CB> Reposted with the permission of the American Federation of Teachers
CB> Today's guest columnist is Romy Wyllie, an interior designer in 
CB> Pasadena,
CB> California, who is writing a book about bringing up a son with Down 
CB> syndrome.
CB> The new term, INCLUSION, sounds democratic and forward-thinking, but 
CB> does 
CB> it
CB> really address the needs of the children? Administrators, lawyers, 
CB> and
CB> parents can dream of a perfect world where every disabled child is 
CB> accepted
CB> by  peers in a mainstream class.  But policies are too often based on
CB> generalizations developed by professionals who are out of touch with 
CB> the
CB> reality of the classroom situation.
    Not only out of touch with the peer-acceptance question, but out of touch 
with how a classroom teacher can be expected to handle _severely_ handicapped 
kids and still not compromise everyone else's right to learn.
    When I was a K-12 student, I had classmates who had major disabilities 
but were totally self-sufficient in the classroom (artificial arm, hearing 
aids), and they both got along fine with the other kids and were 
self-sufficient in both the classroom and such activities as going to the 
john.
    But I've talked to teachers stuck with "mainstreamed" kids who are _not_ 
self-sufficient, some with kids who aren't even toilet-trained or with kids 
who routinely assault teachers in class.  And while mainstreaming works for 
the artificial-arm kid, it's not appropriate for the kid who's "assaultive"!
CB> students?  What do regular students, already struggling with their 
CB> own
CB> learning, gain from the presence of an emotionally disturbed or 
CB> mentally^
CB> retarded student who has a fit, throws a tantrum, or attacks a 
CB> classmate?
    It's a disaster, according to New Jersey teachers I've heard from.
CB> The concept of inclusion is deceptive because it helps parents 
CB> believe 
CB> their
CB> child is being normalized.
    Which is as impossible as making me an Olympic athlete.
   
CB> inclusion is
CB> creating a nightmare for the teachers and is harming both regular and 
CB> special
CB> students.
    The experience New Jersey teachers have with _grossly_ inappropriate 
students being mainstreamed.
--- Simplex BBS (v1.07.00Beta [DOS])
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