Examiner Staff Writer
Students with disabilities achieve more in life when they are taught in regular classrooms where the expectations are higher, education experts say.
“Whether you look at a measure of academic achievement or social integration, the general research shows that children with disabilities are better off when they are not in segregated settings,” said Elaine Fine, a professor in the College of Education and Human Services at Montclair State University in Montclair, N.J. “I have a friend who has a child with a cognitive disability that?s mild to severe, and she can?t add four plus four. Those things could be extinguished in general education classes for those withmild to moderate disabilities.”
Data from the National Center for Education Statistics in Washington showed that the percentage of special education students taught in regular classrooms has increased slightly.
In the 2004-05 school year, 52 percent of students with disabilities were taught in a regular classroom most of the school day. In the 2005-06 school year, 54.2 percent of special education students were in regular classrooms.
Not all special education students are best served in regular education classes, Fine said.
“My belief is those children who have severe disabilities might need the segregated environment,” she said.
To ensure a smooth transition for special education students, regular education students should be taught how to respond to students with disabilities, said Ellen Sabin, author of “The Autism Acceptance Book: Being a Friend to Someone with Autism.”
“It?s important to teach typical kids to respond in a friendly manner to their peers with special needs,” said Sabin, who offers teachers tips on her Web site at www.wateringcanpress.com.
Students with disabilities need the same preparation that regular education students receive before entering the technological work force, said Rebecca Cook, director of the National Center for Disability and Training at Oklahoma University.
“Jobs are changing so much, and we have to make sure that youth with disabilities are also learning science and math,” she said.
FEDERAL REQUIREMENT
The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act requires public schools to make available to all eligible children with disabilities a free public education in the least restrictive environment.
The “least restrictive environment” is determined by school officials and parents on a case-by-case basis to ensure that a student?s special education needs are being met while allowing the student the maximum possible exposure to students without disabilities and the general education curriculum.
Source: U.S. Department of Education
