Taking Sides: Parent Views on Inclusion for Their Children with Severe Disabilities

2001 ◽  
Vol 67 (4) ◽  
pp. 467-484 ◽  
Author(s):  
David S. Palmer ◽  
Kathy Fuller ◽  
Tina Arora ◽  
Marianna Nelson
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Education System ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Parental Perceptions ◽  
Written Comments ◽  
General Education Classroom ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities

Written comments by 140 parents of students with severe disabilities are analyzed to identify reasons why they are supportive of, or resistive to, inclusive education programming. Reasons parents were supportive of inclusion included beliefs that the child would learn more in a general education classroom. Parents who opposed inclusion largely indicated that the severity of their children's disabilities precluded any benefit from such programs or that the general education classroom program would not be educationally appropriate or welcoming to their children. Discussion includes speculation that views regarding inclusion may often be related to perceptions of the general education system itself. Ideas regarding parental perceptions of the importance of social relationships between students with and without disabilities are also considered.

Fissuring Barriers to Inclusive Education for Students with Severe Disabilities

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-17
Author(s):  
Charles Dukes ◽  
Lauren Berlingo
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Education Environment ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities ◽  
Intense Debate

Inclusive education for students with severe disabilities has and continues to spark intense debate. To what extent should students with severe disabilities be educated in nonsegregated environments, particularly the general education environment? For some, there is no question, but history indicates many do not agree. Agran and colleagues provide a clear, concise summation of the rationale for continued segregation of students with severe disabilities. This commentary extends those arguments, speculating on how perceptions about people with disabilities manifest in society and in schools in particular, often resulting in continued segregation and far less inclusion than might be expected or warranted.

Supporting Inclusive Education for Students with Severe Disabilities in Rural Areas

2007 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 10-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
June E. Downing ◽  
Kathy Peckham-Hardin
Keyword(s):  
Rural Communities ◽  
General Education ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Practices ◽  
Natural Supports ◽  
Individualized Approach ◽  
The Rich ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities

Inclusive education is considered a recommended practice for students with severe disabilities. These students benefit from the rich learning environments and natural supports found in general education classrooms. Furthermore, the highly individualized approach to inclusive education requires teams (regardless of location) to work closely with family members and peers and take advantage of natural resources that exist. Therefore, despite limited resources in rural areas, characteristics of these communities can be quite supportive of inclusive practices. Challenges to inclusive practices in rural schools will be presented as well as suggestions designed to address these challenges. The strengths of rural communities with regard to inclusive practices will be highlighted.

Placement along the Continuum of Services and its Impact on Students' Social Relationships

1995 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 259-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dale Fryxell ◽  
Craig H. Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
General Education ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Friendship Networks ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Continuum

To better understand the conditions facilitating social relationships, we studied the impact of educational placement on the social life of students with severe disabilities. Several indicator variables were used to assess students' social relationships, including measures of social contacts, social support behaviors, and friendship networks. Placement at two points along the continuum of services—general education and self-contained classrooms—constituted the independent variables under study. Two matched groups of students with severe disabilities, one from each placement type, served as participants. The results from direct observation and interviews indicated that: (a) students placed in general education had higher levels of social contact with peers without disabilities; (b) students in general education received higher levels of social support from others, as well as provided higher levels of social support; and (c) those students had substantially larger friendship networks composed primarily of peers without disabilities. Implications regarding the impact of the continuum of services on students' social lives are discussed, along with general issues relating to the development and maintenance of social relationships.

Comparing Instructional Contexts of Students with and without Severe Disabilities in General Education Classrooms

1998 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 343-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kent R. Logan ◽  
D. Michael Malone
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
General Education ◽  
Elementary Classrooms ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Group Instruction ◽  
Education Students ◽  
General Education Students ◽  
Instructional Supports ◽  
Instructional Contexts ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities

