As more and more school districts recognize the need for the least restrictive environment the use of inclusion has become widely used throughout the country. Children with various disabilities for many years were taught apart of the mainstream. In more recent years the concept on inclusion is to educate children with disabilities right along with the students in the general education classrooms. Among other factors this is an attempt to eliminate the emotional and social separation of special education students from regular education students. Others contend that attempting to incorporate all phases of education into a single classroom will prevent those who need special attention from receiving it. The concept of inclusion in our classrooms today is one that has been widely debated. Inclusion seems like the natural progression of what should follow the Section 504 law and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The interpretation of how this concept would actually be administered is what is usually disputed. It seems apparent that the purpose of the law is to limit exclusion from the regular education environment to the least amount possible. The questions that are not quite as clear include:.
1. Does inclusion benefit both disabled and non-disabled students?.
2. Will the trend of inclusion continue in our country?.
The following information will attempt to answer these two questions.
Does Inclusion Benefit Both Disabled and Non-disabled Students?.
Some say that placing all children in general education classrooms without regard to individual needs does not support the concept of least restrictive environment or the goal of providing appropriate educational programs for all children. According to B. McNamara and F. McNamara (1995), "LDA (Learning Disabilities Association of America) believes that the placement of all children with disabilities in the regular education classroom is as great a violation of IDEA as is the placement of all children in separate classrooms on the basis of their disability.