Special Education

All teachers are, or soon will be, teaching in classrooms that include students with disabilities. It is becoming increasingly unacceptable to limit the number of teachers in a school who have the skills to teach disabled students to only a few special education teachers. Regular teachers too must know how to teach such students to read, write, communicate and achieve to the highest educational standards. Excellent education is education that is excellent for all. Children come from all racial, ethnic, and national origins and all economic backgrounds and in all this mix there are some children that have disabilities. If our education system is to be excellent, it must be based on the premise that every student can learn. By implementing inclusion into schools, children learn to accept individual differences. The best way to help children overcome their misconceptions about kids who have disabilities is to bring them together in integrated settings.

Inclusion remains a controversial topic in education because it relates to educational and social values, as well as to our sense of individual worth. There are advocates on both sides of the issue. James Kauffman of the University of Virginia views inclusion as a policy driven by an unrealistic expectation that money will be saved. Furthermore, he argues that trying to force all students into the inclusion mold is just as coercive and discriminatory as trying to force all students into the mold of a special education class or residential institution (Stout, 2001). On the other side are those who believe that all students belong in the regular education classroom, and that "good" teachers are those who can meet the needs of all the students, regardless of what those needs may be. Between the two ends are large groups of educators and parents who are confused by the concept itself. They wonder whether inclusion is legally required and wonder what is best for children. They also question what it is that schools and school personnel must do to meet the needs of children with disabilities. Frequently, the decisions that educators make regarding approÐ'¬priate instructional, curricular, or behavioral interventions for stuÐ'¬dents with special needs have been based primarily on the places" (for example, Title I room, special education resource room) or "programs" (for example, remedial reading program, dropout prevention program) where the students are to be eduÐ'¬cated. However, students with special needs increasingly are being included in general classroom environments (Lombardi, 1999). One difficulty with inclusion is that the interventions made to meet an individual student's special needs often have been more intrusive than is necessary. However, there are two practical tools to assist general and special educators, working collaboratively, to make effective instructional decisions for students with special needs in the general classroom. The first tool is a Levels of IntenÐ'¬sity of Intervention Decision-Making Framework that may be used by individuals or teams to make effective decisions regarding instructional or curricular interventions for students with special learning challenges.

The reality of the benefits of inclusion of special needs students in regular classrooms, supported by twenty years of extensive research, according to Lapp, Flood, Fisher, Sax and Pumpian (1996), was described as follows:

It has become obvious that inclusive education enhances:

a) achievement of individualized education plan objectives,

b) interactive social skills development and communication

skills development, c) skill generalization, or the transfer

of learning to new environments and d) post school

integration into real jobs and homes in the community.

(p.580)

Inclusive methods of service delivery were thought to have moved from intrusion to inclusion, meeting the need for change in the special education system effectively.

In order to discuss the concept of inclusion, it is first necessary to have a common vocabulary background. Mainstreaming has been used to refer to the selective placement of special education students in one or more "regular" education classes. Proponents of mainstreaming generally assume that a student must "earn" his or her opportunity to be placed in regular classes by demonstrating an ability to "keep up" with the work assigned by the regular classroom teacher. This concept is closely linked to traditional forms of special education service delivery. Inclusion is a term which expresses commitment to educate each child, to the maximum extent appropriate, in the school and classroom he or she would otherwise attend. It involves bringing the support services to the child (rather than moving the child to the services) and requires only that the child will benefit from being in the class (rather than having to keep up with the other students). Proponents of inclusion generally favor newer forms of education service delivery. Full Inclusion means that all students, regardless of handicapping condition or severity, will be in a regular classroom/program full time. All services must be taken to the child in that setting (Stout, 2001).

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), as we all know, is the public school's special education legal basis of how and what programs will be in place for the special needs student. IDEA mandates that special education students be placed in the least restrictive environment with the appropriate supports. In other words, wherever possible, special needs students should be placed in the regular classroom. As a result, the inclusion model was formed. (Wade, 2001).

When placing a special needs student into the regular classroom, every effort possible must be made to ensure the student's placement meets with success. Students and teachers need to understand the different needs of the particular student in order for the model to be successful. Peer support needs to be in place. Peers may act as helpers and companions to ensure that the child is met with total acceptance. Supports are in place to ensure that the child is able to participate in every way possible. Sometimes the support may be an educational assistant. It's the lack of exposure to students with disabilities that create the fears. When regular students are exposed to special needs students - acceptance occurs. Peer support and encouragement occurs quickly in an accepting environment. Teachers may need to develop some peer support lessons along the lines of building friendships' and strengths