All over the world in many societies the children with different kind of disabilities have been traditionally separated from the healthy children. This mostly has been related to the educational process, and educational segregation is still a common and traditional practice in many countries nowadays. It has been generally believed that only special professionals in education will be able to educate those kids.
But already for a decade or even more this approach in solving problem with children who have disabilities is being questioned. The recent researches show the evidence to prove that these children can get the general and tradition education in regular mainstream schools. This practice will also be very beneficial for disabled children, because this treatment will develop the sense of self-consciousness, self meaning and value and will make them more confident and form a positive attitude towards the society. For schools this practice will improve educational capabilities and will enrich the experience and knowledge of teachers in practical pedagogic, psychology and sociology as well as it’ll make other children to be more understandable, tolerant, patient and sympathetic to others who differ from them. Even for healthy regular kids this innovation will be beneficial because it’ll make them to learn how to interact with different people and how to build healthy relations with different people when they are young.
Nowadays most of official and human rights activists agree that the existence of special schools makes a violation of students’ rights, that mainly includes the violation of the right for meaningful and proper education at school, it violates the right for the harmonic and social development that is essential for the psychological and natural growth or development of every child. As the supporters of inclusive education argue, official enforcement of separate education on the grounds of disability, learning difficulty or emotional issues violates international human rights agreements that include the UNESCO Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action (1994), the UN Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (1993) and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989).
From the perspective, which supports the rights of all students to inclusive education, segregated special schools form an evidence of institutional discrimination. The rights that students have to inclusive education are universal – those rights refer to all students, everywhere, even for those whose parents would rather agree them to go to special needs school. As it states in UN General Comment issued in 2001, that discrimination, that refers to disability: ‘offends the human dignity of the child and is capable of undermining or even destroying the capacity of the child to benefit from educational opportunities’. At this point in the past decade new educational programs began to develop in many industrialized countries especially in the USA and in the UK. Most of them suggested refusing from the segregation in many points and making common educational opportunities for children. Inclusion is term that refers to the educational process of students who have disabilities, but the educational process has to take place in general classrooms so that they’ll interact with their peers. The classrooms have to be provided with necessary supports and services for these students.
CSIE (Center for Studies on Inclusive education) has developed the Inclusion Charter, a document what stated the priorities for the development of education that would give equal opportunities to diverse children. First written in 1989, it was partly reformed and revised in 2002 taking into consideration the latest developments and experiences of inclusion and segregation issues in education:
1. “We fully support an end to all segregated education on the grounds of disability or learning difficulty, as a policy commitment and goal for this country.
2. We see the ending of segregation in education as a human rights issue, which belongs within equal opportunities policies.
3. We believe that all students share equal value and status. We therefore believe that the exclusion of students from the mainstream because of disability or learning difficulty is devaluation and is discriminating.
4. We envisage the gradual transfer of resources, expertise, staff and students from segregated special schools to an appropriately supported, diverse and inclusive mainstream.
5. We believe that segregated education is a major cause of society’s widespread prejudice against adults and those experiencing difficulties in learning and that efforts to increase their participation in community life will be seriously jeopardized unless segregated education is reduced and ultimately ended. Desegregating special education is therefore a crucial first step in helping to change discriminatory attitudes, in creating greater understanding and in developing a fairer society.
6. For these reasons we call on Central and Local Governments to do all in their power to work as quickly as possible towards the goal of a desegregated education system.” The members of the center for inclusive education state, that even parent and careers whose children are in the separate special schools, because of the local educational policies, still can contribute to the end of school segregation. If they’ll cooperate with educational authorities to solve the segregation issues, they’ll work for the good of their kinds, and will work for a better education for all students. As the Inclusion Charter says: “The benefits of inclusion apply to all students, disabled and non-disabled alike.”
It’s understandable that inclusive education requires additional financing for public schools to support them with all the required facilities for the needs of children. The plan that is proposed by the Center for Studies on Inclusive education includes transfer of resources from the segregated educational sector to the development of facilities in mainstream school.
The financial problem of the educational reform that was considered to be a barrier for painless reform of education was solved. As the 1999 study made by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) had concluded that it appeared to be no more expensive to provided needed supplies for needed children in regular school, than to give education in the special schools. Also the study proved that in most cases the inclusive system of education appeared to be much cheaper, than segregated dual system, which as it appeared required additional financing. Moreover these results were supported by the findings that were made by the UK Audit Commission in 1992-93.
As the authors of the Inclusion Charter mark, restructured regular public schools would have to change to adopt for diverse needs. It also includes the attraction of special needs teachers to the inclusive education and special facilities for deaf and blind kids, so that they stress will be eased while assimilating. Additional trainings would be organized for teachers who will work with special needs children in their classroom to develop individual skills and interests that would be essential in the work with special groups.
As the research suggests the most effective way to break stereotypes (negative evaluation of the person by specific attributes) can be only in the planned and personal interaction of those who are “marked” and those who are not. UNESCO’s Salamanca Statement supports the influence of inclusive education in the forming of an inclusive and equal society. As it says: “Discrimination in education leads to discrimination in society. Discrimination breeds prejudice. Children learn through observation and imitation. They are likely to start perpetuating discriminatory practices much before they can understand the word “discrimination” and to internalize underlying prejudices in the same way as they accept any other facet of the way of life in their family and community. Prejudice is sustained from one generation to another through social usage.” The main document that enforces the introduction of the inclusive education is the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991.It was accepted by UK Government, and it agreed to fulfill all the obligations set out in the Convention and to assist education in financial and legislature support to make the principles stated in this document come true. This also means that such organizations and authorities as Central Government, LEAs, and local schools have to be involved in this process as well.
