Inclusive education provides many benefits to students with disabilities as well as students without disabilities. Students learn many social skills, academic skills, functional skills, and lifelong lessons through interaction with peers of varying abilities.
Individuals with disabilities often face challenges with learning social skills. In inclusive classrooms, students with disabilities have more chances to interact with and learn from their typically developing peers. When interacting with peers on a daily basis, students with special needs can pick up on behaviors that are appropriate, "cool" social words and phrases that help them to fit in, and other social skills that they would not be able to learn from a non-inclusive classroom.
Students who are typically developing are challenged academically on a daily basis, and held to state and national standards. Although our students with disabilities are also challenged academically, they will have greater opportunities to learn and succeed in academia if they are learning alongside their typically developing peers. Giving individuals with disabilities the opportunity to learn in the classroom with their peers allows them more exposure to the curriculum and a chance to be challenged and held to the same academic standards as their peers. Although modifications may be necessary for the individuals with disabilities to be successful in the inclusive classroom, they will still gain more content knowledge when learning with their peers.
Students with special needs can learn many skills by viewing how their typically developing peers accomplish day-to-day activities and tasks. Functional skills such as how to hold a pencil or how to organize a desk or folder can be learned by viewing how their peers are doing it. Students with special needs can learn from the example of their peers.
Students who are typically developing also receive great benefits from having students with special needs included in the classroom. Students learn patience, how to work with various types of people, and how to develop friendships. Students learn so many wonderful things from their peers.
In the school I grew up in, I had 3 deaf students and 1 student with Down Syndrome in my class. These children were included in our classroom for most of the day. It is because of working with these students everyday that I have an appreciation for diversity and working with individuals with disabilities. Without that experience of being in an inclusive environment, I would not have known what it was like to be friends with an individual with a disability.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Wright's Law - Inclusion
This resource is from Wright's Law. It has many links to click on to learn more about inclusive education. A great resource for both parents and educators. Take a look HERE.
Myths and Facts About Inclusive Education
This website has some wonderful information about the myths and facts that surround inclusive education. Check them out HERE.
Meet the Facts About Inclusion
Check out this video created by teachers for teachers. It shares the facts about inclusion, and the top ten reasons for inclusion.
Inclusion: Doing our Best for All Children Article
Here is a wonderful article from Parents Magazine about inclusion. Check it out HERE.
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