This study compared the instructional contexts of 15 students with severe disabilities who were educated in general education elementary classrooms, and 15 general education students in those same classrooms. Results suggest that (a) different instructional contexts existed for students with severe disabilities; (b) more individualized instructional supports were provided for the students with severe disabilities, including one-to-one instruction, small group instruction provided by special education staff, physical and gestural prompting, and teacher focus on the student with severe disabilities; (c) most of the more individualized supports were provided by special education staff. Implications for supporting students with severe disabilities in general education elementary classrooms are discussed.

scholarly journals Involvement and Participation of Students With Severe Disabilities in SWPBIS

2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 131-141
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Kurth ◽  
Alison L. Zagona
Keyword(s):  
General Education ◽  
Student Outcomes ◽  
Behavioral Interventions ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
General Educators ◽  
Support Needs ◽  
Positive Behavioral Interventions ◽  
Tier 1 ◽  
Tiered System ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities

With more schools implementing Schoolwide Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (SWPBIS) and achieving valued student outcomes associated with these efforts, the inclusion of students with extensive and pervasive support needs (i.e., “severe” disabilities) in this tiered system must be considered. These students remain programmatically and physically separated from general education instruction and activities. Given that SWPBIS is implemented in general education settings and it is designed to support all students, the purpose of this study was to investigate SWPBIS coaches’ perceptions of the involvement of students with extensive support needs in SWPBIS processes and procedures within one state. Findings suggest the coaches believe that students with extensive support needs are physically and programmatically separated from Tier 1 SWPBIS instruction and activities, with few general educators expressing participation in facilitating their involvement. Implications and recommendations for these findings are provided.

Project-Based Learning for Students With Intellectual Disabilities

2018 ◽  
pp. 196-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vardan Mkrttchian
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Disability ◽  
General Education ◽  
Intellectual Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Subject Area ◽  
General Education Teachers ◽  
Project Based Learning ◽  
Learning Method ◽  
Disabled Students ◽  
General Education Classroom

With the push to include all students, despite disability, in the general education classroom, general education teachers need to be trained in ways to adequately educate intellectually disabled students alongside their nondisabled peers. Many students with an intellectual disability are capable of learning in an inclusive environment if provided with proper support, such as through instructional methods like project-based learning. Project-based learning actively involves learners in investigating real-world issues and answering related questions. This chapter focuses on how to use the project-based learning method to teach children with intellectual disabilities within the framework of inclusive education, using biology as an example subject area.

Inclusive Education for Students with Severe Disabilities

1997 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 133-142 ◽  
Author(s):  
June E Downing ◽  
Joanne Eichinger ◽  
Lllly J Williams
Keyword(s):  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Elementary School Principals ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Professional Role ◽  
General Educators ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Educational Programming ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities ◽  
Different Levels

Structured interviews were conducted with elementary school principals, general educators (k-6), and special educators at different levels of inclusive educational programming to determine perceptions toward inclusive education for learners with severe disabilities. Comments from the 27 participants were categorized according to the main questions asked during the interviews, with similar comments aggregated per category. Comparisons made by professional role and level of implementation regarding inclusive education revealed several concurring statements as well as some discrepancies. Differences in perception of inclusive education for students with severe disabilities across professional role and level of implementation of respondents are described. Implications for future research and inclusive educational practices are discussed.

An Examination of the Acceptability of Instructional Practices for Students with Severe Disabilities in General Education Settings

1994 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Felix F. Billingsley ◽  
Bridget Kelley
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
General Education ◽  
Regular Education ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Teacher Preparation Programs ◽  
Practice Research ◽  
Preparation Programs ◽  
Academic Settings ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities ◽  
Education Of Students

This study investigated 51 instructional methods specifically targeted as best practices for the education of students with severe disabilities. A survey was mailed to 120 project directors, professors, administrators, and researchers who provided direct and/or indirect services to individuals with severe disabilities. A total of 53 surveys (44%) was returned and 51 were included in the final data analysis. Participants judged each method on familiarity, soundness, and appropriateness for implementation in general education settings. Findings indicated that all methods were judged both sound and appropriate by the majority of participants. Twelve methods, however, were considered inappropriate in academic settings by 20% or more of the respondents, whereas one method was considered inappropriate by at least 20% of participants in other regular education settings. Implications for practice, research, and preservice teacher preparation programs are discussed.

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