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Cody Coleman
Professor Malcolm Campbell
UWRITE 1103
March, 31st 2015

How Does Inclusion in the Classroom Really Help?

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A topic that has been debated over and is still being debated is inclusion for individuals
with special needs in the school system. My definition which is when people with special needs
or disabilities are put into a classroom with students who are in the general education classroom.
The other responses are from people who already know what it is and they either say they
disagree or agree with it. Some people agree and others disagree with this. This paper is meant to
both explain what inclusion is and to show why it can help ALL students learn! This will tell you
parents, students, and teachers views about inclusion to help get a better understanding of
different points of view.
Inclusion gives schools a way to use all of their resources and to provide a better learning
environment for all students. (Together We Learn) I think it is fair to say that teachers do not do
their job for money or benefits, but because of their love for kids and they want to help the next
generation make our world a better place. Most decisions teachers make are for the betterment of
their classroom. Some examples of decisions they have to make are what materials to use, how to
teach the class, and more recently teachers have to decide whether or not to let students with
special needs come into their classroom. Some general education teachers are against the
decision to let special needs students in to their classrooms because they are nervous that the
students with special needs will cause a disruption to their classroom and therefore cause the
other kids not to learn as much. Teachers are also nervous that they are not trained enough to
deal with the special needs students in terms of behavior. What some people fail to understand is
that the goal of schooling for students with special needs is to place them in the least restrictive
environment which was set by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as shown

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in this quote. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA; originally the Education
for All Handicapped Children Act, Public Law 94-142, 1975) requires school districts to educate
students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment (LRE). (The IDEA's Least
Restrictive Environment Mandate: Legal Implications) The least restrictive environment is when
a student with special needs is placed in an environment, or for this purpose, a classroom, that
will provide the most successful place for that specific student to learn as shown by the legal
mandates of I.D.E.A. The Act explicitly states that the LRE provision applies across the
continuum of placement alternatives. Specifically, the IDEA requires states to establish
procedures assuring that students with disabilities are educated to the maximum extent
appropriate with students without disabilities. Further, the use of special classes and separate
facilities or other removal from the general education environment may occur only when the
nature or severity of the student's disability precludes satisfactory instruction in general
education classes, even with supplementary aids and services. (The IDEA's Least Restrictive
Environment Mandate: Legal Implications) If a student is causing a disruption or problems for
the teachers or students of the general education classroom, chances are that the classroom is not
the least restrictive environment. The student with special needs would not benefit the most from
this environment. These students would be placed into a classroom that would be more beneficial
to the student where the teacher would know how to teach and handle them, not just a general
education inclusion class. Also, if the student with special needs gets to a point where he is
causing too much disruption for the class, I.D.E.A. gives the right to remove them and find a
better learning environment for them as shown in the quote above from the legal mandates of
IDEA.

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Another point to consider is Co-Teaching. This is when a special education teacher and
a general education teacher teach a class of both general and special education students. The
special education teacher is there to help with behaviors the student(s) with disabilities might
have and also to help teach them in difficult ways so they can understand. The special education
teachers can also give advice and suggestions to help general education teachers have the most
success teaching their students. One of the main points of inclusion is making sure that the least
restrictive environment is the main goal for all of the students to insure that both the typically
functioning students and the students with the disabilities have the easiest and best place to learn.
What do parents think about inclusion? Parents have the final say in what happens to
their kids whether it is for typically functioning students or students with disabilities. The parents
are also divided between the two sides of the debate. for those with learning disabilities also
have significant concerns about the wholesale move toward inclusion. Their concerns stem from
the fact that they have had to fight long and hard for appropriate services and programs for their
children.(Concerns About and Arguments Against Inclusion And/or Full Inclusion) Over the
years parents and other organizations have worked hard to get rights and special services for
their kids with special needs (as shown in the quote). Some see inclusion as a step backwards
because they fought to get their kids into the classrooms and special services they have. They
think that inclusion is trying to make their children learn a the same pace as typically functioning
students and that schools pushing for inclusion are taking away those rights
They are also cautious about inclusion because of fears that their children will be
ridiculed by other students. (Concerns About and Arguments Against Inclusion And/or Full
Inclusion) Parents are also worried about their child being a victim of bullying. Which is a
completely valid concern because everyone, at some point in their life, will get bullied. For the

