>From: [log in to unmask]
>Date: Fri, 24 May 2002 13:26:29 EDT
>Subject: integrated ed?
>
>Education and integration - Information Bulletin # 32 (May, 2002)
>
>    Segregating children with disabilities in public educational programs is 
>quite widespread and perpetuates the stigma that society attaches to 
>disability,  to say nothing about the inferior quality of education and how 
>the segregation contributes to self-devaluation.
>
>    By and large, the disability community has left parents to struggle
alone 
>as individuals – not collectively, not as a civil rights issue, not as an 
>issue that will plague us for generations.  School districts and state 
>departments of education have not been held accountable for this
segregation. 
>Rather, they have turned the IDEA upside down and forced parents to show why 
>their children should be integrated, instead of the school district to 
>proving why children with accommodations cannot be integrated.  
> 
>    In Information Bulletin # 20, see www.stevegoldada.com (click on 
>archives), we focused on the segregation of children with orthopedic 
>impairments (only because there is no excuse why ANY of these children are 
>segregated).  
>
>    This information bulletin takes a five year overview regarding to what 
>extent school districts have increased integrating disabled children in 
>mainstream (general) education.  We wanted to know what is the percentage of 
>children labeled "special ed" who are integrated in general education 
>classrooms for more than 80 percent of the school day.  
>
>    There's good news and bad news: while there has been progress in 
>integrating children, segregation  is still widespread and unnecessary.
>    
>    What follows is a list by State.  For each state, there is the
percentage 
>of children (again only with orthopedic impairments) for school years
1995-96 
>and for 1999-2000.
>
>Alabama     from    50% to      53% integrated.
>Alaska        from      56% to      52% integrated.
>Arizona      from   50%     to      54% integrated.
>Arkansas            42%     /       39 %
>California          28% /       32%
>Colorado                76%     /   82%
>Connecticut         75%     /   80%
>Delaware            26% /   33%
>D. C.                   0%.     /   3% 
>Florida             26% /   46%
>Georgia                     31% /   33%
>Hawaii      51%     /   52%          
>Idaho                       68% /   66%
>Illinois                24% /   37%         
>Indiana                     75% /   76%      
>Iowa                    60%     /   60%            
>Kansas                          73%      /  79%
>Kentucky                50%      /  52%
>Louisiana                       26% /   48%
>Maine                       76% /   69%
>Maryland            39%     /   40%          
>Massachus           65% /   71%              
>Michigan                     53%    /   53%
>Minnesota           67% /   70%
>Mississippi         11% /   26%    
>Missouri                    17% /   46%
>Montana             77% /   74%
>Nebraska            65 %    /   67%     
>Nevada                  59% /   56%
>New Hampshire   42% /   78%
>New Jersey      38% /   60%
>New Mexico          42% /   48%
>New York            59% /   65%
>North Carolina      56% /   66%
>North Dakota        68% /   75%
>Ohio                    42% /   60%
>Oklahoma            67% /   67%
>Oregon                  74% /   59%
>Pennsylvania        14% /   27%
>Rhode Island    30% /   41%
>South Carolina      25% /   19%
>South Dakota        67% /   87%
>Tennessee           33% /   36%
>Texas               17% /   19%
>Utah                    36% /   44%
>Vermont             87% /   89%
>Virginia                33% /   45%
>Washington          57% /   63%
>West Virginia       49% /   74%
>Wisconsin                   45% /   41%
>Wyoming                     58%     /   70%          
>
>United States       41% /   48%
>
>DON'T MOURN; ORGANIZE to pressure your state education departments and local 
>school districts to defend even one percent unnecessary segregation. 
>Steve Gold, The Disability Odyssey continues
>
>Back issues of other Information Bulletins are available online at 
>http://www.stevegoldada.com 
>with a searchable Archive at this site.
>