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Anna King
Ms. Chambers
AP Literature and Composition
14 September 2012
Chris enters into a small classroom prepared for his favorite subject to start---math class.
His awkward limp carries him to his seat, and he gets out two impeccably sharpened no. 2
pencils and places them parallel on his desk. The teachers hand out a worksheet that Chris
accepts with pleasure. He writes his name in big, wobbly letters at the top of the page. No later
than fifteen minutes, Chris completes the worksheet. The teachers are busily trying to teach the
other special needs children around Chris how to just begin the worksheet. With nothing else to
do, Chris asks one of the teachers in his slurred voice if he could go use the restroom. Potential
is something everyone possesses, whether the amount is miniscule or extravagant. In the
example above Chris is being denied of his potential. His level of math competency is much
higher than the other special needs children in his class; however, he must go at the pace of the
class. Too often special needs students are placed in special needs classrooms with no questions
asked. Given the right resources, training, and communication between parent and teacher, a
child with disabilities can excel in a regular classroom. The inclusion of special needs students
into regular taught classrooms not only helps the special needs students socially and
intellectually but helps the other kids in the classroom as well.
Inclusion gives special needs children a chance to grow more intellectually than they
would if they were in a classroom filled entirely with special needs students. Just because a
student is labeled as disabled does not indicate that the best classroom setting for the child would
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be in a special education classroom. The goal of education for all students is to provide a suitable
and challenging course that helps expand their level of intellectual capabilities. The goal of
education for all students is not being upheld when special needs students are automatically
grouped together and sectioned off from other students in the school into lower functioning
classrooms. “The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) requires schools to provide an
appropriate education to all students in the least restrictive environment possible” (Hooks).
Inclusion provides the standard in which “the least restrictive environment” can be met for all
students including those with special needs. Disabled students correctly placed in regular
classrooms, with the appropriate resources provided, are able to participate in an education that
stretches their intellect; in comparison a special needs classroom can often hinder the capability
of a special needs student. The opportunity for a special needs student to work alongside regular
students offers the disabled student the chance to be taught through a more academically diverse
curriculum and provides an environment for more academic risks to be taken in order to achieve
personal, educational goals (Ovington and Walker). In order for the method of inclusion to
produce the best results possible, there has to be proper training and resources. Not only does
inclusion help students with special needs academically, but it is a right they deserve.
The interaction a child with special needs attains with regular students through inclusion
improves his social skills and better prepares him for the real world. When a child is placed in
special education classrooms for all school subjects, he lacks the vital interaction of those
students who have appropriate social skills. Studies show that the social skills a special needs
child develops through inclusion motivates the child to perform better at school (Barday). The
regular students are role models for the disabled student in regards to behavior and
communication. The standard of communication is much higher in a general classroom than in a
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special education classroom. The student will begin to copy the traits of those around him to the
best of his capability in order to be more like his peers. “Inclusion is a policy that permits the
proportions of disabled to non-disabled students in the general classroom to reflect society”
(Ovington and Walker). This reflection of society creates a better transition for special needs
students from leaving school to participating in society. The gap between what it is like socially
for the disabled child at school to socializing in the real world becomes smaller. The child that
has been through the system of inclusion is more apt to receiving a job and contributing to
society. Inclusion has a larger perspective than the mindset of being placed in special needs
classrooms. The rewards of inclusion are lifelong and detrimental to the future success of
disabled children.
Being in a regular classroom feeds the emotional needs of the special needs student,
making him feel more like everyone else. Everyone wants to feel wanted and loved. The most
important desire of children is to feel acceptance from others around them. Students of special
needs want to be just like all the other students in the school. Having such a stark divide between
regular classrooms and special education classrooms creates a larger distinction between regular
students and those with disabilities. Inclusion helps blur the line of separation. “Children in
inclusive classrooms demonstrate increased self-esteem” (National Association for the Education
of Young Children). The confidence of special needs children grow because of inclusion. The
disabled student begins to feel more comfortable around regular students and sees them as peers.
Friendships between the non-disabled students and the disabled student are able to form through
inclusion (Harchik). The image of self-worth of the student with special needs grows in his own
eyes. Inclusion helps the disabled student become more involved with the student body and to
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form precious relationships with others who he would have never associated with if he was
always taught in a special education classroom.
