eadm policy paper (2)

EADM 310 Policy Analysis 1

EADM 310 POLICY ANALYSIS

Inclusion of Students with Special Needs

EADM 310


All educators are well aware of the fact that each and every student they teach is unique and

different in some way. Every student has different interests, strengths, weaknesses and capabilities. As a

result, teachers have to prepare, teach, and make adaptations that will allow all of their learners to be

successful. In today’s classrooms it is becoming increasingly common for students with special needs to

be included in the mainstream classroom. Students with special needs can be defined as students that

have intellectual disabilities, emotional or behavioural problems, or physical disabilities. The issue of

including these students in the normal classroom is a complex one, with many possible pros and cons.

The implications of inclusion are far reaching, effecting teachers, parents, students with special needs,

and other students in the mainstream classroom. It also has large implications on the financial element of

schooling. People who support either side of this issue have made their viewpoints well known, as their

passion in support of, or against inclusion have been clearly communicated.

Many questions arise when studying the inclusion of students with special needs in the

mainstream classroom. Some issues that must be addressed include:

- Do students with special needs learn better in a mainstream classroom, or in an isolated

classroom?

- Is the learning of other students positively or negatively affected by having students with special

needs in their classrooms?

- Should students with special needs spend their entire day in a mainstream classroom? Should

special education and general education be combined or separate entities?

- What are the implications for teachers? Are all teachers prepared and able to teach students with

special needs?

- What are the financial implications of inclusion? What is more important, learning at any cost, or

the cost of learning?

These are only a few of the questions and issues that must be considered when examining inclusion.

Inclusion is very important in the development of both students with special needs and students

who do not have special needs. The education system must evolve with the rest of society and the world.


The days of segregating students with special needs must be left behind with other educational policies

that have been found to be ineffective. A large part of being an educator is possessing the ability to

reflect upon and assess the effectiveness of current teaching practices. If examined closely,

administrators, teachers, parents, and students will all realize that including students with special needs in

mainstream classes will be beneficial to all parties involved. This being said, there is still a place for

separate classrooms for students with special needs. Special education and general education can be

combined in a way that will be of maximum benefit for the learning of students with special needs. A

policy of ‘best place, best practice’ should be used in the education of students with special needs. There

is a definite benefit to including them in regular classrooms, but there are situations where working in a

separate environment would be more beneficial to their learning.

Before examining the complexity of inclusion, it is first necessary to define and understand what

it is. There are many different definitions available, but they all share the same underlying principles. In

his book, From Disability to Possibility, Patrick Schwarz defines inclusion as:

The attitude that all students belong everywhere, with everyone else, in the school community. The

strategy behind inclusion is to design supports – innovative approaches to learning, differentiated

instruction, curricular adaptations – for every student in the classroom, to include the entire spectrum

of learners. (Schwarz, 2006, p. 34-35)

The New Brunswick Association for Community Living (NBACL) expands on this definition by

including the following:

Inclusion is about looking at the ways our schools, classrooms, programs and lessons are designed so

that all children can participate and learn. Inclusion is about finding different ways of teaching so that

classrooms actively involve all children. (New Brunswick Association for Community Living, 2000,

p. 10)

These definitions speak almost exclusively to the idea of having students with special needs present and

learning in mainstream classrooms. It is important to remember though, that schooling is about more than

just knowledge based learning. School is also an environment for the development of relationships and


social skills. The NBACL addresses this aspect of inclusion as well, by stating that “finally, inclusion

also means finding ways to help develop friendships, relationships, and mutual respect between children

with disabilities and their schoolmates, and between pupils in the school.” (p. 10)

There is a long and storied history of the education of students with special needs. Going back

over a century, there is evidence of debate of how to best educate these students. In the late 1800’s

students with special needs were placed in special residential institutions. As the 20th century progressed,

many public schools began to take in students with special needs. However, they were isolated from

other students and were part of segregated classrooms. At this point, these students were living away

from their families, removed from their communities. In the 1950’s and 1960’s families lobbied to have

students accepted into normal schools, with the hopes of keeping their children at home and in their

community. Their efforts succeeded and many schools began educating these students; at this point

though, they remained in separate classrooms. Towards the late 1990’s and early 2000’s the inclusion of

students with special needs in mainstream classrooms has risen. However, the level and perception of

inclusion has not been strictly regulated or defined. Across provinces, divisions, and even between

schools governed under the same board, differences exist in what inclusion means. (Burge, Ouellette-

Kuntz, Hutchinson, and Box, 2008, p. 3-4) There are no set standards for schools to follow. Many

schools say that they include students with special needs in mainstream classrooms, but this is exhibited

in different ways. Some students are in mainstream classes all day, some for half a day, some for only

one period a day. In other situations, students are present in mainstream classes, but are not involved.

