Discrimination towards people with disabilities is prevalent in all aspects of life, however one of the biggest places it exists is within schools. Oftentimes, students with disabilities are underserved in schools and their potential is diminished. The best way that we can help all students, is to integrate general education classrooms with special education students, while also making the resources they need to succeed, accessible to them.
Some believe that integrating classrooms is hurtful to general education students. The reasoning behind this is that having students with higher educational needs in the classroom is distracting to other students and impairs their ability to get work done. Integration is also believed to lower test scores, thus making the school look low achieving.
These beliefs come from a place of deep-rooted ignorance towards people with disabilities. The idea that students with disabilities are a distraction to other students or cannot handle an active classroom environment, is a harmful misconception. Learning disabilities are in no way related to behavioral disorders. If the student does act out in the classroom setting that is a greater reflection on lack of support than it is on the student.
We know that integration does not hurt academic averages because in classrooms with integration, test scores and grade averages remain the same. Special education students are only considered for classroom integration if their scores are on par with the classroom that they would be joining.
Over the last few years, Best Buddies, a global non-profit organization dedicated to promoting social inclusion for people with disabilities, has begun opening chapters in elementary schools and middle schools. When asked about the benefits of starting Best Buddies at a young age, Nina Benuvento, the Albany and New York City Best Buddies Program Manager, explained that, “When you are introduced to people that are different from you at a young age, it sets you up to be a more open and accepting person, which sets you up for better opportunities in life.” Learning in integrated classrooms starting at a young age lays the foundation for an inclusive lifestyle and makes all students more open-minded, accepting people.
When you are surrounded by people who are different from you, it gives you the opportunity to learn from them, making you a better person. Keeping special education students in a separate classroom at the end of the hallway where no one ever sees them, as they did in my elementary school, tells other young students that these kids are different and should be treated as thus. By teaching this to our youths, we are only perpetuating the cycle of ignorance. Therefore, it is in all students best interest to integrate classrooms.
Although there are many benefits to classroom integration, more resources must be first put in place to aid these students so that they have the opportunity to succeed. The main reason why students wouldn’t succeed in this environment is because students with disabilities are incredibly underserved in public schools. One in every five students has learning and thinking differences, these are challenges that are caused by variations in how the brain develops and processes information. These kinds of differences are unrelated to intelligence, it just means these students need extra support to learn. However, only 30 percent of general educators feel strongly that they can successfully teach kids with these learning differences.
When students with learning disabilities are thrown into general education classrooms without the support they need, many problems can arise. Students with disabilities are more than twice as likely to be suspended as those without disabilities. Furthermore, the number of students with disabilities who drop out of school are three times the rate of all students. Classroom integration is essential for success, however, in order to better serve students with disabilities, more training and resources must be made available to educators.
The main reason why funding isn’t being given to integrate classrooms or institute better resources for special education students is due to ignorance. As disappointing as it is, people with disabilities are often underestimated. It is assumed that people with disabilities are not capable of learning in a typical classroom environment, or that they can earn a college or even a high school degree. This assumption is incredibly damaging to the persons with disabilities community and limits the potential of students with disabilities. People with disabilities have the potential to do so much more than society tells them, and that is why so many people with learning disabilities choose not to disclose their disability to employers, other students, or the college they attend.
The future of the Disability Rights Movement must include greater advocacy to improve the education of students with disabilities. As of right now, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) covers private elementary and secondary schools as places of public accommodation;, meaning that schools must be physically accessible to those with disabilities. But these schools are not required to provide free appropriate education or develop an individualized educational program for students with disabilities. This is a great inequity within the educational system in America. The only thing that this act covers is a few wheelchair ramps and perhaps lower water fountains in school hallways, yet it says nothing about the actual education of those students. Given that this act was created 30 years ago, it must be revised to provide students with disabilities any actual opportunity at achieving a real education. This includes integrating classrooms, individualized programs for students, and offering educational aids in classrooms when needed.
There are many advances that still need to be made to promote total inclusion for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and that must first start in the classroom. When preparing students with the proper resources, the success of classroom integration is highly probable and in the best interest of all students.