“We all want to be accepted, regardless of what we might look like, or how tall we are, or whether we excel or do not excel at sports or science or history, etc,” teacher assistant James Eicher said. “We all have gifts and shortcomings.”
There has been great debate for many years whether special education students should be included in regular education classes. In the late 1800s, the trend throughout schools was that special education students needed to be placed in separate systems because those classrooms were the only place they could thrive. This mentality did not change until the mid-1920s when people began to see the value of education to students with disabilities.
Eicher began teaching in a public school over 40 years ago with children who were “mentally and emotionally disturbed,” but now works as a teacher assistant at Northwood.
“We had a ‘special classroom:’ no windows, completely isolated,” said Eicher of special education instruction at the start of his career. “Exclusion was the standard, whether in separate schools or just physically separated from the ‘normal’ kids. We ate segregated lunches, and on the rare occasion when we left the classroom, we had to wait until the halls were clear.”
Being separated from peers and discriminated against can have a negative effect on the student in many aspects.
“It looked and felt like a place to keep children out of sight and out of mind,” Eicher said. “The children knew this, and its effect on them was sadly debilitating. They knew they were not the same; none of us are the same in every way, or perfect in any way, and not being accepted or included is a terrible kind of loneliness and hopelessness that is hard to imagine.”
Inclusion works by having one teacher assistant per special education student or several students placed in regular education classes together. The teacher assistant works together with the students and lead teacher to provide support, assistance and advice for the student in the class.
Jacqueline Sculli works as an EC teacher at Northwood and thinks inclusion has changed in a positive way.
“Inclusion has opened people’s eyes to, ‘Oh, that kid is really smart; they do know what they’re doing,’” Sculli said. “They’re given that chance to be normal. People see other students who may have a disability and say ‘Oh, they are like me; they just learn differently.’ It’s all about the playing field; they may not be at the same level, but they’ll get there at some point.”
Eicher believes that including special education students has benefits.
“The goal of education should be to create a love of learning by encouraging curiosity, questions and discovery, and then nurturing that in a direction based on interest so that children can mature into happy, confident, productive adults, doing what they do best and love to do,” Eicher said. “We are not all going to be scientists or accountants. ‘No child left behind’ should be ‘No child left discouraged.’ Square pegs still don’t fit into round holes, and we as educators must be very careful about what and how much we trim in order to make them fit.”
A study from 2012 published in Disability Scoop was carried out to question if the practice really does lead to positive outcomes or not. The researchers found 500 autistic students who were included in general education classrooms 75 to 100 percent of their time, there were no more likely to finish high school and further their education. The research found no indication that whether students are included or not improves outcomes.
Others believe adding the students will put more stress on the teacher and potentially affect the learning environment.
In 1975, the U.S. Congress Public Law 94-142 was passed. It was originally titled Education for All Handicapped Children Act (P.L. 94-142), but was amended and renamed Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 1991. The law states that in order for states to receive federal funds, they must create and implement policies to assure appropriate education to every child with disabilities. Dr. Jennifer Diliberto works as a professor at UNC School of Education.
“The passing on Public Law 94-142 changed life for students with disabilities,” Diliberto said in an email. “The more we learn, the better we can serve students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment (this is a mandate of IDEA).”
Eicher feels that in many cases, including the special education students has allowed them to feel connected with their peers and improve their overall life.
“Discovering that you can do something that you thought was too difficult or impossible is what drives us all to new levels of confidence and discovery,” Eicher said. “Students compare and challenge each other and identify as part of the whole classroom. I think it is our nature that drives us to compete, and competition some how unites us as part of a group or team that includes us.”
– By Skyler Waugh