Inclusion not only benefits the child with special needs, but it helps the regular students
in the classroom as well in many aspects. Detractors of inclusion claim that regular education
students suffer academically when inclusion is involved. Actually, inclusion benefits nondisabled students academically and emotionally. Non-disabled students can learn lifelong lessons
from inclusion like having tolerance for others that are different from them and supporting their
peers in a selfless way (Flores). Most regular education students go through school never being
in situations where there is regular interaction between them and special needs students. This
lack of diversity consequently produces a generation of people who do not know how to
cooperate with others that are different from them. Inclusion helps develop the social skills of the
regular students as well. As adults these students will be more understanding of those with
disabilities. “This is a fascinating finding that suggests that Regular Ed Students are happier and
more positive about the classroom, their peers, their personal learning and themselves when they
are aware of the inclusiveness of the setting” (Barday). The presence of a student with special
needs in a regular education classroom causes a more positive feeling within the classroom and
within the regular education students. With an improved attitude and outlook on their studies, the
regular education students perform better in their academics. Inclusion is not a one-sided
program; it offers abundant benefits to all children involved.
The system of education improves as inclusion is increasingly used throughout
classrooms. Inclusion is a method that focuses more on each student’s individual plan and goals
for education. The needs of both regular education students and special education student are
more specifically addressed through inclusion. The curriculum through inclusion is set up and
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taught in a way that focuses on the needs of all the children in the classroom in a creative
manner. “Some argue that in order to teach different kinds of children, the teacher has to become
a better teacher in coming up with more creative and cooperative ways to teach” (Flores).
Because the teachers have to become better in order to be able to satisfy the educational demands
of all types of children in inclusion classrooms, the educational system benefits from this
tremendously. The teacher of an inclusion classroom must intertwine teaching style in order to
accommodate for everyone in the classroom. Critics complain that inclusion is too much work,
takes too much school staff, and uses too much money. Research shows that in order to include
children with special needs into the classroom minimal adaptions are needed, and support from
peers and family are the most important in its success (National Association for the Education of
Young Children). The benefits of inclusion are tremendous if performed in the proper way.
Inclusion would overall enhance the educational system and offer a large, creative curriculum.
The method of including students with special needs into regular taught classrooms has
multiple benefits for not only those students with disabilities but those without. The level of
intellectual capability for a special needs student is automatically raised when placed into an
inclusion classroom. The communication of the disabled student develops as inclusion provides
an atmosphere of interaction between regular students and a disabled student. Confidence of the
disabled student rises as he learns among his peers. Non-disabled students inherit a positive
attitude helping their grades and learned the concepts of tolerance and acceptance. Even the
quality of the teachers enhances through inclusion as the teachers need to be able to teach with
multiple teaching styles and come up with creative ideas, so all the students in the classroom are
able to learn. Inclusion provides the opportunity for all students to reach the potential that they
possess.
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Works Cited Page
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Barday, Joyce, Bonnie Dupuis, Sherwin Holmes, Valerie Lewis, Morgan Platt, and Steven
Shaha. "Does Inclusion Help Students: Perspectives From Regular Education and
Students With Disabilities." National Association of Special Education Teachers:
Does Inclusion Help Students: Perspectives from Regular Education and Students
with Disabilities. American Academy of Special Education Professionals, n.d.
Web. 9 Aug. 2012.
Flores, Kathy. "Special Needs, "mainstream" Classroom." Special Needs, "mainstream"
Classroom. Children's Advocate, Jan.-Feb. 2003. Web. 15 Aug. 2012.
Harchik, Alan. "Including Children with Special Needs in Regular Classrooms: Pros & Cons."
News For Parents.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Aug. 2012.
Hooks, Jennifer. "Understanding Classroom Inclusion for Children With Special Needs."
Suite101.com. N.p., 2 May 2010. Web. 7 Aug. 2012.
National Association for the Education of Young Children. "The Benefits of an Inclusive
Education: Making It Work." The Benefits of an Inclusive Education: Making It
Work. KidSource OnLine, 15 Aug. 1997. Web. 10 Aug. 2012.
Ovington, June, and Kay Walker. "Inclusion and Its Effects on Students." Inclusion and Its
Effects on Students - Walker & Ovington. N.p., 6 Sept. 1998. Web. 14 Aug. 2012.