Mainstreaming: The Importance Of Special Education

Before all school districts think about mainstreaming students, they need to consider all the factors. If a child is not placed correctly, then the child will not succeed. Not only the child, but the teacher needs to be properly trained and adapted to a more individualized curriculum. Throughout this paper, you will see how special education still needs to be a factor in mainstreamed schools. We will see how mainstreaming can be beneficial and how it is not just the setting that encourages socialization. Taking into consideration the 14 disabilities under the

IDEA act (Individuals with disabilities education act), we see that there is a lot to consider with inclusion. Socialization is important in all student’s lives and mainstreaming can be

Introduction

Mainstreaming: The need to Improve

There have been many studies throughout education systems in our world that suggest that mainstreaming is beneficial as it provides alternative avenues for children with disabilities to

MainstreamingMAINSTREAMING 3

Since the early sixties, mainstreaming has been sparking an interest within the community. The Civil Rights movements helped by focusing on the right of the individual and helped progress individual rights forward. In 1975, the government passed “Education for All

Handicapped Children Act”, which stated that all handicapped children are entitled to a "free and appropriate" education in the "least restrictive environment . . .” (Mainstreaming, 2007).

Throughout dictionaries and encyclopedias, one can see the word disabled as meaning weak, or helpless. (Insert chart)

Mainstreaming is the practice of teaching disabled children in regular classrooms with non-intellectually impaired students to the fullest possible extent. (Mainstreaming, 2007) This is also called Inclusion, and it has worked well for special education students who are able to be within a classroom setting which can help them be better prepared socially for the

Certain children with more severe disabilities are more than likely better off within a special education classroom as their needs will be met more accurately.

Special Education

The role of Special Education is to ensure that students with disabilities are successful within schools like their peers and ready for life after school. “Special education is specially designed instruction, support, and services provided to students with an identified disability MAINSTREAMING 4 requiring an individually designed instructional program to meet their unique learning needs”

(DoDEA, 2014), This ensures that the student will meet their fullest potential. Special Education is not always necessary as some students with disabilities can be integrated into the normal classroom if it is evaluated by the parents and a school representative as possible and more than likely an aid would be within the classroom as well.

Special education was started after World War II when parents began to organize groups to support the American Association on Mental Deficiency whose first convention was in 1947.

As the support began to expand, new acts within legislation helped improve the education