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past few years there has been a movement by Special Olympics to stop people from saying the
word retarded because of all the negative connotations that go along with it. Special Olympics
is an organization whose goal is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition
in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving
them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy
and participate in a sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special
Olympics athletes and the community. (Help us make a difference!) In a perfect world
everybody would treat everybody with respect but that, unfortunately, is not the world we live in
nor will it ever be. What we can do to prevent bullying for children with special needs is by
teaching our kids before we even send them to preschool that if somebody looks or acts different
from them, that it does not mean they are less of a human being or below them. They should get
the same respect that everybody deserves and their disability or label should not define how
much respect they get. This is one way that we can help the parents who are more worried about
bullying, more than anything else, ease into the idea of inclusive classrooms so that their children
can benefit from it.
There is one more thing that I feel like will help parents get used to the idea of inclusion
is making it clear exactly what inclusion is. As previously stated, inclusion does not simply mean
the placement of students with disabilities in general education classes. This process must
incorporate fundamental change in the way a school community supports and addresses the
individual needs of each child. (Together We Learn Better) When many parents here what
inclusion is, all they hear it is putting students with special needs into a general education
classroom. When they just hear it said like that they shut out the idea completely. This is
understandable because no parent wants their child to be made fun of or looked over when it

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comes to their education. With that being said, maybe we need to present this idea of inclusion
differently. We need to explain it to parents and everybody that it is a way to make their students
and children learn better, become more accepted. We need to present it in a way that shows that
it gives all types of children and students a chance to work and learn together so that they will
have experience working with people from different back grounds and with different strengths
and weaknesses, just like in the real world. I believe all of these things will help parents to accept
inclusion and help their kids to be open minded to accept people of diversity into their lives and
classrooms.
When children with special needs are with all of their non-disabled peers, all of the
students tend to learn how to work better together and accept different ideas that students might
have. This skill correlates directly to the real world because no matter who you are, whether you
have special needs or not, you will have to know how to act around different types of people on a
day to day basis. A lot of concerns about inclusion is that the behaviors (if there are any) from
the students with special needs will, as I said earlier disrupt the learning environment but also
will rub off on the other children. The concern is that the general education kids will start to
mimic the other students in hopes of getting the attention that the other student is receiving when
he has a behavior that was caused by his disability. It has been observed that inclusive
classrooms have a positive effect on the behavior of both types of students. Behavioral supports
help maintain a positive learning environment for everyone. (Together We Learn) What this
quote means, is that when we show students that we have certain expectations for everybody,
they are more likely to follow these expectations. Students who have special needs are just as
capable of following rules as everybody else. Just because they have a disability does not excuse
rude or bad behavior that has no relation to their label. In my experience with kids and adults

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with special needs, they have the potential to have just as much control over their actions as we
do. The reason they have those bad behaviors is because we let them think that it is okay.
When we enforce the same rules with everybody in the classroom it shows them that they are not
going to get special treatment if they do not follow directions and they learn to control their
behaviors. All of this relates back to the students because they are the ones holding themselves
accountable for their actions whether it be bullying or any other form of behavior. This is what
behavioral supports mean. Suddenly, one of the students speaks out of turn and is not
corrected by the teacher. What happens? The message is loud and clear that the rule was meant
for some and not for others. Is it easily understood? This criterion may not be evident until a rule
is broken or as in the preceding case, the teacher has to enforce or not enforce the rule.
Consistency in enforcing rules creates for the student the opportunity to predict the teachers
behavior. The students relationship with the teacher is related to how well the student can
predict the behavior of the teacher. This relationship helps to establish a comfortable, safe,
classroom environment and allows the student to concentrate on instruction and learning. (ReExamination Of Classroom Rules) This quote shows that when a student misbehaves, it is not
only the job of the teacher to fix it, but the job of the other staff, parents, and students to hold
everybody to the same rules with only a few exceptions to those whose disabilities have a
prominent role in their behavior. Also, it shows the importance of the relationship of the student
and teacher. It means more to a student with special needs because they desperately need an
environment in which they feel safe and they feel is consistent, which would probably reduce the
amount of behaviors a student might have. If the students disability has that much of an adverse
effect on his or her behavior, an inclusion environment will probably not be the best place or the
least restrictive environment for them anyway which eliminates the problem of exceptions.

