The Importance Of Inclusion In Special Education

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Recommended: Inclusion approach versus the conventional special education programs

When I was attending Westside High School, I noticed that there was a special program the school offers for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. These students are separated from the rest of the students that attend the school. They have a separate classroom, a different lunch period, and different academic activities. The program caught my attention in wanting to get to know more about what the program offers the students that a regular school setting does not offer them. I have some experience with interacting with the students with disabilities from taking part in the Best Buddies program, which is a program that allows one-on-one friendships between students with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities
In an inclusive classroom, two different groups of students come together. According to the Wisconsin Education Association Council, “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” (Schultz Stout 2001). Inclusion allows students with and without disabilities to interact with each other in the same classroom. The idea of inclusion was introduced in the early 1950’s when students took part in special education programs that were offered in public schools; many authorities agreed that these programs minimized the student’s potential rather than maximizing their potential (NVPIE). Then the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act was updated in 2004 “to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment and independent living” and “to ensure that the rights of children with disabilities and parents of such children are protected …” (Wright). This Act worked hand and hand with the No Child Left Behind Act that focuses on the equal treatment of all children. Students should not be excluded from having a regular life due to their differences as
The teachers’ perspectives change, because “they have had positive experiences with inclusion and have identified benefits that students with disabilities have brought, including increased tolerance and respect for diversity on the part of teachers and students, new curriculum lessons, and an improved classroom climate” ( Feldman, 2002). Teachers become more open to change their teaching style to accommodate each student, because they also gain experience through the process. Teachers may go from giving lectures to more hands on activities, due to that fact that many students may learn in such a way. Teacher also “work together with other teachers, specialists, and parents to figure out the best education plan for their students with special needs” (Lawrence). Teachers influence and inform each other with techniques on how to meet the needs of all the students. Teachers gain experience and learn a variety of ways to teach their

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