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The Impact Of Special Education On Children With Disabilities

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For over a decade, researchers, policy writers, parents, and teachers have reviewed changing the main delivery of special education services, using such terms as “mainstreaming,” “integration,” “regular education initiative,” and “inclusion” (Villa et al., 2002). It said that Australia began to integrate students with disabilities into mainstream classrooms in the 1970s after many years of educating students with disabilities in segregated settings, such as special education units. This change in practice was in response to: research findings about the effectiveness of special education settings, and a shift in attitudes in the Western world towards how people with disabilities should be educated. This area has been selected as the focus because the rights and equality of all students is important if all students are to reach their full potential and be successful.
It is suggested throughout the literature that a significant influence in the changing of attitudes was the introduction of the notion of normalisation, that is, the right of people with disabilities to learning and living environments as close to normal as possible (Bank-Mikkelson, 1969 and Nirje, 1970). Wolfensberger (1970) wrote much research on the subject of inclusive education and inclusive practice in schools. He suggested the term social role valorisation as a way for individuals to emphasise the right of all students in schools to be valued as equals, and to have the opportunity to contribute

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