OLD RULE / NEW RULE SPECIAL EDUCATION Caitlin Bank EDU6655 Saturday December 7, 2013

Rationale: The progression of Special Education. OLD: All students learn at the same rate as their same age peers The curriculum is the same for all students Students with disabilities did not deserve or require an education. **In many cases, institutionalization. NEW: Special education is a “service for children rather than a place where such children are sent.” - Wrightslaw

Approximately 93 million children – or 1 in 20 of those aged 14 or younger – live with a moderate or severe disability of some kind – UNICEF http://sharryknowsit.blogspot.com/2011/04/disabilities-manifestations.html

Abandoned – EXCLUDED - INVISIBLE Across the world, many children with disabilities are excluded from school, hidden by their families and abandoned by their governments. Deleted “to be valued and full participants in society” http://www.disabilityrightsintl.org/learn-about-the-worldwide-campaign-to-end-the-institutionalization-of-children/

The past: Excluding students with disabilities from public education solely due to poor academic ability - 1893 Massachusetts Supreme Court Special needs students were highly segregated and had no rights for receiving an appropriate education. http://www.jantoo.com/cartoons/lowres/103/10300384_low.jpg

So if they are excluded, where did they go? Institutionalizations. Reasons: Provide care and services to children. Negative Effects: Separation of children with disabilities from their families and communities, and their isolation from society. Prior to IDEA, over 4 million children with disabilities were denied appropriate access to public education.

Special education significant events in history Nov. 29, 1975: Education for All Handicapped Children Act, AKA - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 1954: Brown v. Board of Education 1990: IDEA amendments 2004: IDEA amendments 1973: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act 1982: Board of Education of Hendrick Hudson Central School District v. Rowley 1997: IDEA amendments

Integration vs. Inclusion INTEGRATION: children with disabilities are to be brought into a pre-existing framework of prevailing norms and standards. For example, admitting children with disabilities to ‘regular’ schools. INCLUSION: schools are designed and run so that all children can experience quality learning and recreation together. Providing accommodations that allow equal opportunity to learn. http://www.michiganallianceforfamilies.org/education/inclusion/

LRE The law requires that every student with a disability be educated in the least restrictive environment (“LRE”) http://edts523naz.wikispaces.com/Inclusion+in+Classrooms MEANING: to the maximum extent possible, a child with a disability should be educated with non-disabled peers. A student with a disability is entitled to receive the extra academic or behavioral support. A student with a disability should only be removed from the general education environment when his or her disability is so severe that the child cannot progress, even with the help of aides and services, in a general education setting. http://www.advocatesforchildren.org/sites/default/files/library/guide_to_special_ed.pdf?pt=1

Stages of Inclusion THE FIRST STAGE: desegregating students with special needs; basically, getting them into the general education classrooms. THE SECOND STAGE: developing practices to support children with special needs in the general education classrooms. THE THIRD STAGE: focuses on "what" a student is taught and "how" the teaching is accomplished.

Inclusion: every student can experience success A culture in which students with a variety of learning styles and needs can succeed.  Teachers focus on each student’s strengths and abilities. Accommodations are provided.  Some of the most effective solutions can be found in general classroom instructional strategies. EX: A teaching emphasis that addresses multiple learning styles (i.e., Gardner’s theory of Multiple Intelligences) That is, adjusting classroom environment and instructional strategies to assist all students.

Positives for Students with disabilities Friendships - Increased social initiations, relationships and networks Peer role models for academic, social and behavior skills Increased achievement of  IEP goals Greater access to general curriculum Enhanced skill acquisition and generalization Increased inclusion in future environments Greater opportunities for interactions Higher expectations Increased school staff collaboration Increased parent participation Families are more integrated into community ("Benefits of Inclusive Education")

Positives for typically developing students The traditional belief was that disabled students hindered the success of non-disabled students. The opposite, is true. The extra time necessary to assist all children learn actually encourages all students to work harder (“Mainstreaming”). Students in inclusive classrooms consistently do better academically than those in non- inclusive classrooms (Sharpe). Meaningful friendships Increased appreciation and acceptance of individual differences Increased understanding and acceptance of diversity Respect for all people Prepares all students for adult life in an inclusive society Opportunities to master activities by practicing and teaching others Greater academic outcomes All students needs are better met, greater resources for everyone ("Benefits of Inclusive Education")

(U.S. Department of Education, 2006). Statistics Reports to Congress show: Close to 95 percent of students with disabilities are being educated in local general education schools 75 percent receive either full inclusion or a combination of inclusive and pull-out resource- room services (U.S. Department of Education, 2006).

Future Support http://edts523naz.wikispaces.com/Inclusion+in+Classrooms When it comes to factors that have influenced their perceptions, one area is the lack of appropriate training for working with children with special needs.

Cooperative learning projects Peer tutors Recommendations Collaboration Differentiation Cooperative learning projects Peer tutors http://edts523naz.wikispaces.com/Inclusion+in+Classrooms

Recommendations Instructions for any class activity should be delivered in various ways. For example, oral instructions must be accompanied with graphic organizers. The students should also repeat these instructions to guarantee comprehension. Tasks should be modified, and shortened when necessary, to ensure that students can complete the tasks. The tasks should also be multi-sensory to accommodate different learning styles.

Citations/Resources: "Benefits of Inclusive Education." Kids Together, Inc.. Kids Together, Inc, 29 Jun 2010. Web. 25 Nov 2013. <http://www.kidstogether.org/inclusion/benefitsofinclusion.htm>. Bunch, G. (March 2005). 10 keys to successful inclusion. Marsha Forest Centre, Retrieved from http://www.marshaforest.com/tenkeys.pdf Disability Rights International, . "Join our Worldwide Campaign to End the Institutionalization of Children!." Disability Rights International. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Nov 2013. <http://www.disabilityrightsintl.org/learn-about- the-worldwide-campaign-to-end-the-institutionalization-of-children/>. Esteves, Kelli J., and Shaila Rao. " The Evolution of Special Education - Retracing legal milestones in American history. ." Web Exclusive: Principal. November/December 2008: 103. Web. 25 Nov. 2013. <http://www.naesp.org/resources/1/Principal/2008/N-Oweb2.pdf>. Sharpe, Wesley. “Special Education Inclusion: Making it Work.” 24 Jan. 2001. 1 Dec. 2001 <http://www.education-world.com/a_curr/curr320.shtml>. National Council on Disability, . "Inclusionary Education for Students with Disabilities: Keeping the Promise." National Council on Disability. N.p., 30 Dec 1994. Web. 25 Nov 2013. <http://www.ncd.gov/publications/1994/Dec1994>. UNICEF, . THE STATE OF THE WORLD’S CHILDREN 2013 - Children with Disabilities. New York, NY: © United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), 2013. 1-22. Web. <http://www.unicef.org/sowc2013/files/SWCR2013_ENG_Lo_res_24_Apr_2013.pdf>. U.S. Department of Education, OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. (2007). History twenty-five years of progress in educating children with disabilities through idea. Retrieved from website: http://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/leg/idea/history.html

Images – In the order they appear in the presentation http://sharryknowsit.blogspot.com/2011/04/disabilities- manifestations.html http://www.disabilityrightsintl.org/learn-about-the-worldwide- campaign-to-end-the-institutionalization-of-children/ http://www.jantoo.com/cartoons/lowres/103/10300384_low.jpg http://www.wcl.american.edu/hrbrief/09/1mental.cfm http://www.michiganallianceforfamilies.org/education/inclusion/ http://edts523naz.wikispaces.com/Inclusion+in+Classrooms