The Importance of Education for Children with Disability

1454 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Discrimination against disabled people

Education and Disability INTRODUCTION The importance of education for all children, especially for those with disability and with limited social and economic opportunities, is indisputable. Indeed, the special education system allowed children with disability increased access to public education. Apart from that, the special education system has provided for them an effective framework for their education, and for the institutions involved to identify children with disability sooner. In turn, this promotes greater inclusion of children with disability alongside their nondisabled peers. In spite of these advances however, many obstacles remain, including delays in providing services for children with disability, as well as regulatory and financial hindrances that complicate the program for all involved. Enhancing the system necessitates better ways of understanding and measuring both ends of the special education continuum, namely the services special education children need and receive, and the academic outcomes these students achieve. BACKGROUND Literatures talk about the dramatic shift from exclusion to inclusion in US legislation governing the education of children with disability. Prior to the ratification of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) in 1975, it was estimated that only one in five Americans with identified disability attended public schools. Unfortunately, of the three million special needs children who attended school, many received little or no effective instruction. After IDEA, the number of such children in public schools grew by 100 percent, a proof that the effort of the government has paid off. The special education system has not only given students with disability an opportunity to obtain public ... ... middle of paper ... ...al federal funding or better enforcement of policies will improve education outcomes for students with special needs and their family is very limited in spite of calls for increased funding and reformation. More studies on the effects of special education services on achievement is needed to determine the efficacy of the funds allocated for this purpose. It is important to pinpoint the causes of the gap between special schooling and general education, and the means to reduce this gap. In addition, greater efforts are needed to develop and standardize appropriate assessments of academic achievement for students with disabilities. Finally, given the huge differences in service needs and outcomes across students of different disability types, attention needs to focus on understanding how all these issues affect different subgroups of special education students.

Show More
Related

  • Inclusion in the Public School Classroom

    1541 Words  | 4 Pages

    What do we do with children with disabilities in the public school? Do we include them in the general education class with the “regular” learning population or do we separate them to learn in a special environment more suited to their needs? The problem is many people have argued what is most effective, full inclusion where students with all ranges of disabilities are included in regular education classes for the entire day, or partial inclusion where children spend part of their day in a regular education setting and the rest of the day in a special education or resource class for the opportunity to work in a smaller group setting on specific needs. The need for care for children with identified disabilities both physical and learning continues to grow and the controversy continues.

    Read More

  • Minorities in Special Education

    2005 Words  | 5 Pages

    Special education is a large part of the education system, which includes the mentally retarded, people with learning disabilities, the emotionally disturbed, hearing impaired, visually impaired, etc. Many people fail to include this system as one that can possibly involve discrimination, but those enrolled in special education has increased among all racial classifications. Between 1980 and 1990, the entire population enlisted in special education has increased. European American increased by 6%, African Americans increased by 13%, Hispanic Americans increased by 53%, and Asian Americans/Pacific Americans increased by 107.8% (Ford, Obiakor, p. 8). In the end, it is these students who ultimately experience low rates of employment, low income, and growing rates of incarceration. Another survey indicates t...

    Read More

  • Classroom Education Pros And Cons

    1055 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the early 1800s people who had disabilities were sent to asylums and were treated horribly. The idea of adopting disabled individuals into schools was an idea that came about in the early 1900s. Then in the mid 1900s around 1950-1960, parents of disabled individuals began fighting for educational services to be available for their child. Not until “The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975” were children, regardless of disabilities, were able to receive a free public education in what is considered to be the “least restrictive environment.” In 1986, Madeleine Will, then-Assistant Secretary for the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (under the U.S. Department of Education), thought of the idea of including mild to moderate disabled students to be part of a “pull out” program would be included in regular classrooms. By the time the mid 1990s rolled around, about 35% of disabled students were attending regular school classes (Historical Background). Since then, the ideas have expanded and pushed to make almost all of the classrooms be inclusion

    Read More

  • Full Inclusion versus Self-Contained or Special Schools

    1144 Words  | 3 Pages

    Institutions remained the primary educational support until a century later, in the early 1900’s. The parents of students with disabilities brought about a legislative change. During the 1950’s and 1960’s, these parents pressured courts and legislatures to introduce changes in educational services. Reynolds (1988), discusses the birth of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. This act mandated that all children, regardless of disability, had the right to a free, appropriate education in the least restrictive environment.

    Read More

  • The Education For All Handicapped Children Act Of 1975

    356 Words  | 1 Pages

    The causes and effects of segregation of kids with disabilities from the regular classroom negatively affects students. Segregation of kids with disabilities can potentially be breaking the law. The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 requires schools to identify these students with special needs. Although this law does not require separate programs they exist due to those who are severely handicapped (Adkins). The typical identification name for these students is the common known “Special Ed.” which leads to labeling and stereotypes. These labels do more harm than good as they are not interpreted and applied properly. Psychologist confirm handicap students are harmed by these student labels(Adkins). Not all these students necessarily

    Read More

  • Learning Disabilities and How It Effects Lives

    1457 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...day, have become more common. This has been partially in response to calls to reduce the stigma of being labeled as learning disabled, to expose the learning disabled child to the real world, and to provide the learning disabled child access to more advanced curricular content. The research on the effects of mainstreaming are inconclusive, based on a small number of studies, and focused more on children with mild learning disabilities than with moderate and severe disabilities. The general conclusion at this time is that there is a small to moderate beneficial effect of inclusive education on the academic and social outcomes of special-needs children. However, this effect should be evaluated in terms of the type and severity of the learning disability, the quality of training provided to the teacher, and the level and kinds of support available in the school system.

