<<
1. What is your opinion of the full inclusion movement and were you =
involved in it?
2. In what way is your child included in the regular school program and =
do you feel that approach is effective and appropriate?
3. How has the IEP process been effective or ineffective in meeting your =
goals for your child?
4. What has been the most successful part of your child's school =
program/experience, and why?
5. What has been the most frustrating part of your child's school =
program/experience and why?
6. What are the essential skills that you want to see in a Special =
Education teacher?
AND
7. What would be some suggested improvements that you would like to see =
implemented in your child's school/community program? >>
My child is now 18 and was mainstreamed into a regular middle school from a
school for disabled children.

After first hand experience with inclusion or mainstreaming, I am dead set
against it. Very few benefit from it, the vast majority of children are hurt
by it. There needs are not truly met, and as they reach middle school and
high school, they get as little as possible in services.
<snip>
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.

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"


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