Special Education has evolved over the years from students who were labeled “slow” being placed in classrooms away from the regular education population or they were placed in “special schools” or institutions and never interacted with their peers in social or academic situations to special education students included in the regular education classroom and participating in extracurricular activities. Today we find that more and more school districts facing ways to use inclusion across all settings in the school environment.

Inclusion as it is called, means that the special education student be in the least restrictive environment in the school setting. It also means that  special education students are entitled to be in regular education situations mostly with proper supervision and participate along with other students. The school district is required to look at the least-restrictive setting first, and more or less “go down the list” until an appropriate placement is found. This does not mean the child has to try all the options on the list, only that the least restrictive are discussed first.

As time has gone on the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which is the federal law governing special education provision, has used the term “inclusion” less and less, but likes to use the term “least restrictive environment.” This term gives the special education student the opportunities that they never had in the past. To them inclusion means that students can learn in the same school environment and be helped by supportive services so that they can be successful in their adjustment and performance. It also means,that by having each student’s specific needs addressed in the integrated environment of a regular school setting and all students participating equally in all aspects/functions available within the school.  Inclusion means educating and providing support for regular classroom teachers who will have special education students in their classroom and educating other students to be tolerant of and to respect the differences in each other.  Inclusion means creating a comfortable environment within which students with and without disabilities can develop healthy social interactions and relationships and educating and supporting parents in their concerns. It also allows parents to participate in the team process responsible for inclusion by helping to arrange for appropriate work and educational experiences for disabled students within the community environments.  Inclusion means using new delivery systems for special education programs that emphasize collaboration between special education staff and the classroom teachers. It also means students learning together in the same environment even though their educational needs and prescribed goals may differ inclusion makes sure that each student has an appropriate individualized educational program.

We have to remember that the placement of inclusion in our school systems does not mean, dumping students with challenging needs into regular classes without proper supports and services necessary to be successful. Trading the quality of a student’s education or the intensive support services the student needs for integration, or ignoring each student’s unique needs.   It does not mean sacrificing the education of typical students so that students with challenging needs can be integrated, all students have the right to learn the same thing, at the same time, in the same way. Inclusion is not supposed to mean doing away with or cutting back special education services although in a lot of school budgets, special education is one of the first program to be cut. Inclusion does not mean expecting regular education teachers to teach students who have challenging needs without the support they need to teach all students effectively. This is where collaboration and the implementing  of a behavioral plan come into play.  Inclusion does not mean placing special-education classes in separate wings at regular schools or ignoring parents needs and request for services. It does not mean maintaining separate schedules for students in special and regular education and students with disabilities receiving their education and job training in facilities outside their communities.

There is an on going philosophy that all students and teachers alike will benefit from inclusion or the least restrictive environment. In a perfect world this would be true, but as the medical cases of the diagnosis of students in the broad autism spectrum rises and the state institutions that had once housed many mentally disabled people have closed, our school systems face the daunting task of being able to place these students in schools with the proper support system in place. At the present time school systems have no choice but to change to the option of inclusion. Hopefully by using inclusion it will make our regular education students learn tolerance and patience of those who are not the same as they are. Maybe one day inclusion will make the world a better place.