The University of the West Indies Open Campus Faculty of Humanities and Education School of Education Bachelor of Education

EDHF 4000: Life Skills Instruction Semester 1 (2013) Assignment 1: Web quest

Name: Marcrina Leonce ID No: 313104233 E Tutor: Mrs Sofia Gabriel Due Date: 6th October, 2010

Topic: Make a case for the policy of mainstreaming of children with disabilities in the school system. Analyze the challenges such policy would face in your school system.

In the education system there has been an increasing concern by parents, educators and other stakeholders for the practice of having all students with disabilities places in the regular classroom. Literature has referred to this practice by various terms such as inclusion and mainstreaming. These terms have been used interchangeable in the education system although the concepts may be different according to ones theoretical position. Phi Delta Kappas Centre for Evaluation Development and Research (1993), defines inclusion as a term which expresses commitment to educate each child, to the maximum extent appropriate, in the school and classroom he/she would otherwise attend. This process involves bringing the support services to the child (rather than moving the child to the services) and requires only that the child will benefit from being in the class (rather than having to keep up with the other students. Advocates for inclusion believe that the children should always begin in the regular environment and should be removed only when appropriate services can not be provided in the regular classroom. Stainback & Stainback (1990) explained that inclusion reflects a belief that all students are to be educated in regular education, as opposed to special education classes. On the other hand mainstreaming is defined as a term used to refer to a child with special needs that attends a regular classroom with students who are the childs own age. In mainstreaming the children are not isolated in a special class away from his peers but are included like everyone else. Thousand and Villa (1991) argued that all children with needs have a right to equal opportunity in the regular classroom, and need the regular classroom and stimulation of typical peers in order to gain functional life and work skills and to develop social relationships.

When disable students are mainstreamed into regular classroom with non disabled students they learn to accept each other differences. These students will be able to socialize with the normal students. In this setting the disabled students feels a sense of belonging. Willis (1995) states the advantage of mainstreaming is that the nondisabled children in a mainstream classroom will learn to accept people despite their differences. He also stated that mainstreaming of disabled students results in better socialization skills for disabled children. A disability is the inability to do something specific such as walk, read, hear and see. Students with disabilities are not all the same. Their disabilities can be categorized as follows: learning disabilities, visual and hearing impairments, autism, mental retardation, physical/orthopedic disabilities disorders. Most students with learning disabilities have difficulties in reading. They may also have difficulties in writing, reasoning and mathematics. Visual impaired students are those who have difficulty seeing. They tend to hold books either close to or far away from their eyes. Hearing impaired students are not able to hear clearly. They tend to turn one ear toward the speaker. Autism is defined by the Autism Society of America (ASA) as a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social interactions and communication skills. Mental retardation is a term used when a person has certain limitations in mental functioning and in skills such as communicating, taking care of him or herself, and social skills. .