    Read More

  • Disability Essay

    1702 Words  | 4 Pages

    The global responses to disability have changed over the years. The acceptance and understanding of this condition has played a significant role in embracing disability into the society. Since the 1970s, there have been campaigns to sensitize the public about disability. This has led to the empowerment and has prompted large self-organizations by persons with disabilities. Historically, persons with disabilities have often been provided for through the same solutions that have led to their segregation. These include special schools or special residential institutions. Policies have now shifted from the ...

    Read More

  • Evolution of Special Needs

    991 Words  | 2 Pages

    "to assure that all children with disabilities have available to them…a free appropriate public education which emphasizes special education and relat...

    Read More

  • Special Education: Getting Rid of the Stigma

    688 Words  | 2 Pages

    Not many people who are not already involved with special education understand what exactly a student in a special education program does. Most people assume special education is for only the worst cases, such as autism or Down syndrome or that the students are completely different from any other student. However, this assumption is not the case. These assumptions only show some of the stigma against special education. Special education is the term used to “describe specially designed instruction that meets the unique needs of a child who has a disability,” (Hancock). As predetermined by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), one qualifies for special education if they meet one or more of the thirteen disabilities included in the act. These disabilities include, but are not limited to, autism, hearing impairment, specific learning disability, visual impairment, and emotional disturbance. The IDEA act requires the public schools to provide a “free appropriate education”, or FAPE, to those who qualify. An example of a free appropriate program is “modifications in the educational program, such as curriculum and teaching methods,” (Hancock).

    Read More

  • Special Education Case Study

    868 Words  | 2 Pages

    The law requires that this instruction fundamentally tailors to the unique need(s) of the child with the disability. Society considers children with disabilities minorities in the school, and since the late 1960’s parents, schools, legislators, and educators have been fighting for the rights of children with disabilities. In 1975 the first Act, P.L.94-142, Education for All Handicapped Children Act was passed, setting all the guidelines for special education as a field (Bicehouse & Faieta, 2017). Researchers Spaulding & Pratt (2015) mentioned efforts to educate individuals with disabilities began as early as a century before the 1960’s reform movements. A time when the law did not afford a disabled person the opportunity to go to school or the family placed him or her in an

    Read More

  • Special Education Placement in Public Schools

    1918 Words  | 4 Pages

    During the late 1980’s and 1990’s the number of children with learning disabilities receiving special education services grew rapidly, but during 1998 and 2007 the number of children classified as having a LD has declined by 7% (Cortiella, 2009). “In 2007, 59% of students with LD spent 80% or more of their in-school time in general education classrooms. In 2000, that figure was just 40%” (Cortiella, 2009). In addition, students with disabilities are spending more time with students in traditional classroom settings. According to the Department of Education, “approximately 6 million children (roughly 10 percent of all school-aged children) receive special education services” (Pardini, 2011).

    Read More

  • Mainstreaming Special Needs Children

    891 Words  | 2 Pages

    The debate of mainstreaming children with a disability challenges the idea of having an enclosed environment where they can effectively learn. University of Missouri, College of Education states, “The term ‘special needs’ is used to collectively define those that require assistance due to physical, mental, behavioral, or medical disabilities or delays” ( .) Opponents who encourage mainstreaming argue that mainstreaming special needs children is beneficial. They claim children with a disability should receive equivalent access to public education and not be left behind because of an impairment. Many also dispute attempts should be made to develop tests to measure academic achievement. Aron and Loprest state “Reforming special education cannot be done in isolation; it requires integration with reforms being made in general education” (116). However, there are many problems the education system is going to face if children with a disability are integrated into standard classes.

    Read More

  • Argumentative Essay On Special Education

    1071 Words  | 3 Pages

    What is special education? The common belief is that it a program only dedicated to helping students with disabilities, whether physical or mentally. This is not entirely accurate in regards of what special education is. While special education does provide assistance to students with disabilities ns meet their needs in quality education (Küpper 2009)—the program extends to all students facing difficulties keeping up with the pace of learning (Huerta 2009). This brings the next question onto the table: the importance of special education. Before 1970s, majority of students with disabilities were shun into isolation with little to no education in general classes (Bradley 2016). However, with the passage of Education for All Handicapped Children

    Read More

  • Regular vs. Special Education Classes

    1569 Words  | 4 Pages

    I posed this question prior to my research; do special education students receive the same attention and level of education as students in regular education? Through investigation and observation, I explored the differences between regular education classrooms and special education classrooms to see if there were in fact inequalities between the two. Prior to doing research, I assumed that all education was alike, and that regardless of special needs, the educational institution provided an equal opportunity for all students to learn. This paper will show the level of equity and reflect on the social justice of special education in the current school platform. It will outline the research that I have conducted and demonstrate the negative assumptions about special education teachers and their students, and show examples of the lack of funding and resources for special education departments.

    Read More

  • Special Education Students' Placement and Performance Outcomes on Math Assessments

    1519 Words  | 4 Pages

    According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP, 2005, 2007), students with disabilities consistently perform lower than th...

    Read More

More about The Importance of Education for Children with Disability

Open Document