Stacy Kukharets 1

Stacy Kukharets
Mr. Mills
AP English IV
14 October 2016
Inclusion of Special Needs Students Outline
Thesis: The inclusion of special need students in regular classrooms may have benefits
but is not beneficial to the special need students, the non-disabled students, and
teachers.
I.

Introduction

II.

Federal Law Concerning Individuals with Special Needs

a. Education for All Handicapped Children Act
b. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act

III.

Advantages of Inclusion for students

a. Allows special needs students to be in a more natural environment
b. Greater access to general curriculum
c. Increased social initiations, relationships and networks

IV.

Disadvantages of Inclusion for students

a. Disabled children feel uncomfortable in regular classes

b. General education classroom is not individualized
c. Special education services not being given to students that need it
V.

Conclusion

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Stacy Kukharets
Mr. Mills
AP English IV
12 October 2016
Inclusion of Special Needs Students in Regular Classrooms

Inclusion in general education classrooms is one of the prevalent controversies

that educational institutes encounter today. Inclusion represents the belief or
philosophy that students with disabilities should be integrated into the general education
classroom whether or not they can meet traditional curricular standards (Friend and
Bursuck /4). The word inclusion encapsulates an in-depth societal philosophy. Inclusion
gives students with certain disabilities a chance to learn together with other students
that do not have any special needs or disabilities in common educational classes.
Inclusion is a technique used in schools of instructing students that have special
educational needs and disabilities. In the ideology of inclusion in education, students
that have special needs and certain disabilities spend most if not all of their time with
students with their non-disabled peers. Inclusion discards the practice of separating
students with special needs from students that do not have any disabilities in special
schools and classrooms.

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The Education for All Handicapped Children Act was ratified by the congress in
1975. This act mandated that all public schools accepting federal funds to offer equal
access to education and one free meal a day for children with physical and mental
disabilities (Inclusion: the Pros and Cons). Public schools are obligated to examine
special needs children and produce an educational plan with guardian contribution that
would imitate the educational capability of students that are not disabled (EHAEducation for All Handicapped Children Act). The act also mandated that schools offer
administrative actions so that guardians of the special needs children could discuss the
choices made about the education of their children. The EAHC includes an
establishment that special need students should be required to be put in general
classrooms that permits the chance to collaborate with their non-disabled peers (The
Education for All Handicapped Children Act, 1975). Under the EAHC act, separating
students with disabilities can only happen when the educational goals cannot be
attained in the general classroom because of the severity or the nature of the disability
the student has(Input from legislation and litigation). The Education for All
Handicapped Children Act was primarily passed for three major motives. First,
guarantee that special education services are accessible to children who need them.
Promise that the decisions made about special need students are just and appropriate.

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Also to offer federal funds to help states with educating the special need students(Input
from Legislation and Litigation).
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is an American legislation
that guarantees students with special needs and disabilities are given Free Appropriate
Public Education (FAPE) that is designed to the necessities of the individual
(Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)). IDEA was formerly acknowledged
as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) from 1975 to 1990. In
1990, the United States Congress revised the EACH act and altered the name to IDEA.
Generally, the objective of IDEA is to offer children with special needs and disabilities
equal educational opportunities as other students who do not have disabilities (Input
from Legislation and Litigation). IDEA includes four parts, part A contains the common
requirements of the law, part B contains support for education of all individuals with
special needs, part C includes infants and toddlers that are special needs which
comprises children from birth to age three, and part D, which is the nationwide funding
programs managed at the federal level (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA)). The IDEA not only provides individualized education programs and free public
education for children with mental and physical disabilities but also provides Least
Restrictive Environment (LRE), appropriate evaluation, guardian and teacher
contribution, and practical protections (How IDEA Protects You and Your Child).

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There are many different disadvantages of having inclusive classrooms with

students that have disabilities. Inclusive classrooms Inclusion increases frustration with
students who have special needs and disabilities because they may sense completion
with the regular education students (Inclusion: Why Does it Not Suit the Educational
Needs of All). Also, some special need students have not fully developed behavior
skills and may cause to be a distraction to other students because of their disruptive
behavior. More students are being added to classrooms and there are very limited
resources among the students (Inclusion: Why Does it Not Suit the Educational Needs
of All). Also, students with special needs and disabilities are on a different educational
level so it will be challenging for them to keep up with the curriculum. Dr. Vicky Landolf,
a special education teacher at Clyde A Erwin Middle School stated, The only special
needs students that can be considered to be placed in a regular classrooms are those
that are high functioning. There will not be enough time in the school day for teachers
to review concepts for students that learn at a slower pace that their classmates (Early
Childhood and the Inclusive Classroom). Public schools occasionally are not capable
of offering the specialized education essential for children with special needs,
particularly those who have severe language and behavior disorders (Including
Children with Special Needs in Regular Classrooms: Pros & Cons). It is impractical to