Too often these students are ignored and just sit without participating, not learning any subject content or

developing their social skills.

As our society becomes more and more politically correct, many schools feel the need to give

into the pressures of those members of society who support inclusion. Hence, these schools say that

“inclusion of students with disabilities in regular classrooms is the dominant policy,” and “acknowledge

that placement of a student [with disabilities] in a regular class is the first option considered” when

deciding how to best educate students with special needs. This may not actually be the case. Many


believe that up to 40% of students with intellectual disabilities are still being educated in segregated

classrooms. (Burge et al., 2008, p. 2) Many people are shifting their attitudes about inclusion towards

including them in mainstream classrooms. However, the best way to do this is challenging. There are

implications for teachers, parents, and students that must be considered and addressed. There are no

simple solutions, but a solution must be worked towards nonetheless.

Canada is known for and is proud of its attitudes towards diversity, acceptance, and respect. Our

nation is one where people of all cultures, backgrounds, and abilities are welcomed and encouraged to

live with freedom and without restraint. Citizens are given equal opportunities to be educated and to be

successful in all of their endeavours. Our Charter of Rights and Freedoms states under Section 15 that:

(1) Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and

equal benefit of the law without discrimination and, in particular, without discrimination based on

race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.

And,

(2) Subsection (1) does not preclude any law, program or activity that has as its object the amelioration

of conditions of disadvantaged individuals or groups including those that are disadvantaged because of

race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability. (Canadian

Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 1982)

All citizens of Canada are considered to be equal regardless of their mental or physical ability. Although

there is no direct law referencing education it is reasonable to say that all citizens should be given equal

access to education regardless of their mental or physical ability. Furthermore, all persons should be

given access to the same education as their counterparts. Based on this interpretation, students with

special needs have the right to inclusive education.

Canadian society has been very supportive of inclusion. Persons with special needs are active

and accepted in their communities. Burge et al. notes that “Canadians feel that people with disabilities

should have the opportunity to participate in life to their fullest potential – that is part of the ‘Canadian

way’ of doing things.” (Burge et al., 2008, p.2) They are not removed and placed in special institutions.


Rather, programs and policies have been developed to help them be as active in society as possible.

Many persons with all types of special needs are able to function almost completely independently.

Workplaces are not allowed to discriminate against persons with special needs when hiring for

employment. Transportation options and building regulations have been designed and implemented to

help persons with disabilities gain access to facilities. Actions such of these have been taken for the sole

intent of giving persons with special needs the abilities to be included in society as much as possible. If

the rest of society is making efforts and adaptations to include persons with special needs, shouldn’t

education systems be doing the same?

As mentioned above, there are many stakeholders involved in the debate for inclusion. Students

with disabilities, students without disabilities, parents, teachers, governments and school boards all have

interests and concerns that must be considered.

It is not unreasonable to say that the people with the largest interest in inclusion are the students

who have special needs. For years they have been kept out of regular classrooms, being told that it was in

their best interest. But as education is evolving and new information from research is being released, it is

becoming apparent that including students with special needs in the mainstream classroom has significant

benefits for both their learning and social development. These results have been proven repeatedly

through a wide variety of studies. Dealing specifically with academic success, it has been proven that

those students with special needs who are educated in inclusive classrooms show greater improvement on

standardized testing. They have better overall grades and show more motivation to learn than their

counterparts who are educated in separate classrooms. Looking specifically at reading and writing,

Banerji and Dailey found that students involved in an inclusive setting for three months showed

improvements in their reading and writing skills that were similar to the improvements shown by the

students who did not have special needs. (Salend, Garrick Duhaney, 1999) Speaking to the notion that

the best form of education for students with special needs is to combine special education and general

education, the results of a study conducted by Marston (1996) can be used as evidence. Marston studied

students who were educated in three different groups:


i) inclusion only – students taught in a general education setting only

ii) combined services – students taught in a general education setting with support from a special

education classroom

iii) pull-out only – students taught in a special education classroom

The results showed that the students in the combined services group had significantly greater increases in

reading ability than the students educated in the other two groups. (Marston, 1996)

