The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities into Regular Education Classrooms

The Advantages and Disadvantages of the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities into Regular Education Classrooms

The American Community Survey (ACS , which is conducted by the Census Bureau , estimated

that about 6 .3 of the children between the age of 5 and 15 years had some form of

disability in 2007 .1 The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA , which was

legislated in 1975 , requires all public schools in the U .S . to provide 'all eligible children with

disabilities a free public education in the least restrictive environment appropriate for

their

needs ' According to the National Center for Educational Statistics , about 6 .7 million children

and youth , between the ages of 3 and 21 , received services under IDEA in 2006 - 2007 .2 The

issue of inclusion and mainstreaming of children with disabilities has always been

controversial . While it is wrong to differentiate and isolate children based on their abilities

most regular schools are ill equipped to take care of children with certain disabilities and that

can be disadvantageous to the disabled child as well as the regular children in the class . So

although every eligible child should have a right to go to any educational institution that he

or she wants to , it is important to make individualized decisions about inclusion . Teachers

doctors , therapists , parents and students should work together and decide what is best for

all the children in the classroom

The National Dissemination Center for children with disabilities has defined inclusion as the

philosophy , process , and practice of educating...