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I believe we also need to make a big change in the way we view people of diversity or
people who might not look and act like what everybody else deems as normal. When we want
to put a definition to the word normal, the fact is nobody would fall under it. One of the ways we
can start changing is by accepting this idea of inclusion. It is not meant to take away right and
services, or to hurt any students chance at learning. It is meant to make a push for everybody to
be accepting of all types of people. Teachers, while going to college, are taught to teach more
than just the subjects they are experts in. They are taught to be role models for these children just
like any other person who they spend a lot of time with. In some cases, students spend more time
with their teachers in school then they do with their parents at home. So the question arises How
are those kids going to learn morals? Its in the teachers role just as much as the parents.
Inclusion is just one way we can start changing school to teach that everyone has a right to be
accepted and learn the same things. This, in turn, changes the world because those children grow
up and teach their kids to accept people and then that is when we will start having a better world
that appreciates all different kinds of people.

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Works Cited

Bennett, Sheila M., and Tiffany L. Gallagher. "High School Students With Intellectual
Disabilities In The School And Workplace: Multiple Perspectives On
Inclusion." Canadian Journal Of Education 36.1 (2013): 96-124. Education Research
Complete. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.
"Concerns About and Arguments Against Inclusion And/or Full Inclusion." - Issues ...about
Change, Inclusion: The Pros and Cons, Volume 4, Number 3. SEDL. 1995. Web. 04
Mar. 2015.
Cromwell, Sharon. "Inclusion In The Classroom: Has It Gone Too Far?" Education World.
Education World. 27 Oct. 1997. Web. 8 Mar. 2015.
Friend, Marilyn, et al. "Co-Teaching: An Illustration Of The Complexity Of Collaboration In
Special Education." Journal Of Educational & Psychological Consultation 20.1 (2010):
9-27. Academic Search Premier. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.
"Help us make a difference!" Special Olympics: Special Olympics Mission. N.p., 2015. Web. 26
Apr. 2015. <http://www.specialolympics.org/mission.aspx>.
Malone, Bobby G., and Cheryl L. Tietjens. "Re-Examination Of Classroom Rules." Special
Services In The Schools16.1/2 (2000): 159-170. Education Research Complete. Web. 26
Apr. 2015.
Osborne Jr., Allan G., and Philip Dimattia. "The IDEA's Least Restrictive Environment
Mandate: Legal Implications." Exceptional Children 61.1 (1994): 6-14. Education
Research Complete. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.

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Runswick-Cole, Katherine. "Between A Rock And A Hard Place: Parents' Attitudes To The
Inclusion Of Children With Special Educational Needs In Mainstream And Special
Schools." British Journal Of Special Education 35.3 (2008): 173-180. Education
Research Complete. Web. 26 Apr. 2015.
Swain, Kristine D., Philip D. Nordness, and Elizabeth M. Leader-Janssen. "Changes in
Preservice Teacher Attitudes Toward Inclusion." Preventing School Failure: Alternative
Education for Children and Youth 56.2 (2012): 75-81. Web. 8 Mar. 2015.
"Together We Learn Better: Inclusive Schools Benefit All Children." Inclusive Schools Network.
Inclusive Schools Network. N.d. Web. 05 Mar. 2015.
Zinkil, Susan S., and Tammy S. Gilbert. "Parents' View: What To Consider When
Contemplating Inclusion." Intervention In School & Clinic 35.4 (2000): 224. Academic
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