Inclusion for Students with Severe Disabilities versus A Self-Contained Setting
Elizabeth Jimenez
University of St. Thomas
EDUC 6320 Educational Research and Scholarly Writing
Dr. Catherine R. Barber
June 30, 2014
In the past three decades, there has been a movement advocating the rights of students
with disabilities. It all began with the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) in
1975, which stated that students with disabilities should be educated with non-disabled
students to the maximum extent possible (Alquraini, 2012). Initially, this philosophy was only
applied to students who exhibited mild disabilities and excluded students with multiple and
severe disabilities. The EHA legislation was amended in 1990 as the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act, and later again in 2004 as the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Improvement Act. The legislation once again emphasized the importance of
allowing students with disabilities to interact and learn from students without disabilities.
According to Alquaraini (2012), “IDEIA reemphasized that students with disabilities should
only be placed in separate classes or schools when the nature or severity of their disabilities is
such that they could not receive an appropriate level of education in a general education
classroom with supplementary aids and services”(45). There are many benefits to including
students with multiple and severe disabilities in the general education classroom; however,
unless all necessary supports can be provided, the general education teacher cannot provide
the medical and functional supports that a student with severe disabilities needs. However, a
self-contained setting can provide the proper supports and help the student achieve his/her
goals.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 13% of the school age
population was receiving special education services in 2010. Of this group receiving services,
0.3% of the students were considered to have multiple and severe disabilities. When
considering inclusive practices for students who fall within this category, it is important to
note the severity of the disabilities. As a first year special education, self-contained teacher, I
met a student with the most peculiar case; he suffered from what specialist called “weeping
sores.” At any given time, this student’s body could erupt into open sores, causing much pain
and bringing about an abnormal amount of seizure activity. His open sores were also at a risk
of getting easily infected; thus, his interaction with others had to be closely monitored. He
required extensive medical attention, which was provided in a small, self-contained setting.
Due to the encouragement of inclusive practices, students in my self-contained class were to
interact with non-disabled peers during lunch and ancillary, with only one teacher assistant to
accompany and assist with them. Students who exhibit severe medical needs require
individual attention if they are to be included in the general education setting. One teacher
assistant cannot monitor and work with seven students at once, especially if they exhibit
delicate health. Nor can the general education teacher, who has a class of 20 to monitor,
provide the undivided attention this student required. Inclusive practices cannot work if the
resources needed to make it effective are not available. While this particular student enjoyed
interacting with his non-disabled peers, the lack of resources (such as a nurse/teacher assistant
to monitor his health while in an inclusive setting) created a unsafe environment for the
student.
Research aimed at evaluating the effectiveness of inclusion for students with multiple
and severe disabilities is scarce. However, a study conducted in Switzerland gave important
implications for the topic. Dessemontet, Bless, and Morin (2012) conducted a research study
in Switzerland to evaluate the effectiveness of inclusion with students with severe disabilities;
the research study focused on students who qualified as having an Intellectual Disability (ID).
The groups studied included 34 students who were fully included in the general education
classroom and 34 students who attended special schools. The researchers found that “children
included in general education classrooms did not differ significantly from children in special
schools as regards their progress in mathematics and global adaptive behavior (Dessemontet
et al., 2012, p. 585). The most important finding of this study was that of the progress made
by all students with an Intellectual Disability: Regardless of their type of placement, students
with ID made “important progress in their literacy skills, mathematic skills, and adaptive
behavior” (585). This study has major implications for the effectiveness of inclusion for
students with multiple and severe disabilities. While inclusion has benefits for many students,
this study showed that students who are educated in a special school, or self contained setting,
can show the same amount of progress as those fully included in general education.
Perhaps the most important aspect of inclusion is the way in which is designed and
implemented. Having the proper resources will ensure the effectiveness of the program. If
students with the most severe disabilities were to be fully included in the general education
classroom with a full time nurse or teacher aide, there is no doubt that the student would
flourish. However, this is unlikely to happen for many reasons: lack of funding, lack of
personnel, lack of knowledge on the issue, etc. If students with severe disabilities are to be
included in the general setting, then general education teachers must also be familiar with the
needs of the student and be able to accommodate to them. There is much uncertainty as to the
future of inclusion, especially for this particular group of students. What we know is that these
students have very specific needs, and the most appropriate place to address these needs is a
self-contained setting, where the special education teacher and nurse can work together to
monitor their progress and overall well-being.
References
Alquraini, T. (2012). Critical components of successful inclusion of students with severe
disabilities: Literature review. International Journal of Special Education, (1), 42-59.
Dessemontet, S. R., Bless, G., Morin, D. (2012). Effects of inclusion on the academic
achievement and adaptive behavior of children with intellectual disabilities .
Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, (6), 579-587.
Wolfe, P. S. & Hall, T. (2003). Making inclusion a reality for students with severe
disabilities. TEACHING Exceptional Children, (4), 56-61.