Ameliorating Segregation of Students with Disabilities
Different perspectives on the inclusion of students with special needs in the classroom.
School systems have evolved over the years, becoming more accepting of diversities and ethnicities. Although the progression has reached a socially acceptable stage, more can be done to create a comprehensively inclusive classroom environment. Learning to accept people with differences and treat them with respect is arguably more important than anything that can be learned from a textbook. The school districts must act upon the ample evidence that shows that including diversities, such as children with disabilities, in the classroom is beneficial to everyone. Students with disabilities do not hinder the learning of other students in the classroom, and in fact contribute towards a healthy learning environment.
Segregating Students with disabilities
To begin, statistics have shown that including students with disabilities in a standardized classroom is extremely beneficial for their learning. Segregating students with special needs labels them as being different and does not give them a chance to socialize with other students. Being surrounded by other students in a more social environment boasts many positive outcomes for these students. Dr. Specht says that:
“people in inclusive classrooms tend to have more friends, and are better off academically and feel better about themselves than they do when they’re educated in separate, segregated classrooms.”
This research proves the many ways that children with special needs can benefit from being in an inclusive classroom. Keeping these students isolated only worsens their ability to properly interact with others, due to their lack of experience in a social setting. Moreover, having separate classrooms for students with special needs emphasizes low expectations. This approach “as early as 1980 was universally rejected as ineffective for promoting positive school outcomes and only reinforces low expectations for achievement.” This exemplifies the inferred inferiority and discrimination against students with special needs when placed in separate classrooms.
Lastly, I believe that if a student has an intellectual disability, they should have access to all of their accommodations. A student with autism, Grayson Kahn, was “assigned two educational assistants — one for the morning and another for the afternoon. The approach raised red flags with Ms. Kahn, who says her child does better with one person. The plan fell apart almost instantly.”.Rather than taking the advice of Grayson’s mother, who knows her child’s needs, the school opted for a solution that was more convenient for them. This resulted in a poor school environment for Grayson, who was then later wrongly expelled from his school.
Life After School
Lastly, having an inclusive classroom environment prepares students with disabilities for life after school. When educated in as nurturing environment with able-bodied peers, these students are much more likely to finish post-secondary education and ultimately make more meaningful contributions to society. They also tend to engage with their community, as a result of being more comfortable in a social setting.
The life lessons that are learned through experience, rather than a textbook, should not be underestimated. It is often these integral values that shape a person’s manners, lifestyle, and overall ethics. Morals can theoretically be taught from a textbook, but can only truly be absorbed through experiences. Allowing children with disabilities to learn in the same classroom as everyone else would give students the ability to learn significant values through their experiences in the classroom.
Learning In The Classroom
In terms of the students’ ability to learn in the classroom, having peers with disabilities does not negatively affect the quality or quantity of their learning. In fact, some research “shows that students appear to benefit from having disabled peers. They develop greater appreciation for human diversity and capacity for positive relationships.” Additionally, segregating children with disabilities results in ableism — a type of discrimination that favors able-bodied people. Regardless of the intentions by the school boards, this creates a stigma around children with disabilities. These types of prejudices are not accepted in society as a whole, so why should they be allowed in our schools?
Professor Heidi Janz and Professor Michelle Stack are two university professors from Canada, who wrote, “We must see disability for what it is — a natural part of human experience, rather than something to be feared.”
This is what should be taught in schools, a proper way of treating others, no matter their differences. The school system does not facilitate any other type of discrimination, such as racism or sexism, nor should they facilitate ableism. If students are in the same classroom as their peers with disabilities, it will teach them the proper communicative ethics that they need for their college careers and the rest of their lives. Principal Reem Al Hout says that the benefits include “meaningful friendships, respect, better appreciation and understanding of individual differences, and being prepared for adult life in a diverse society.” Reem Al Hout emphasizes both these social benefits as well as some academic benefits of inclusion in the classroom. There are higher expectations for all students in an inclusive classroom environment, which are often met.
To conclude, the arguments for classroom segregation of students with disabilities pale in comparison to the benefits of inclusion. Our ever-changing society continues to develop, and part of that development process is acknowledging our weaknesses. If we had not acknowledged these flaws in the past, then we would still live in a world where racism was accepted, where women were considered inferior to men, and where many religions and cultures had to be hidden from the public. The school system has always paralleled the attributes of society, and it is past time that including children with disabilities in the classroom must be done. Our society nurtures the acceptance of all forms of disabilities, and schools must do the same.
