In my opinion that inclusion in our school can be a great thing if done correctly for children with mild to moderate disabilities. According to W. Sailor, M . Gerry, & Wilson in Key elements of Full Inclusion Model”. Full inclusion is characterized by its invisibility. Students with disabilities are not segregated but dispersed into classrooms they would normally attend if they were not disabled. Children with disabilities are seen as full-‐fledged members of, not visitors/guests in, the general education classroom.” (as cited in Dove 2016, para 2) I feel that so many times our school are thrown into this without enough support and training for the teachers. Without the support of the administration and regular education teachers, we cannot reach the ideal that students with disabilities are full members of the classroom. When I was a substitute teacher ten years ago, there were many of times where classrooms were trying to follow a full inclusion model, but did not have enough support. Some of the children with disabilities that were placed into these classrooms were disrupting the whole class. Without the proper support, we are penalizing our general education children and teachers. When the majority of the teacher’s time is spent with the child with disabilities the rest of the class is left out. In the documentary Including Samuel Preview the horticulture teacher was feeling overwhelmed and resentful of Alayna because she had not gotten any training and was not receiving enough support. Where I work at , The Rich Center for Autism, which is considered a specialty school so we do not have inclusion classrooms. We do separate our children into grade level and age level classrooms. Our goal for the children is to have them return back to their home school in an inclusion classroom.
I also believe that inclusion of children with moderate to severe disabilities is not always the correct decision. It depends on the child and how severe the disability. The children that need life skills training will not be able to receive them in the general education inclusion room. Classrooms where they can get on the job training, and are able to learn basic life skills, are critical to their ability to become self-sufficient and work towards independent living, which is two of the goals Congress has mandated for IDEA. It is not appropriate to put a 16-year-old who still needs help on getting dress and basic grooming in a regular education high school class and expect the whole class to be taught these skills. I do believe that not only all of our children but also adults, can benefit from full inclusion in the school's extra-curricular programs and in all aspects of society. As stated in Education For All Critical issues in the Education of Children and Youth with Disabilities “It appears that society still needs firsthand experience with an individual with a disability to understand: that is, to see the child as a whole, happy, complete human being, capable of great joy and love and success, with disability only a feature of his or her character like hair color and other individual differences” (pg 99 ) The more our children with disabilities get out and experience life, the more society can be educated on their disability and be able to appreciate their strengths and personalities.
Jodie, I agree with your blog on many levels. Parents and educators often underestimate the power of teaching daily living skills within the schools. These children need to be able to live independently or within a group home one day in the community. The skills you teach the kids at the Rich Center or even those in a self-contained classroom for students with moderate to severe disabilities is priceless. We, as educators, can not let that placement disappear. That is vital for their development.
ReplyDeleteI do feel that the students with disabilities need to be more visible within the community. My own children have been sheltered within their parochial school setting. They often stop, stare, and ask embarrassing questions of me about kids and adults with disabilities. It is a parent's responsibility to educate the children that not everyone is the same. We are all different.
Jodie, I agree with your post. I too believe that inclusion is not always the right decision. I have seen many students that have made progress sin a self-contained environment regress by being placed in an inclusive setting. Sometimes this was due to the acceptance in the classroom by the peers, other times it was because they no longer felt safe because they were now in a room with students that they have not built relationships with. Sometimes I feel at some schools they are so focused on inclusion that they are not taking into account what is best for each individual student, it is a sad thing to think that, but I have seen this happen as well. I agree that students who still need basic everyday life schools should not be placed in inclusive settings, although I do feel that maybe being exposed to inclusive room for a small amount of time during the day, for maybe on class such as an elective like art may benefit that student and their non-disabled peers.
ReplyDeleteI feel that proper training of general education teachers is the best way for inclusion to work effectively for all involved. There are so many arguments to inclusion it is sometimes hard to see the bigger picture, but I do feel most of the time the school systems are doing what is best for each individual student. I feel that this argument is something that will be first in foremost in the field of education for a long time.
I agree with your blog and think that inclusion is beneficial and successful with the correct support. If there isn't enough help/educational aid for a disabled student to be in an inclusion setting, and no support from teachers and other faculty then it will definitely be a failure. I also agree that not all students should be in an inclusion setting. Depending on the severity of their disability, some students may need to be in a resource room instead. From experience, I have seen that general education teachers want what's best for the students, disabled or non-disabled. But not having proper training is a big factor against inclusion.
ReplyDelete