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assume that general education teachers have the precise preparation mandatory to
teach the students with disabilities. The general education teachers frequently lack the
training and the resources needed to adequately educate the special needs students
(Including Children with Special Needs in Regular Classrooms: Pros & Cons). There is
not enough time to give the special needs child the one on one time that they may need
to learn the curriculum. Their necessities would be better assisted in smaller classrooms
with other students that are similar (Early Childhood and the Inclusive Classroom).
There is a vast academic range within the inclusive classroom for the curriculum to be
taught just be taught adequately by one teacher. Having students with special needs
and disabilities in the general education classroom can cause difficulties when the
regular education students cannot accept that they will be sharing a classroom with
students with special needs and disabilities. They may see the students with special
needs and disabilities as easy targets and focus start to harass, name-call, and tease
them (Bullying and Harassment of Students with Disabilities). This adds pressure and
anxiety for the students with special needs and disabilities, and finding a solution in the
inclusion method has been so far ineffective (Inclusion: Why Does it Not Suit the
Educational Needs of All). Some of the students with disabilities may feel
uncomfortable being in a classroom with regular education students because they will
be in the minority and may feel singled out. Students with special needs may not work

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at the same pace as their non-disability peers and they can feel like they are not as
intellectual as other students in their class. This can really lower their self-esteem
(Inclusion: Why Does it Not Suit the Educational Needs of All). The regular educated
students see the students with special needs as different and start labeling them. Also,
the students with special needs may be bullied for their disabilities from their
classmates.
Current studies have established that there are numerous beneficial effects of
inclusion education for students with special needs and disabilities when these students
are put into general education classrooms (Special Education Inclusion, 2001). One of
the most noticeable benefits of inclusion is that students with special needs and
disabilities can be combined socially with their peers (Inclusion for Special Education
Students: Advantages and Benefits). They can make long-term relationships with
students that are from different backgrounds which builds respect for diversity and a
hospitable environment for everyone (Special Education Inclusion). They are able to
develop friendships with their same age peers, which leads to greater acceptance by
their peers in and out of the school community. The regular education students become
conscious of the person first and concern for labeling fades (Wood 20).

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Integrating special needs students with non-disabled students can help those students
become more aware and more sensitive to individuals that are different than
them(Inclusion for Special Education Students: Advantages and Benefits). The
non-disabled peers are able to act as role models to help them with their social skills
through their collaborations with each other, whereas in their standardized classroom,
the only role models would be students with special needs and disabilities who might
lack the social skills that they have (Inclusion for Special Education Students:
Advantages and Benefits). This is particularly accurate for special need students that
have severe disabilities who would need to be placed in a location with other special
need students who do not have much social interaction (Inclusion for Special
Education Students: Advantages and Benefits). By learning in an inclusive classroom,
they are open to non-disabled students interacting in a customary social manner. This
can help enlighten some students with disabilities how to interact and have relationships
with other individuals that do not have disabilities (Benefits of Inclusion). Also, the
inclusion of special needs students in regular classrooms can help the students with
disabilities feel like they are a part of the community and can enhance their real world
experience (Together We Learn Better: Inclusive Schools Benefit All Children).
Inclusive classrooms can often help special needs students in the future. By learning

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how to socialize and build relationships with their non-disabled peers, special need
students are more prepared to go into the workforce and into the real w
orld.
Students w
ith special needs and disabilities can also benefit academically in an
inclusion setting. Research shows that when students with special needs and
disabilities are put into inclusive classrooms have more involved instructional time, and
have better exposure to academic activities (Salend). When inclusion is practiced in
schools the general education teacher and special education teacher frequently join
forces to educate and administer the class (Rosen). This procedure is known as
collaborative team teaching. When there are two teachers directing the classroom, it is
more beneficial for students to request and acquire assistance ( Rosen).
Within the previous years and an immense debate has arisen concerning the
most suitable environment to make available for students that have special needs and
disabilities. Even though the transformation in the educational setting is substantial for
students with disabilities the ideas involving inclusion bring up different concerns for the
students with disabilities and the students without disabilities, as well as teachers.
There are numerous advantages and disadvantages of the inclusion of special need
students in general education classrooms, but the severity of the disadvantages seem
to outweigh the advantages.

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Resources
"Benefits of Inclusive Education." Benefits of Inclusive Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 17
Nov. 2016.http://www.kidstogether.org/inclusion/benefitsofinclusion.htm
"Concerns About and Arguments Against Inclusion And/or Full Inclusion." Concerns
About and Arguments Against Inclusion And/or Full Inclusion - Issues ...about
Change, Inclusion: The Pros and Cons, Volume 4, Number 3. N.p., n.d. Web. 16
Nov. 2016.http://www.sedl.org/change/issues/issues43/concerns.html
"Cons of Inclusion Education." Share and Discover Knowledge on LinkedIn SlideShare.
N.p., 01 Mar. 2009. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.
http://www.slideshare.net/DAR/cons-of-inclusion-education
"Disadvantages." Disadvantages. N.p., 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 17 Nov. 2016.
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http://www.specialednews.com/special-education-dictionary/eha---education-forall-handicapped-children-act.htm
Friend, M., & Bursuck, W. (1999). Including students with special needs. A practical
guide for classroom teachers. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Company.
How IDEA Protects You and Your Child." Understood.org. N.p., 11 Apr. 2014. Web. 17
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Landolf, Vicki. "Inclusion of Special Needs Students." Personal interview. 10 Nov. 2016.

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"News For Parents.org - Inclusion Pros and Cons." News For Parents.org - Inclusion
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