Students with disabilities should be integrated into regular classrooms. Integration is important for building community, understanding differences, and social justice. However, the components necessary to make integration successful are often absent from the schooling environment. There is a serious lack of funding available for equipment, building upgrades and staff training (Sklaroff, 1994; Skrtic, 1991; Fox & Ysseldyke, 1997). Also, ensuring the individualized and differentiated education that students with special needs require is difficult given large class sizes and the various, competing demands of every person in the class.
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Having a student with exceptional needs participate in a regular educational program often requires modifications and accommodations. While there is special funding for adaptive equipment, it does not adequately cover everything a student may need for success. If a family cannot financially provide their own tools, students must share limited resources or simply go without. Public buildings are required, by law, to meet only the basic physical mobility needs of persons with disabilities. Additional retrofitting or upgrades to aging classrooms and facilities is not within the means of the average school budget. The lack of appropriate funding to support integration is also seen in human resources. Educational Assistants are hired and specially trained to support both students with special needs and their teachers. However, budget constraints limit the number of qualified EA’s available for support. Students who desperately need the individualized and focused attention must share support or manage without extra help. The success of students with exceptional needs in regular educational programs depends on appropriate financing for modifications and accommodations.
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Exceptional students would also find greater success in mainstream programs if class sizes were not so big. Differentiated and individualized education becomes increasingly unattainable as more and more students are placed into single classrooms. It is often up to one teacher, with general pre-service training in special needs (Moran, 2015; Mader, 2017; Rosenzweig, 2009), to educate a large group size of students, keeping into account the individual needs and requirements of each person. Even an experienced teacher could find this overwhelming. With the increase of students and special needs, the safety of all people involved comes into question. In regular and emergency situations, can one or two adults ensure the safety of all students, especially ones with exceptionalities? Smaller group sizes would allow for more balanced and fair attention for exceptional students.
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The integration of students with disabilities is possible and can be successful if certain measures are put into place. Increased funding and smaller class sizes would make integration safer and more attainable for everyone.
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References
Fox, N.E., & Ysseldyke, J.E. (1997). Implementing inclusion at the middle school level. Exceptional Children, 64(1), 81-98.
Mader, J. (2017, March 1). How Teacher Training Hinders Special-Needs Students. Retrieved February 21, 2018,
Moran, P. (2017, February 22). Inclusion in Mainstream Schools Vs Special Needs Schools. Retrieved February 14, 2018, from
https://askpergers.wordpress.com/2015/02/27/inclusion-in-mainstream-schools-vs-special-needs-schools/
Rosenzweig, Kate, "Are Today's General Education Teachers Prepared to Meet the Needs of Their Inclusive Students?" (2009).
NERA Conference Proceedings 2009. 10.
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Sklaroff, S. (1994, January 12). A.F.T. urges halt to 'full inclusion' movement. Education Week (7).
Skrtic, T. (1991) The Special Education Paradox: Equity as the Way to Excellence. Harvard Educational Review: July 1991, Vol. 61,
No. 2, pp. 148-207.
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