Bill Hyatt <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Wow things sure have changed since I was a kid.  When I was
> growing up thee was only one option and that was the special
> school system.  This is where I started out my educational
> career.  I have moderate CP and I went to school with others
> with varying degrees of disability.  The teacher taught to the
> lowest common denominator, that being those with cognitive
> disabilities. I don't fault her but I don't think one teacher
> can possibly meet the needs of a group of kids ranging in age
> from 3 to 16 with all kinds of differnet physical and mental
> impairments as well as those kids with normal and above normal
> IQ's.  I only started making progress when I went into the
> regular classroom.
>
I also tasted the nectar of main stream and special ed schooling
(although t'other way round - mainstream 4-7 and special ed
8-19), and I came to the entirely opposite conclusion! The
benefits I received from being with 150 other disabled kids far
outweighed the benefits I received from mainstream school.

My school seems very different from yours. Your "one teacher"
would have been one of about 200 education, care and maintenance
staff. Some of the kids had low IQs, some were very bright, all
had various disabilities, but with class sizes between 6-12 the
teachers had sufficient time (and budget) to deliver education on
an individual basis.

The focus of the schools was different too. Whilst main stream
schools tend to focus on academic achievement, since their
measurement of success is examination result based, the Special
Ed schools had a higher purpose, fitting their students for life
after school. Academic success was not achievable by a
significant number of the students in Special Ed, but I certainly
benefitted from their friendship.

>   Actually, I did find the teachers and the other students
> quite accomodating.  I didn't need an aid and while I could
> walk some, I used a wheelchair for safety sake and never
> regretted it for a moment because it allowed me to do many
> things I would not otherwise have had the physical ability to
> do.
>
>
> Bill Hyatt
> "The shortest distance between two points is.....
>  usually not accessible"
>

Cheers,

--
Deri James