The implications towards the social development of students with special needs educated in

regular classrooms are also very positive. Kennedy, Shukla, and Fryxell found that:

Students who were educated in inclusion classrooms had a greater number of interactions and social

contacts with students without disabilities, were the recipients of and provided greater levels of social

support behaviours, had larger friendship networks that mostly included classmates without

disabilities, and had more lasting social relationships with students without disabilities. (Kennedy,

Shukla, and Fryxell, 1997)

A concern that is often raised by adversaries to inclusion is that students with special needs will disrupt

the classroom with behavioural problems. This concern has been shown to be untrue. Feedback provided

by teachers and parents has demonstrated that students with special needs will follow the lead of their

non-disabled classmates and act in a similar manner to them. (Banerji and Dailey, 1995)

The second group that has a concern in the debate over inclusion is students who do not have

disabilities. Many feel that the learning of these students will be negatively impacted if students with

special needs are brought into their classrooms. Less personal time with the teacher, and disruptions

caused by students with special needs are the two main concerns raised. The latter of these concerns has

been proven to be untrue as evidenced by Banerji and Dailey above. It would seem plausible that having

students with special needs in the classroom could be detrimental to the learning of other students.

Students with special needs will often need extra attention and help. This, however, does not mean that

teachers will be spending all of their time with these students. There are strategies that can be

implemented to help all students. In many situations, aids will be present in the classroom to provide


assistance to those students with special needs. Allowing and encouraging students without to disabilities

to help their peers with special needs is also a very beneficial strategy in a number of ways. First it

benefits the student with special needs, because they have someone to assist them in their learning.

Second, for the students that are assisting it helps to foster a level of respect and understanding. Finally,

the social development of both parties is impacted in a positive way. A bond can be created that will lead

to respect, communication and friendship between the parties. Rather than looking at the situation as

having potential for being negative, strategies can be implemented that can quickly turn the situation into

a positive.

Studies have shown that the academic outcomes of students without disabilities are not negatively

impacted in inclusive classrooms. It has been found that the amount of instructional time given to

students without disabilities in inclusive classrooms is not significantly less than the time given to

students in non-inclusive classrooms. Scores achieved in reading, mathematics and spelling have also

been found to be unaffected. Contrary to the opinion of many, results have shown that students who

actually participate in group activities with students with special needs can actually greatly increase their

learning. (Salend et al., 1999)

The social benefits of being educated in an inclusive setting are many for students without

disabilities. It also appears that the earlier students are exposed to inclusion, the better the attitudes and

understanding that is developed. Elementary students report that they develop an understanding of and

respect for other regardless of their physical or behavioural characteristics. (Biklen, Corrigan, and Quick,

1989) Overall, students without disabilities of all ages report developing attitudes of understanding,

tolerance, and increased personal growth. These are all values that every teacher and parent hopes their

students and children will learn during their youth. Our society is based on a culture of respect,

cooperation and understanding. The earlier children are exposed to difference, the earlier they will be

able to develop positive attitudes towards it. If accepting attitudes are developed at a young age, the

stereotypes and discrimination that are portrayed in our society will eventually be eradicated. If these


attitudes and values are being developed in inclusive classrooms, it is hard to discount the value of

inclusive education.

Some valid concerns are raised with respect to the interaction between the two groups of students

in inclusive classrooms. In the studies that were conducted, students without disabilities reported feeling

uncomfortable with the physical and social characteristics of some students with special needs. Some

students also found difficulty in establishing relationships with students who had severe disabilities. In

these situations, communication was often not reciprocated by the students with special needs, making it

difficult and uncomfortable for non-disabled students. (Peck, Donaldson, and Pezzoli, 1990) These two

issues can definitely be seen as challenges and detractors towards inclusion. Many adults feel

uncomfortable and awkward being in the presence of persons with physical, behavioural and emotional

disabilities. It is not shocking then, that children would feel the same way when first introduced to

persons with special needs in their classrooms. This is not an unnatural reaction. It is however, a great

opportunity for these children to learn and accept others who are different. Our world is made up of

people with many different characteristics. Inclusion is becoming the norm in our society. Outside of

schools people are going to be dealing with persons with special needs. What kind of interactions are

going to be taking place if everyone in society is uncomfortable around people who are different from

them. Including students with special needs in the classroom needs to be seen as a learning experience.

