bathroom stall.” “My student had the most amazing answer to the Bible study question.” “My student seems to create the best classroom community I have ever experienced in my years of teaching.” We would brainstorm and then try ideas. Sometimes it was the classmates who had the best ideas.

We became one giant I Corinthians 12 team – and there was no way the eye would ever say to the hand “I don’t need you.” There was a desire to be able to say to parents who chose Christian education for all of their children, “we are the ‘body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.’”

ZCS Head of School, Tim McAboy, has seen his leadership grow thanks to Barb’s influence. “For years I served in Christian schools that made little attempt to meet the needs of all children. I knew little of inclusion when I met Barb at my first interview for ZCS in the winter of 2017. She told me, “If you’re willing to learn, I’m willing to teach you.” When I visited during her final days, I took her your notes and a note I wrote on one of the puzzle pieces. I wrote, “Thanks for showing me how my piece fits in the puzzle.” We were all students of Barb.”

Barb spent her entire career advocating for students with varied abilities. She authored 14 books, spoke around the world to churches and schools, and was the recipient of multiple awards including: Henry J. Nouwen Award, American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 2015; Christian Service Award, Bethesda Lutheran Communities, 2012; Barbara Lipinski Award of Merit, 2007; Great-West Michigan Teacher, Grand Rapids Press, 2006; National Leadership Award, National Council on the Handicapped, 1988.

Stacy Deters, ZCS’s current Dir. of Student Support Services (position formerly titled Dir. of Inclusion), had been mentored by Barb for 10 years. Mrs. Deters stated that, “Barb provided something many parents had not experienced before - hope. A hope that their child could be included, celebrated, loved, appreciated, challenged, and honored for who God created him/her to be. Barb never turned down an opportunity to listen to one’s story. She dedicated her life to creating inclusive and welcoming communities that embodied 1 Corinthians 12. Barb’s mission will continue to live on as those touched by her passion water the seeds she has planted across the world.“

Bill Van Dyk, former ZCS Principal remarked, “In 1989 I had the privilege of supporting Barb Newman as she and the Christian Learning Center began inclusive education at Zeeland Christian School. For the next 28 years I had a front row seat watching Barb diagnose children with special needs and figure out the best educational plan for them. Parents would come into these meetings in tears of desperation and frustration and leave in tears of hope. In the early years Barb shared her gifts freely with other schools and in recent years has shared the gift with many churches in this country and around the world. Barb has truly impacted hundreds if not thousands of students and her legacy will continue for many years to come.”

Brian VandenBrink, ZCS Board President from 2012-2017, said, “For those who had the delight of knowing and sharing life with Barb Newman it is not a stretch to say that in her we had the clear and rare opportunity to experience relationship and friendship with a dear person who in countless outward ways was a tangible expression of our Lord and Savior. The love which flowed through her was the love of God. The gentleness, the security, the warmth, the confidence, the boldness, are all attributes of the Lord she distinctly embodied.

Barb, your mark on inclusive education which sprang from your foundation in our corner of the world at Zeeland Christian was something only the Lord could have done, and we watched and joined in as His purposes flourished. Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Current ZCS Board President and alumna(‘98), Betsy Koop experienced Barb’s impact from a very young age. “From my earliest days as a kindergartener to my current tenure as Board President, I have witnessed firsthand the transformative impact of Barb Newman’s life on the ZCS community. Barb pioneered innovative inclusive education at ZCS, which strives for students of varied abilities to experience true belonging, and as a result, to bring glory to God and experience his love as a community.

Many of my most vivid memories as a kindergartener include my friend, Keith, who was born with Down Syndrome: desperately wanting to be his “special buddy” at recess, joining him at the Special Olympics, and hearing his boisterous laugh. I clearly recall Barb (then called “Mrs. B”), inviting us to name the diverse gifts each of us brought to our classroom community, and highlighting those we saw in Keith. As a student, I had no idea inclusive education was innovative or novel; I simply couldn’t have imagined learning, playing sports, or going to camps without my many friends with diverse abilities.

Her legacy will live on through the transformative experience of inclusive education at ZCS and around the world. Our prayer is that all students will experience God’s love through a community of belonging, and that the transformative impact of this love and community will extend from the youngest preschool classes to beyond the walls of ZCS, just as Barb’s work has done.”

In Barb’s final days, the phrase she kept repeating was, “Go and use your gifts.” If you have been impacted by Barb’s work, in her mind, there’s no better way to honor her than to “Go, and use your gifts.”