Physical disability includes mobility, orthopedic or other health impairment. Mobility and orthopedic impairment involves a serious limitation in locomotion or motor function and other health impairment means a serious dysfunction of a body part or system. These children may need the assistance of wheelchairs, crutches, braces, walkers or canes to help them move about. These children may refer to as special children in the education system. Kauffman &Hallahan (2005) define special children as those children who require special education and related services if they are to realize their full human potential. Children with these disabilities can be mainstreamed in a regular classroom. Mainstreaming has helped school children gain a greater understanding of those with disabilities. In Saint Lucia there is support for mainstreaming in the education system by the Ministry of Education. The ministry has set up a Special Education Unit to cater for the needs of special children which are form general school system and those with learning difficulties. The Special Education Unit works in collaboration with other departments within the Ministry of Education such as The Early Childhood Education and the Educational Evaluation and Assessment units. Other non- government organizations such as the St. Lucian Blind Welfare Association, the St. Lucia Society for the deaf and the National Council of and for persons with disabilities are also working along side with the Ministry of Education. These organizations provide services for students in the school system. The St. Lucia Blind Welfare Association has been the leading promoters for mainstreaming of students in the regular school environment. The blind and low vision students were introduced to the mainstreaming practice at the different schools by the Blind Welfare Association in 1986. Jessica Jacobie was the first blind child to be educated from preschool through the tertiary level in the mainstream education system. She was also the first blind student from St. Lucia to graduate with a degree from UWI. It is believed that these group
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of students need to be mainstreamed into the regular classroom so that they can become productive and valuable citizens. There was a blind student (girl) who attended my school a few years ago. She succeeded in the Common Entrance Exams and gained a place at a secondary school. This girl was assisted by her peers. Her peers did not tease her about her disability they welcomed her into their classroom and made her feel part of the school community. There was no discrimination in the classroom and at the school level every child was seen as an important individual no matter disability. Mr. Anthony Avril was the leading founder for this initiative. Mr. Avril (n.d.) stated that we realized that blind children are going to become adults and they have to function in mainstream society. Mainstreaming of students with disabilities has proven to be very beneficial to the society, students and the education system. This is to show that the children are our future and when they are given the opportunity they do succeed in life. Mainstreaming has a place in the regular classroom environment. However, for this practice to be effective and successful measures are needed to be put in place. Many challenges may be faced with the practice of mainstreaming by teachers, schools, parents and other students. The most significant challenge is the lack of professional personnel to correctly assess and diagnose students with disabilities and to provide adequate support for post diagnosis. Teachers are not adequately qualified to diagnose students with the different disabilities such as autism, learning disabilities, dyslexia, visual and hearing impairment. In St, Lucia there was only one person assigned to diagnose students with different disabilities. Students are referred to doctors by the special education teacher so that the children can be properly diagnosed but this can be so costly for parents to undertake. Such services should be free and more accessible to parents.

Teachers may not have the knowledge or support necessary to deal with children with disabilities. Fullan (1991) stated that a full range of support is necessary for any change at the system or individual level. In St. Lucia most schools are provided with a special education teacher from the SENT programme. These children give support to students with learning disabilities. The students are removed from the class for short period of time. They are assisted in the areas of reading, writing and computing. Lack of personnel support from principal, ancillary staff, and other teachers have also made it challenging for mainstreaming in the school. SaponShevin (1992) stated that all members of the school community must understand and be comfortable with the school philosophy of inclusion, including school secretary, janitors, cafeteria staff, teachers aides, parents, volunteers, students, teachers and administrators. Another challenge for the implementation of mainstreaming is that teachers and principal may not have the training to deal with students with disabilities. Teachers may be reluctant to teach children with disabilities due to insufficient skills. Teachers do not feel adequately prepared to meet the needs of children with special needs (Vaugh and Schumm, 1995).As a new teacher when I was given a boy with some disabilities. He was blind in one eye, was not able to read and write. It was very frustrating because I could not include him in my instruction. We had no special education teacher at my school. I felt disappointed and guilty because I could not reach this child. Long (2000) explained that when a teacher feels ineffective with a student he/she may experience a feeling of helplessness, which in turn may progress into a feeling of frustration, anger and even rage. Currently, 40 teachers from the primary schools have been trained to support children with learning difficulties. This training in the area of Special Education was conducted by personnel from Lynchburg College with the funding from the World Bank. Principals and teachers must be trained in the areas of special needs, so that inform decisions can
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be made and appropriate programs can be put in place for the special needs students. Teachers also need to be aware of students with disabilities so that they can have an input into decisions which will impact upon their professional lives. Teachers must also be involved in the planning process before the implementation of mainstreaming in the school system. Research has shown that when teachers are involved in the planning process towards mainstreaming they develop positive attitudes and a willingness to make classes conducive to students with special needs. Cost and funding is another major challenge for mainstreaming. Most schools lack the basic educational materials and equipment to provide sufficient education for special needs. In the developing countries like St. Lucia special education cost more that regular education so governments do not cater for special needs education. Special education may not be a priority for government budget. Lack of resources and technology pose another challenge for mainstreaming. Students with disabilities need additional resources to enhance their learning. It is very costly for schools officials to obtain the necessary resources to cater for students with the different disabilities. For instance students with visual impairments have special educational needs. In order to meet their needs schools must provide students with specialized services, books and appropriate media which includes Braille to ensure equal access to the core curriculum which is available from the schools. Schools must provide a full range of options and support services to the visual impaired students. Class size has been an issue for mainstreaming with the classroom especially in the developing countries such as St. Lucia. In a classroom there are thirty to thirty five students to one teacher. With a smaller class that means with fewer students the teacher will be able to pay

greater attention to the non-disable and the disabled students as well. Reducing class size is the most effective way of reducing behavioural problems and improving learning in a classroom of disabled and non disabled students. With the inclusion of various effective support systems mainstreaming students with disabilities into the regular school can be very beneficial. Students can learn to respect and understand and come to accept each other differences. In mainstreamed classroom students will feel a sense of belonging and will be supported by his/her peers. If it is used wisely mainstreaming can become a very important aspect of education system which will benefit all children in the classroom.