Young children are innocent and have not formed concrete opinions of others. They are very open to all

people, mainly because they do not pay attention to the differences that adults see in others. On the other

hand, they are very impressionable. As they grow they begin to form opinions. Too often they are

exposed to negative attitudes and stereotypes towards others, especially persons who have special needs.

If students can be exposed to difference early in the educational careers, they will be given the chance to

form positive attitudes towards others with special needs. Later in life, they will be able to resist the

negative influence and stereotypes that others place on people who are different. Ideally, they will stand

up to these discriminatory practices and encourage others to value and respect difference.


This notion sounds very idealistic and utopian. Obviously just sharing a classroom with persons

with special needs is not going to lead to positive experiences. Forming relationships with students who

have moderate and severe disabilities can and will be difficult. Again, the opportunity must be taken to

encourage interaction between the two groups of students. It may take a long time and be uncomfortable

and difficult at times, but eventually great relationships can be formed.

Although concerns about socializing have been expressed by students without disabilities who are

involved in inclusive classrooms, they are not the only ones who foresee problems. Parents of students

with special needs have also expressed great apprehension and worry. Mary Kaplowitz is a Special

Education teacher in Pennsylvania. She was a supporter of inclusion until she had a child of her own who

was born with autism. She soon realized the negative impact schooling could have on her child. After

only a short time in pre-school she noticed that her son was being rejected and isolated from the other

students. None of the other children would play with him, and eventually they started making fun of him

because of his disabilities. (Tomsho, 2007) Stories such as this are not uncommon among families that

have children with special needs. The benefits of being educated and socialized with students who do not

have special needs are many and have the potential to be positive. But there is a risk of these experiences

becoming very negative. A lot of care and supervision must be exercised within inclusive classrooms by

teachers and administrators. Students that do not have disabilities have to understand the differences of

their peers and understand their roles and responsibilities. Positive attitudes must be reinforced and

negative, disrespectful behaviours must be dealt with quickly and sternly.

Including students with special needs in the mainstream classroom presents a number of

challenges to teachers. Teachers, in general, are not trained to teach children with special needs. Many

university teacher education programs will touch briefly on teaching the ‘adaptive dimension’, but unless

a teacher is a special education major or minor, they will have had very limited training. Each student

with a special need has unique abilities and disabilities. There may be certain strategies and aides needed

that will enable them to learn best. The majority of teachers will not be as educated as they need to be to

understand the uniqueness of each child’s disability, and will therefore not know how to help them learn


best. If teachers are placed into a situation that they are not trained for, it is not unrealistic to expect a

negative outcome. The child with the special need will not be taught as they need and deserve to be. The

education of the other students in the class may suffer because of the teacher devoting a majority of their

time to the students with special needs. And finally, the health and success of the teacher will be put at

risk. It is obvious that being placed into an uncomfortable position will cause great amounts of stress.

With this will come failing health and job dissatisfaction for the teacher. In this case, both the students

and teacher will suffer.

For inclusion to work, supports need to be put in place. It is not as easy as just putting the

children with special needs into the classroom and waiting to see what happens. Teachers need to be

given training on the nature of the disability of each student. They must know what the capabilities of the

students are, and what the areas of weakness are. Throughout the school year, teachers will need constant

assistance in developing teaching materials, and in monitoring the learning of their students. There are a

number of ways that teachers can be assisted. Administration, firstly, must be fully supportive of the

teachers, and provide them with the necessary materials and aides. Consultants specializing in the

education of students with special needs should be available to teachers whenever needed. At times,

teachers may require aides in the classroom to provide one on one help to students. With a strong support

system in place, there is no doubt that the inclusion of students with special needs into the mainstream

classroom can be a successful venture.

The final group with an interest in inclusion is governments and school boards. The main interest

of these two groups is the financial implications of inclusion. Education is becoming more and more

expensive and the organizations funding it are always looking for ways to cut costs. Supporters of

inclusion insist that it is much cheaper to include students with special needs into the mainstream

classroom than it is to segregate them in their own classroom. This makes sense, as the number of

classrooms, teachers and aides required could be reduced. Adversaries of inclusion counter by raising the

question: What is more important, the cost of education, or the quality of education? Is it more important

to cut corners and jeopardize the quality of education, in order to save money? Most would agree that the


quality of education is much more important. Most would also agree though, that what is correct and best

for students is not always what happens.

