Inclusion

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Inclusion

• By Karissa Saville

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Background What is Mainstreaming?

• general term used in the past to describe the
  movement of disabled children into the Least
  Restrictive Environment
• primary focus is the physical presence of a
  disabled child in the general classroom
• Philosophy

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Public Law 94-142

• The Education of All Handicapped Children Act of
  1975
• Sometimes referred to as the mainstreaming law
• States that disabled learners should be educated
  in the Least Restrictive Environment therefore
  being MAINSTREAMED into general classes
• Pre-Public Law 94-142 ? isolating disabled
  learners from the general school population was a
  normal practice
• PL 94-142 states that the federal government
  shall provide funding to state education systems

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Public Law 94-142

• IEPs introduced (Individualized Education
  Programs)
• Programs set up by the learner, an administrator,
  and the family that includes the
• Learners present education attainment level
• Goals and short term objectives
• Specific services to be provided
• Evaluation criteria used to determine if
  objectives have been met

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Public Law 94-142

• An amendment of Public Law 94-142 changed the
  name from The Education for All Handicapped
  Children Act to the Individuals with
  Disabilities Education Act of 1990
• Basically a name change, with a few small other
  added changes

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IDEA

• Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of
  1997
• Public Law 105-17
• Addresses the idea of INCLUSION- displacing the
  term mainstreaming
• Provisions from IDEA of 1990 and PL 94-142
• Teacher MUST be involved in IEP planning
• Parents/Guardians of the disabled learner are
  involved with ALL decision making and IEP
  planning
• Parents/Guardians must be given regular reports
• Disabled students must take standardized tests ?
  scores publicly reported

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What does Inclusion mean?

• Definition from text
• a concept that extends the idea of mainstreaming
  to embrace the idea that schools should not place
  learners with disabilities in regular classrooms
  simply because federal law obligates them to do
  so, but rather because these learners are WANTED
  as members of these regular classrooms
  (Armstrong)

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What does Inclusion mean?

• not as simply a change in special education
  services, but rather as an opportunity for school
  reform or renewal, that is, changing a school so
  that the needs of ALL students are better met
  (McLeskey)
• Value and belief system

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What does Inclusion mean to teachers and
administrators?

• Figure 4.1 (McLeskey)- handout
• What Inclusion Means (and Does Not Mean)
• A list compiled by teachers and administrators
• Initially used by the staff of the Indiana
  Institute on Disability and Community at Indiana
  University

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Movement of students

• Table 1.1 (Smith)- handout
• Regular class- majority of time in general class-
  receive help outside general class lt21 of the
  day
• Resource room- spend 21-60 of the day outside
  general class
• Separate class- spend gt60 of the day in a
  special education classroom
• Separate school- spend gt50 of the day in a
  special school
• Residential facility- spend gt50 of the day in a
  private or public residential facility
• Homebound/hospital- child educated at home or in
  a hospital

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Inclusion Benefits for All

• Handout
• Children with Special Needs
• Sense of belonging
• Diverse, stimulating learning environment
• Enables development of friendships
• Enhances self-respect
• Provides peer models

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Inclusion Benefits for All

• Handout
• General Education students
• Opportunity to experience small scale diversity
• Develops appreciation of uniqueness
• Develops respect and empathy towards people with
  disabilities
• Develops sense of ability to make a difference
• Opportunity to put their feet into another
  childs shoes

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Inclusion Benefits for All

• Handout
• Teachers
• Helps appreciate diversity
• Creates awareness of the importance of
  individualized teaching
• Increases creativity
• Develops teamwork skills
• Combats monotony

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Inclusion Benefits for All

• Handout
• Society
• Promotes individual civil rights
• Supports equality
• Teaches socialization and collaborative skills

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Inclusion Concerns

• Concerns of teachers and administrators
• What is my role in the inclusive program?
• How will inclusion impact the students with
  disabilities and without disabilities?
• Will I be given enough time to prepare and plan a
  successful inclusive program?
• Will I receive needed resources?
• Will I be given training to become a successful
  and effective teacher in an inclusion program?

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Inclusion concerns

• Our experience also reveals that far more
  teachers support the concept of inclusion than
  are willing to teach in inclusive classrooms
  (McLeskey)
• Funding concerns

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How to make Inclusion work

• Believe in the philosophy- Figure 4.2 handout-
  Discourses on Teaching and Learning
• Restructure of school system- 4 essential
  components
• Volunteer cooperative/team teaching
• Staff Development
• Planning
• Slow start

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How to Make Inclusion Work

• Strategy
• Figure 6.3 handout Strategies For Adapting
  Curriculum and Instruction
• 9 Types of Adaptations (handout)
• Size
• Time
• Level of Support
• Input
• Difficulty
• Output
• Participation
• Alternate
• Substitute Curriculum

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Sources

• Armstrong, David. Teaching Today 6th Edition.
  Merrill Prentice Hall. Upper
• Saddle River, New Jersey. 2001. pp128-135.
• McLeskey, James. Inclusive Schools in Action.
  Association for Supervision and
• Curriculum Development. Alexandria, Virginia.
  2000. pp 48-56, 80.
• Smith, David. Inclusion Schools for All
  Students. Wadsworth Publishing Co.
• Boston. 1998. pp 13-15, 17,19.
• www.ncpublicschools.org. Inclusion Effective
  Practices Research Brief. 02/08/03.
• www.uni.edu/coe/inclusion/philosophy/benefits.htm
  l. Philosophy Maximizes
• Individual Growth- Builds a Sense of Community.
  02-08-03.

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Sources

• www.uni.edu/coe/inclusion/strategies/inclusive_cla
  ssroom.html. Teaching
• Strategies What Does an Inclusive Classroom
  Look Like? 02-09-03.
• www.uni.edu/coe/inclusion/strategies/types_adaptat
  ion.html. Teaching
• Strategies Nine Types of Adaptations. 02-08-03.