The Gift of the Continuum of Services Part II: The Benefits of Inclusion

LRE, a fundamental element of EHA, requires that “to the maximum extent appropriate, school districts must educate students with disabilities in the regular classroom with appropriate aids and supports… along with their nondisabled peers in the school they would attend if not disabled” (Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, 1994, para. 5). This requirement ushered in the concept of mainstreaming, which further evolved into inclusion. Both mainstreaming and inclusion generally refer to placement of children with disabilities in the general education classroom (Mastropieri & Scruggs, 2018). Inclusion is deemed desirable because it supports acquisition and generalization of knowledge and skills, self-sufficiency, social-emotional development, and acceptance of disability (Henninger & Gupta, 2014). However, it is important to note that EHA and its successor, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), acknowledges that the general education classroom does not constitute the LRE if the child with a disability cannot be “satisfactorily educated,” even with appropriate aids and supports, in the general education classroom at their home school (Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, 1994). The next four parts of this series will explore my personal reality related to these perceived benefits of inclusion.