Inclusion Essays (1297 words) - Segregation, Special Education

Inclusion Inclusion Topic: Inclusion in general education General purpose: To inform Specific purpose: To inform the audience of the aspects of inclusion of disabled students it general education classrooms Thesis: Inclusion is the process by which children and youth with disabilities participate in the same general education classrooms that they would attend if they did not have a disability (usf.edu) Introduction: I. Attention-getting device: According to Deborah Smith of Vanderbilt University, inclusion is a movement that seeks to create schools and other social institutions based on meeting the needs of all learners as well as respecting and learning from each other's differences. The inclusion movement has focused on individuals with disabilities, but it is designed to alter the philosophy for educating all students. Inclusion will inevitably effect each of us in some way, either as a student or as a parent to either a student with a disability or without a disability. You or your children will at some point be learning side by side with a disabled student as long as inclusion is found to be the best learning environment for all students with and without disabilities (Smith 29). II. Thesis: Inclusion is the process by which children and youth with disabilities participate in the same general education classrooms that they would attend if they did not have a disability (usf.edu). III. Preview: Today I am going to discuss how inclusion in general education is defined, then I will introduce some of the problems that inclusion has attempted to rectify in education, and finally I will address the areas in which inclusion affects the community. [Transition: First I will discuss inclusion in general education is defined along with some of the philosophy inclusion encompassed.] Body: I. According to Bob Friedman, the director of the University of South Florida's Department of Child and Family Studies, inclusion in general education involves including every student regardless of disability in a general classroom environment (Freidman). A. Inclusion means a climate of acceptance is created, no one is rejected or locked out (Horton). 1. The disabled students are accepted not only by the teachers but also by their peers in the classroom. 2. The disabled students are included in all extracurricular activities as well as classroom activities. B. According to Kelly Horton, the former director of Special Education in Sullivan County, inclusion focuses on everyone's abilities and possibilities, and disregards any disabilities or limitations (Horton). 1. Each person's skills are acknowledged. 2. It is pointed out that no one has to be good at everything. [Transition: Now that I have given you a working definition and some philosophy behind inclusion in the classroom, let's move on to some of the problems inclusion is looking to resolve.] II. Inclusion is characterized by an attitude of problem solving. A. The implementation of an inclusive classroom looks to solve some of the financial problems currently facing our education system. 1. The Department of Education included in its 20th Annual Report to Congress that the current emphasis on inclusion reflects a concern about the increasing costs of special education services in a time of budget austerity (Department of Education). a. Including the disabled students in the general education classroom with their peers would cut these costs. b. Inclusion would also help reduce the need for maintaining a parallel educational structure to meet the needs of the disabled students. 2. The data used by the Department of Education suggests that the per pupil special education expenditures have grown at about twice the rate of general education expenditures. B. Another problem that inclusion addresses is the fact that many of the youth with disabilities do not leave school with the necessary knowledge and social skills to fulfill adult roles (Department of Education). 1. According to the Department of Education, less than 25% of the youth with disabilities currently enroll in post-secondary education (Department of Education). 2. Inclusion allows disabled students more interactions with their non-disabled peers, thus instilling in them many of the social skills needed in the adult world. C. Inclusion also engages a concern about the rapid and steady rise in the number of students identified as eligible for special education. 1. This increase in students served in special education programs encourages more inclusive environments by taxing the capacity of special education settings (Department of Education,). 2. The percentage of students ages 6 through 17 receiving special education services