The importance of inclusion of students with disabilities on education.

The importance of inclusion of students with disabilities on education.

According with the Learning Disabilities Association of America it is important to identify the concept of ‘full inclusion’ (The Learning Disabilities Association of America, LDA, 2012): “as a term used to describe a popular practice in which all students with disabilities, regardless of the nature of the disability and need for related services, receive their total education within the regular education classroom in their home school.” As a fact countries like the United States of America had achieved a high inclusion on the population with a disability.  

In fall 2011, some 95 percent of 6- to 21-year-old students with disabilities were served in regular schools; 3 percent were served in a separate school for students with disabilities; 1 percent were placed in regular private schools by their parents; and less than 1 percent each were served in one of the following environments: in a separate residential facility, homebound or in a hospital, or in a correctional facility. (IES (Institute of Education Sciences), 2015)

The amount of students that are not receiving proper inclusion on Education Classrooms is creating an impact no only on the education process, but as well on the working force. It has been proved that with a correct education and technique they can be productive.  Therefore the change must start from the inclusion at the schools and the acceptance on the society.

According with an article at La Nación (Barrantes, 2014): “In Costa Rica 37,000 children and adolescents with disabilities attend kindergarten, school or college”. Consequently, the disability is not really an obstacle to those who are really decided to study and improve their future and chances at very high demanding society. To achieve this goal, it is considered that the educators must be facilitators on the ongoing process for these students, and one way to achieve it is through inclusive classrooms.

Inclusive classrooms might contain several students with special needs who are mainstreamed full time into the general classroom, or one or two students who spend time each day in both a special education classroom and a general classroom. Either way, your role as a general education teacher is to create a community conducive to helping all students meet academic and behavioral goals; however, you should not have to achieve this aim alone. Ongoing communication is essential for locating individuals, services and materials to best support all of your students. In addition, some key planning and teaching strategies can make a dramatic difference in reaching students with diverse abilities and skill bases. (Makofsky, 2015)

To be able to apply a term or a concept it is mandatory to understand its meaning. Therefore, inclusion can be defined (Kimbrough & Mellen, 2012): “what occurs at various levels and in various contexts throughout the school day based on the individual needs of the learners and the availability of school resources”. For that reason, it is important for the educator to identify the primary needs of the student with a disability and then amalgamate those needs with the resources and availability from the school or the educational institute.

 Serena Makofsky (2015) on her article states that to assure the inclusion the educator must backward planing as it is considered the most straightforward way to guarantee that daily lessons will be aligned. As well, she reinforces the importance to embrace the universal design as (Makofsky, 2015): “This approach makes your curriculum accessible to all students, regardless of their backgrounds, learning styles and abilities.”

Another recommendation made by Makofsky (2015) on her works, is to apply multiple the multiple intelligences theory, since this will (Makofsky, 2015): “allows students to explore important concepts using a range of domains, and find information based on their own abilities.”

Finally, Makofsky (2015) also comments on this article to incorporate life skills training, to employ collaborative teaching techniques and to formulate a flexible behavior management plan, so the objective will be accomplished by (Makofsky, 2015): “practicing these planning, teaching and management strategies is underscored by a recognition of the unique gifts of all your students. “

By understanding the importance of inclusion and as well by applying the techniques described before, it is that the inclusion of thousands of students to the society as professionals will be achieved. Even though challenges might arise during the ongoing process, as lack of attention from the institutions or the parents, or financial situations from both parts as well, the persistence will assure the success of the students on the objectives achievement and the assesment results will be satisfactory on the final evaluation results.

References

• ·         Barrantes, A. (2014, July 6). 70% de alumnos con discapacidad supera barreras educativas. (G. Nacion, Ed.) La Nación. Retrieved November 20, 2015, from http://www.nacion.com/nacional/educacion/alumnos-discapacidad-supera-barreras-educativas_0_1425057533.html
• ·         IES (Institute of Education Sciences). (2015). Inclusion of Students with disabilities. U.S Department of Education.
• ·         Kimbrough, R., & Mellen, K. (2012, February). Perceptions of Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in the Middle School. Retrieved from Association for Middle Level Education: https://www.amle.org/BrowsebyTopic/WhatsNew/WNDet/TabId/270/ArtMID/888/ArticleID/308/Perceptions-of-Inclusion-of-Students-with-Disabilities-in-the-Middle-School.aspx
• ·         Makofsky, S. (2015). Special Education Guide. Retrieved from THE GENERAL ED TEACHER’S GUIDE TO THE INCLUSIVE CLASSROOM: http://www.specialeducationguide.com/pre-k-12/inclusion/the-general-ed-teachers-guide-to-the-inclusive-classroom/ 
• ·         The Learning Disabilities Association of America, LDA. (2012). Full Inclusion of All Students with Learning Disabilities in the Regular Education Classroom. Retrieved from The Learning Disabilities Association of America: http://ldaamerica.org/advocacy/lda-position-papers/full-inclusion-of-all-students-with-learning-disabilities-in-the-regular-education-classroom/