1). The legal requirements that are set forth by the IDEA act state, "Each state must establish procedures to assure that, to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities are educated with children who are not disabled, and that special education, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily." (www.uni.edu, n.d., p.1). Additionally, an amendment to the act states that the "aids and services" should be provided to the "maximum extent possible" (www.uni.edu, n.d., p. 2). Even with this legal aspect, it is left up to each school and the disabled students" Individual Education Program (IEP) team, to determine the students" special needs (Delaware Department of Education, n.d.). More and more schools are considering inclusion in an attempt to provide the least restrictive environment for their students (Tapasak, and Walther-Thomas, 1999). School administrators and politicians are extremely supportive of full inclusion in schools; however it is usually as a means to cut the costly special education programs (Chow, Blais, and Hemingway, 1999). While the majority of educators are in favor of the concept of inclusion, they fear inadequate training and assistance in the inclusive classrooms (Chow, and Kasari, 1999). .
One of the positive aspects of inclusion is that the disabled children would no longer face segregation (Tapasak, and Walther-Thomas, 1999). This segregation can be detrimental to both disabled students and non-disabled students alike (Tapasak, and Walther-Thomas, 1999). Many inclusion activists state that inclusive classrooms promote improvements in self-concept, self-esteem, and growth in social awareness, morals, and the ability to have caring relationships for both disabled and non-disabled students (Tapasak, and Walther-Thomas, 1999).