References Avril, A (n.d.) Enabling Network Including Blind Children in St. Lucia. Retrieved 15/10/10 from http://www.eenet.org.uk/resources/eenet_newsletter/news8/page21.php Definition of Autism: Retrieved 20/10/10 from http:www.definitionofautism.com/ Fullan, M. G. (1991). The Teacher: In M. G. Fullan, The new meaning of educational change (pp. 117-143). NY: Teachers College Press.

Huston, J. (2007). Wisconsin Education Association Council (WEAC) :Special Education Inclusion Retrieved 19/10/10 from http://www.weac,org?Issues_Adovcacy/Resources_Pages_On_Issues_On/Specail_Education?sp ecial_education-inclusion.aspx. Inclusive Education in Guyana: Perspectives of Policy Makers, Teachers, and Parents of Children with Special Needs: Retrieved 19/10/10 from http://www.ecdgroup.com/docs/lib-004491335.pdf.

Kauffman, J., M. & Hallahan, D., P. (2005). Special Education: What it is why we need it? Boston: Allyn and Bacon. Long, N. J. (2000). Personal struggles in reclaiming troubled youth. Reclaiming Children and Youth, 9, 95-101.
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Mainstreaming in Education (2007). Action Alliance for Children: Childrens Advocate. Retrieved 12/10/10 from http://www.4children.org/news/103spec.htm. Medicinenet.com: Mental Retardation Retrieved 20/10/10 from http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=20174 Sapon- Shevin, M. (1992). Inclusive Thinking About Inclusive Schooling. In J. Thousand and R. Villa (Eds.), Restructuring for Caring and Effective Education: An Administrative Guide to Creating Heterogeneous Schools. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes. Stainback, W., & Stainback, S.(1990). Inclusive Schooling: In W. Stainback and S Stainback (Eds). Support networks for inclusive Schooling (pp.3-24). Baltimore: Paul H. Brooks Thousand, J., and Villa, R.(1991). A futuristic view of the REI: A response to Jenkins, Pious and Jewell. Exceptional Children 57, 556-562 UNESCO International Bureau Of Education (2007): Caribbean Symposium on Inclusive Education: Kingston, Jamaica, 5-7 Retrieved 20/10/10 from http://www.lbe.unesco.org/fileadmin_upload/Inclusive_Education/Reports/Kingston_07/Stlucia_ inclusion_07.pdf.

Vaugh, S., & Schumm, J., S. (1995). Responsible inclusion for students with learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 28 (5), 264-270, 290 Willis, S. (1995) Inclusion Gains Ground. Education Update Dec. 1-8

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THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES

Undergraduate Coursework Accountability Statement (To be completed by student)

ACADEMIC YEAR: 20103 COURSE CODE: EDHF 4001 NAME: Marcrina Leonce

SEMESTER: ONE TITLE: Life Skills Instruction ID: 313104233

1. I hereby certify that I am the author of the attached item of coursework and that all materials from reference sources have been properly acknowledged. 2. I understand what plagiarism is and what penalties may be imposed on students found guilty of plagiarism. 3. I certify that this paper contains no plagiarised material. 4. I certify that this is my own work and that I did not receive any unfair assistance from others (including unauthorized collaboration) in its preparation. 5. I certify that this paper has not previously been submitted either in its entirety or in part within the UWI system or to any other educational institution. 6. In the case of group work: a. I certify that the individual work of each member of the group has been clearly indicated; b. that where no such indication has been given, I take the responsibility for the work as if it were the section of the paper for which I am solely responsible; and c. that I have not collaborated with any members of the group to breach the Universitys regulations.

Signature: Marcrina Leonce Date 6th October, 2013

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