Inclusion For Inclusive Education

Everyone is going through a battle that we may not be able to see; however, “American society [is often] unaware or indifferent to the plight of people with disabilities” (Davis, 2013, p. 486). Ableism is one of the most ignored areas of social justice in America. Through my own experiences, I learned that the educational system in particular is not a very knowledgeable, or flexible environment in giving accommodations for students with disabilities. Those who are able-bodied, and do not have invisible disabilities, easily fit the paradigm of an able student in society, i.e., being able to walk to every building, climb stairs to get to class, complete assignments in the allotted time, etc. Our society has socially constructed disability

Students use basic skills every day from looking at the clock to tell the time to handling money when paying and making change. Students who have jobs need to

Inclusive practice is about adapting what is being delivered to make learning accessible to everyone regardless of ability, special education need (SEN) or any other barrier that might exist. When planning to meet the needs of everyone in the group it is essential that the teacher has as much information about everyone as possible. (The City and Guilds textbook level 3 Award in Education and Training). Features of inclusive teaching and learning starts with knowing which learning styles your learners prefer, to do this you can use VARK (visual, aural, read/write and kinetic) test which was designed by Neil Fleming to help learners and teachers know what learning methods they are best suited to e.g. in the first lesson my tutor asked for us

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

In 1993 a woman by the name of Dee Begg filed a lawsuit against the school district office of Baltimore County, Maryland. She wanted her son Sean, a developmentally challenged eight-year-old boy suffering from Trisomy 21, also known as Down syndrome, to be able to attend a public school with normal children. Down Syndrome is a genetic condition in which a person is born with forty-seven chromosomes instead of the usual forty-six causing both physical and mental handicaps. Children suffering from Down syndrome will often have a smaller than usual and abnormally shaped head. An abnormally large forehead, with their eyes slanting upward, small ears and mouth are just a few of the telltale signs. Children suffering from this disorder

Education is something that all children should receive, but because some have been diagnosed with disabilities, they did not receive it in the past. Long ago the public school system could exclude students with disabilities from public schools. But, the public school system did open their arms to allow these students to go to school. This was only due to one of the most important court cases in our history,

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).

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

Federal special education Acts have progressed over time to insure that all children, including those with disabilities, have equal access to education. (Hardman & Dawson, 2008, p. 5) The factors that led to these important federal Acts are varied, but the civil rights movement played a role in ensuring that there were equal education opportunities for all children (Gargiulo, 2015, p. 42) (Hardman & Dawson, 2008).

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).

Every child should have the right to an education regardless of the circumstance. School’s should not choose who gets to learn and who does not. “It has always been our students who lose out--it is always the kids with disabilities who are thrown under the bus first” (Meeting the Needs Of Students With Disabilities, 2017).

For most of our nation's history, children with special needs or disabilities were shunted aside. In spite of mandated education laws that had been in place since 1918, many students were denied education and

In my opinion the education departments are not doing enough to encourage schools and explain to the teachers the benefits of inclusion to both the children with disabilities and the rest of the students (Ashman & Elkins, 2009). Children are our future and it is important that through inclusion they learn to understand that differences make us who we are. I think it also further teachers the message to booth the children and the rest of the community that of social justice which says just because your different doesn’t mean you don’t deserve fair treatment (Ashman & Elkins, 2009).

For years children with special needs were ushered off to separate classes and schools. Children with special needs have the right to attend classes with their same aged peers in the same classroom with support. Students with special needs deserve the same opportunities they would have if circumstances were different. Inclusion gives those students with special needs the chance to be part of the community; able to form relationships outside of the family unit. All students benefit from inclusion; students with disabilities develop social skills and develop friendships while non-disabled students learn tolerance and acceptance.

Inclusion is catering for every child’s needs, spiritually, academically, and individual situations. It is valuing and considering all individuals and giving them equal opportunities. Making every individual feel included within themselves and also groups. All children want to feel like they belong. It is to endorse the impression that everyone should be freely and happily accommodated without limitations or restrictions of any kind. So why is inclusion important in diverse classrooms?