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.

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.

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.

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.

scholarly journals Views of Inclusive Education From the Perspectives of Preservice and Mentor Teachers

Inclusion ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 189-202
Author(s):  
Jennifer A. Kurth ◽  
Anjali Forber-Pratt
Keyword(s):  
Preservice Teachers ◽  
Teacher Preparation ◽  
General Education ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Inclusive Education ◽  
Teacher Educators ◽  
School Experiences ◽  
Mentor Teachers ◽  
Inclusive Practices ◽  
Barriers To Implementation

Abstract The trend of educating students with disabilities in inclusive general education settings is expanding. Consequently, teacher preparation for inclusive practices is a necessary consideration for teacher educators. An important component of shaping preservice teacher dispositions comes from school experiences and interactions with mentor teachers. It is through this relationship that preservice teachers formulate their own attitudes, beliefs, and skills about inclusive practices. This article reports the findings from a set of surveys containing both closed- and open-ended responses related to inclusive education from both preservice (student) and mentor teachers. Analysis of the open-ended responses revealed definitions of inclusive education focused on student deficits and barriers to implementation of inclusive practices that focused on deficits in the capacity of the environment. Implications for teacher preparation, including challenging deficit-based assumptions, are discussed.

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.

Using Structural Analysis to Inform Peer Support Arrangements for High School Students With Severe Disabilities

2018 ◽  
Vol 123 (2) ◽  
pp. 119-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heartley B. Huber ◽  
Erik W. Carter ◽  
Sarah E. Lopano ◽  
Kristen C. Stankiewicz
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
High School Students ◽  
Structural Analysis ◽  
General Education ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Academic Engagement ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
School Students ◽  
Social Responses ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities

Abstract We examined the effects of peer support arrangements as an alternative to exclusive direct support from paraprofessionals for three high school students with severe disabilities in general education classrooms. We also explored the use of structural analysis as a data-based approach for further refining the interventions to enhance their impact in particular classrooms. Peer support arrangements were associated with substantial increases in social outcomes; academic engagement maintained or improved modestly for all participants. Moreover, structural analyses yielded findings used to adapt peer support arrangements to address students' individual needs. Although the effects of structural analysis-based adaptations resulted in increases in social responses for only one participant, levels of social interactions maintained, and improvements in academic engagement occurred for two participants.

Addressing the General Education Curriculum in General Education Settings with Students with Severe Disabilities

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 155-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah L. Ballard ◽  
Stacy K. Dymond
Keyword(s):  
Data Analysis ◽  
General Education ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Social Inclusion ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Severe Disabilities ◽  
Education Curriculum ◽  
General Education Curriculum ◽  
Students With Severe Disabilities ◽  
General Education Classrooms

This systematic literature review examined research on stakeholders’ beliefs about addressing the general education curriculum in general education classrooms with students with severe disabilities (SD). The investigation was limited to studies published in peer-reviewed journals between 1997 and 2015. Ten articles were identified and then analyzed using an inductive coding approach and thematic analysis. Secondary data analysis revealed four major themes centered on (a) method of access, (b) type of curriculum, (c) barriers/concerns, and (d) benefits. Overall, stakeholders were found to perceive social inclusion as more important than involvement and progress in the general education curriculum for students with SD. Stakeholders also perceived numerous challenges around facilitating access to the general education curriculum in general education classrooms.

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