Kimberlee Ames <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Deri,
> My son will most likely not be able to attend our "local"
> school, even if he is eventually mainstreamed for part of the
> day because my district's elementary school provides only
> rudimentary services and not the full services available at
> some of the other elementary schools outside my district.
>
> As for the special school in my county to which I was referring
> in a previous e-mail, I have had parents of other kids tell me
> that they personally visited the school before deciding what
> route to take, and found that it was lacking in the basic
> school curriculum, i.e., math, reading, etc.  In other words,
> it was geared more towards the more mentally involved children,
> who would not be functioning on a higher intellectual level
> later in life.  So in my area, there is no school where kids
> can go who may need some special ed, but also want to get a
> higher education.  There used to be a CP Center in town, which
> had a school also, but it has closed.  The only way to get a
> regular curriculum is to be mainstreamed, and those who need
> additional services get pulled out at the appropriate times for
> those services or classes.
>
> I do agree with Linda that one of the benefits of mainstreaming
> in general is the introduction of the child to other children
> of various talents, abilities and/or disabilities.  They can
> all learn from one another.
>
> Kimberlee
>
>
I agree that the school you mention does not seem appropriate for
your son. I hope you appreciate that not all Spec Ed school need
to be run that way.

With regard to your final paragraph, I feel that the benefits of
socialising with non-disabled kids are over-rated. Surely the
benefits are the actual act of socialising, not whether the
person we socialised with was disabled or not.

--
Deri James