_____________________________
But already for a decade or even more this approach in solving problem with children who have disabilities is being questioned. The recent researches show the evidence to prove that these children can get the general and tradition education in regular mainstream schools. This practice will also be very beneficial for disabled children, because this treatment will develop the sense of self-consciousness, self meaning and value and will make them more confident and form a positive attitude towards the society. For schools this practice will improve educational capabilities and will enrich the experience and knowledge of teachers in practical pedagogic, psychology and sociology as well as it’ll make other children to be more understandable, tolerant, patient and sympathetic to others who differ from them. Even for healthy regular kids this innovation will be beneficial because it’ll make them to learn how to interact with different people and how to build healthy relations with different people when they are young.
Nowadays most of official and human rights activists agree that the existence of special schools makes a violation of students’ rights, that mainly includes the violation of the right for meaningful and proper education at school, it violates the right for the harmonic and social development that is essential for the psychological and natural growth or development of every child. As the supporters of inclusive education argue, official enforcement of separate education on the grounds of disability, learning difficulty or emotional issues violates international human rights agreements that include the UNESCO Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action (1994), the UN Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (1993) and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989).
From the perspective, which supports the rights of all students to inclusive education, segregated special schools form an evidence of institutional discrimination. The rights that students have to inclusive education are universal – those rights refer to all students, everywhere, even for those whose parents would rather agree them to go to special needs school. As it states in UN General Comment issued in 2001, that discrimination, that refers to disability: ‘offends the human dignity of the child and is capable of undermining or even destroying the capacity of the child to benefit from educational opportunities’. At this point in the past decade new educational programs began to develop in many industrialized countries especially in the USA and in the UK. Most of them suggested refusing from the segregation in many points and making common educational opportunities for children. Inclusion is term that refers to the educational process of students who have disabilities, but the educational process has to take place in general classrooms so that they’ll interact with their peers. The classrooms have to be provided with necessary supports and services for these students.
CSIE (Center for Studies on Inclusive education) has developed the Inclusion Charter, a document what stated the priorities for the development of education that would give equal opportunities to diverse children. First written in 1989, it was partly reformed and revised in 2002 taking into consideration the latest developments and experiences of inclusion and segregation issues in education:
1. “We fully support an end to all segregated education on the grounds of disability or learning difficulty, as a policy commitment and goal for this country.
2. We see the ending of segregation in education as a human rights issue, which belongs within equal opportunities policies.
3. We believe that all students share equal value and status. We therefore believe that the exclusion of students from the mainstream because of disability or learning difficulty is devaluation and is discriminating.
4. We envisage the gradual transfer of resources, expertise, staff and students from segregated special schools to an appropriately supported, diverse and inclusive mainstream.
5. We believe that segregated education is a major cause of society’s widespread prejudice against adults and those experiencing difficulties in learning and that efforts to increase their participation in community life will be seriously jeopardized unless segregated education is reduced and ultimately ended. Desegregating special education is therefore a crucial first step in helping to change discriminatory attitudes, in creating greater understanding and in developing a fairer society.
6. For these reasons we call on Central and Local Governments to do all in their power to work as quickly as possible towards the goal of a desegregated education system.” The members of the center for inclusive education state, that even parent and careers whose children are in the separate special schools, because of the local educational policies, still can contribute to the end of school segregation. If they’ll cooperate with educational authorities to solve the segregation issues, they’ll work for the good of their kinds, and will work for a better education for all students. As the Inclusion Charter says: “The benefits of inclusion apply to all students, disabled and non-disabled alike.”
It’s understandable that inclusive education requires additional financing for public schools to support them with all the required facilities for the needs of children. The plan that is proposed by the Center for Studies on Inclusive education includes transfer of resources from the segregated educational sector to the development of facilities in mainstream school.
The financial problem of the educational reform that was considered to be a barrier for painless reform of education was solved. As the 1999 study made by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) had concluded that it appeared to be no more expensive to provided needed supplies for needed children in regular school, than to give education in the special schools. Also the study proved that in most cases the inclusive system of education appeared to be much cheaper, than segregated dual system, which as it appeared required additional financing. Moreover these results were supported by the findings that were made by the UK Audit Commission in 1992-93.
As the authors of the Inclusion Charter mark, restructured regular public schools would have to change to adopt for diverse needs. It also includes the attraction of special needs teachers to the inclusive education and special facilities for deaf and blind kids, so that they stress will be eased while assimilating. Additional trainings would be organized for teachers who will work with special needs children in their classroom to develop individual skills and interests that would be essential in the work with special groups.
As the research suggests the most effective way to break stereotypes (negative evaluation of the person by specific attributes) can be only in the planned and personal interaction of those who are “marked” and those who are not. UNESCO’s Salamanca Statement supports the influence of inclusive education in the forming of an inclusive and equal society. As it says: “Discrimination in education leads to discrimination in society. Discrimination breeds prejudice. Children learn through observation and imitation. They are likely to start perpetuating discriminatory practices much before they can understand the word “discrimination” and to internalize underlying prejudices in the same way as they accept any other facet of the way of life in their family and community. Prejudice is sustained from one generation to another through social usage.” The main document that enforces the introduction of the inclusive education is the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1991.It was accepted by UK Government, and it agreed to fulfill all the obligations set out in the Convention and to assist education in financial and legislature support to make the principles stated in this document come true. This also means that such organizations and authorities as Central Government, LEAs, and local schools have to be involved in this process as well.
_____________________________
By Aaron Schwartz
Aaron is a professional freelance writer at custom essays writing service: custom-essay.net Now he is a technical writer, advertising copywriter, & website copywriter for Custom Essay Writing Service.
Aaron is a professional freelance writer at custom essays writing service: custom-essay.net Now he is a technical writer, advertising copywriter, & website copywriter for Custom Essay Writing Service.
