Education Is A Fundamental System Essay

Throughout the ages, people with disabilities have been hidden away at homes or institutions and were often not educated. This was common practice and as such, when the education system was designed, children with disabilities were not even considered. Then, starting soon after the civil rights movement in the 50’s, a series of lawsuits was brought against school boards and the federal government took notice. Then the Education for all Handicapped Children Act of 1975 was passed and these children were finally allowed the education they deserved. As time went

Before 1975, children with disabilities were traditionally denied their rights to education. In fact, some states had laws prohibiting children with intellectual disabilities from even going to a normal school. It wasn’t until 1975 that the Education for All Handicapped Children Act was enacted, allowing children with disabilities to go to a normal school. At this point, it turned out that children with disabilities had just as much potential as any other person.

Today’s society is different in its thinking when dealing with people with disabilities. There had to be many changes made in its labeling, and approach when dealing with people who may have physical/mental differences. The ostracize behavior that people were known to disturb in society has changed a great deal, due to the many federal laws that have been put in place to insure the well-being of people that have disabilities. In 1972, one very well-known case is Mill vs Board of Education of the District of Columbia this case address how the constituted rights of students were not being meet by not providing them with a public education.” Many disabled children had been excluded from public education prior to 1975,24 Congress, through the Act, sought initially to set up a process by which states would find children in need of educational services and bring them into the system”(Kotler, p.491,2014).

People with disabilities have long suffered from discrimination and segregation. In the 1880, people with hearing, visual, physical, mental or emotional impairments were sent to be educated in residential institutions or asylums. ("Issues about Change) Parents and family of those with disabilities put pressure on our government and legislation to develop and provide equal access to education by way of mainstreaming or special education. Section 504 of Public Law 93-112 passed in 1973 had far reaching effect on exclusion and discrimination. (Gollnick and Chinn p. 168) This law did for those with disabilities that Title IX did for females and education; it provided access and participation in regular education and extracurricular

Over the course of our country’s history of the education of students with disabilities has evolved and changed. At the beginning at people with disabilities were treated as if they were inferior to everyone else in society and they were devalued. Also, early on in our history individuals with disabilities were discriminated against and had very few rights. In 1954, the case of Brown v. Board of education was making headlines throughout the nation. When Brown won the case it allowed African American students to now be educated with white students. This case would later help change the education of students with disabilities, because it would be used in the argument for integrating and unifying children with disabilities in education with nondisabled

The motivating principle behind IDEA was to ensure an equal opportunity for all children. In order to affect that idea, we have to find a balance between all children’s needs. In 1975, came the passage of the federal Education of All Handicapped Children Act, now revised as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 1990). For handicapped children, the law was long overdue. The designers of IDEA saw themselves as progressive reformers, designing fairer, more responsive schools. The lawmakers were attempting to rectify two historical injustices. First, public schools were not serving many of the country’s eight million handicapped children, with as many as one million children not attending school. Second, a

While perceptions of learning disabilities (LD) may vary according to country, culture, and teachers, it is often necessary to diagnose students in order to receive funding for services. It can be helpful to recognize those learning disabilities that students may have in order to provide extra assistance when necessary. It would be advantageous, too, if wide recognition of LD could take away the stigma that is often present. However, since LD is a multi-faceted topic, labeling often carries a negative connotation and can lead to ostracizing of students. It is beneficial for a student if the classification of a student with LD results in an enhanced educational experience.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a federal education law that ensures students with needs receive a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment. The students of needs are identified by the specific school’s team of educational professionals, who develop an IEP (Individual Educational Plan) that is specially designed to meet the needs of the student, as well as being a tool to assess student progress. With the extent of disabilities, the IDEA does not demand equal results, but requires that students with disabilities merely benefit from their education (Essex, 2016). IDEA focuses on the identified specific needs of the students; and its services are utilized to address these needs.

The provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act will help me know how to properly incorporate students with disabilities into my general education classroom in multiple ways. In 2013, “more than 60 percent of students ages 6 through 21 served under IDEA were educated inside the regular class 80% or more of the day;” therefore it is essential that I understand how to positively and effectively include students with disabilities in my classroom (US Department of Education, 2015). IDEA helps me to understand how and why all children need to be included in the classroom. It helps me understand that all children are entitled to a free appropriate public education and that instruction should be delivered in the best way possible

Postsecondary education offers students with intellectual disabilities more than simply the routine of attending class or even learning the content provided through a course. Although both of these elements are significant, there is a bigger picture that concentrates less on which classes these students take and more on the potential outcomes a

Some disabled children were categorically denied education access by state statutes (Office of Special Education Programs, 2000). After IDEA became law, public school enrollment of disabled students dramatically increased (National Center for Education Statistics, 2017). Approximately 80% of students with IEPs now attend school in their neighborhoods and approximately 66 percent spend the majority of their class days integrated into general education classes (National Center for Education Statistics, 2017). Since IDEA, college admission of students with disabilities has tripled and post-high school employment has increased twofold (National Center for Learning Disabilities, 2014, Office of Special Education Programs, 2000). But gaps in related service delivery, scholastic achievement, graduation, and post-graduation employment remain, especially for children who are racially or socially disadvantaged (James, 2017, Samuels, 2015). If an IEP is not fully executed, or only partially executed, a student’s learning and educational achievements can be negatively impacted. They can become more susceptible to school disciplinary infractions, and their risk of dropout or failure to graduate increases (James, 2017, National Center for Learning Disabilities, 2014). Commonly, poorer school districts cite funding or

The idea of children with disabilities, whether they be mild or severe has been a very controversial and misunderstood topic. In the past inclusion has brought about huge changes for not only the students, but also the parents and families of these children, and staff at schools. Teachers and education professionals were the first to really feel the wrath and intimidation of this dramatic shift in education. There were several different factors that were coming about that made it very difficult for schools and teachers, the unorganized mandates were strict and didn’t allow much time for change. “President Gerald Ford signed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) into law in 1975. Since the original passage of the EAHCA, the law has been amended four times and renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)” (Conroy, Yell, Katsiyannis, & Collins, 2010, para.1).

Special education has faced many changes during the last century. During this time there have been many opinions on the way students with differences should be taught and treated. This paper will discuss the history of special education during the twentieth century. We will also discuss the laws associated with Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Finally we will discuss the current and future challenges that the laws have on special education.

As a first semester graduate student, the work assigned in the classroom has changed my viewpoint of special education. As a teacher, I seek to provide an equal opportunity for each student, so that they may learn at their own pace. The material in the textbook has developed my understanding of equality, by showing how laws work to protect individuals with disabilities. According to Evolving Interpretations of Educational Equity and Students with Disabilities “Another core element of equality of opportunity is the full integration or inclusion of persons with disabilities into all those activities and policies designed for persons without disabilities” (268). This article has shown me that equality goes beyond promoting a fair and just environment, but it is caring about the student’s needs

According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, students with disabilities should be placed in a “least restrictive environment.” One of the main ideas of this act was to improve the learning experiences of students with disabilities by giving them learning opportunities outside of a special education classroom. The number of students with disabilities being placed in their general education classrooms is increasing more and more each year. The U.S Department of Education’s 27th annual report to Congress on the implementation of The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2005) indicates that the number of students with disabilities in general education classrooms has risen to almost 50 percent. This is about a 17 percent increase from the 1997 U.S