It has become quite clear that inclusion is a much more complex topic than it may seem. There

are many stakeholders with valid concerns and interests in the issue. Everyone involved in the issue is

very passionate about their beliefs and views. This is understandable, as the lives and futures of many of

our youth are being affected. When all sides of the issue are studied, I believe that the most effective

educational strategy for all parties involved is to include students with special needs in the mainstream

classroom as much as possible. However, I do still feel that isolated classrooms need to be incorporated

at times. The learning that takes place in mainstream classrooms can be reinforced in settings where

students with special needs are removed from their peers. These settings may also be the best place for

learning of some subjects to occur. For example, students who are easily distracted may learn reading

skills better when in a quiet, removed setting.

The benefits of inclusion are too many to keep isolating students with special needs from

mainstream classrooms. The educational benefits and effects on learning have been evidenced. Students

taught in a general education setting with support from a special education classroom have been shown to

have the best academic success. It is also important to consider the life skills that students with special

needs must learn while in school. Social skills, including appropriate interaction and communication with

others, are important skills that all students learn in school. Isolating students with special needs from

their non-disabled peers prevents these students from improving their social skills.

It has also been shown that non-disabled students do not suffer when they have students with

special needs included in their classrooms. In fact, they can benefit. Their academic success is not

affected in any negative ways. Conversely, in some situations their academic success can be increased.

Their social skills are also improved when exposed to students with special needs. They are able to

establish relationships, and are able to develop an understanding and respect for people who are different

from themselves. Thus, inclusion is a benefit for all students and society in general.


It is true that inclusion does have many challenges. Change is never easy. But change never

happens if challenges are not addressed and overcome. Issues raised by parents and adversaries to

inclusion are valid and credible. Some studies have revealed that students with certain disabilities do

learn better in isolated settings. For example, Cohen found that “research shows significant gains as

measured by performance intelligence tests of deaf children who attend schools for the deaf – gains that

are not found in deaf children who attend mainstream programs.” (Cohen, 1994) This research cannot be

disregarded. It can be used to support the argument of combining general education with special

education. At times, isolated settings are better for learning. But the additional benefits of inclusion

(social, feelings of worth) can also not be downplayed. They are just as important as the academic

benefits of inclusion.

Change takes time, dedication and commitment. There are many changes that must be

undertaken for inclusion to be successful. Supports must be put in place for students, parents and

teachers. School boards and governments must change policy and funding frameworks for the necessary

change to be implemented. As changes are introduced, and the results start to become evident, it will be

apparent that an inclusive strategy involving the combination of general and special education is the best

educational practice for students with and without special needs.


References

Banerji, M., & Dailey, R. A. (1995). A study of the effects of an inclusion model on

students

with specific learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 28, 511-

522.

Biklen, C., Corrigan, C., & Quick, D. (1989). Beyond obligation: Students' relations with each other in

integrated classes. In D. Lipsky and A. Gartner, Eds.,Beyond Separate Education: Quality

Education for All.

Burge, Ouellette-Kuntz, Hutchinson. (2008). A quarter century of inclusive education for children with

intellectual disabilities in Ontario: Public perceptions. Canadian Journal of Educational

Administration and Policy, 87, 1-22.

Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 1982. Department of Justice Canada.

Cohen, O. (1994). Inclusion should not include deaf students. Education Week.

Kennedy, C.H., Shukla, S., & Fryxell, D. (1997). Comparing the effects of educational placement on the

social relationships of intermediate school students with severe disabilities, Exceptional

Children, 64, 31 – 48.

Marston, D. (1996). A comparison of inclusion only, pull-out only, and combined service models for

students with mild disabilities. Journal of Special Education 30, 2. 121-132.

New Brunswick Association for Community Living. (2000). Achieving inclusion: a parent guide to

inclusive education in New Brunswick. Fredericton, NB.

Peck, C. A., Donaldson, J.,& Pezzoli, M. (1990). Some benefits adolescents perceive for themselves from

their social relationships with peers who have severe disabilities. Journal of the Association for

Persons with Severe Handicaps, 15(4), 241-249.

Salend, S., Garrick Duhaney, L. (2000). The impact of inclusion on students with and without disabilities

and their educators. Remedial and Special Education, 20, 114-126.


Schwarz, P. (2006). From disability to possibility. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Tomsho, R. (2007, November 27). Parents of disabled students push for separate classes. The Wall

Street Journal. p. A1.