Inclusion

Services for students with disabilities have been an important issue in education since the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (PL 94-142). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) amendments of 1990, 1991, and 1997 continued to provide for the educational rights of students with disabilities. Most recently, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 has revised the mandated services and procedures.

The core principles of these special education laws focus on the right of all children to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) which is characterized by the following:

Fair evaluation of their needs.
Appropriate education individualized to their identified needs.
Education in the least restrictive environment (LRE).
Procedural due process of law.
Shared decision making related to evaluation, program creation, and service provision.

When members of an IEP team discuss the appropriate placement of students with disabilities, they must consider a continuum of placement options. Students are legally mandated to be educated in the least restrictive environment (LRE), which for the majority of students is the general education setting.

Consultative, collaborative, and resource or pullout supports may be identified as necessary for students with disabilities to be successful in the general education environment. For these supports to be effective, a number of factors must be taken into consideration, including:

Sustained communication between the general and special education teachers as well as any other special services providers.
The use of appropriate and effective instructional strategies, such as content enhancement and differentiation, to ensure that students with disabilities are successful in the general education setting.
Administrative and faculty support so that issues such as those related to scheduling, planning, and grading are discussed and addressed.

Selected Inclusion Links

Florida Inclusion Network: Includes suggestions and strategies for general and special education teachers working in inclusive classrooms; co-teaching strategies are also outlined.
Center for Instructional Development and Research, University of Washington: Describes strategies for inclusive teaching, including strategies to help instructors take proactive measures to communicate to students that they are welcome and seen as capable, potentially successful learners.
WETA/Coordinated Campaign for Learning Disabilities: Includes articles, information and strategies related to inclusion and students with disabilities as well as promoting on-going discussion on their bulletin board under the heading “Teaching in an Inclusive Classroom.”
New Horizons for Learning: Maintains a searchable online database of inclusion teaching and learning resources and strategies.
Project Mathematics Education Reform Initiative for Teachers - MERIT: Presents strategies and resources for including students with a variety of disabilities in the mathematics classroom; also identifies books and videos related to including all students.
U.S. Department of Education's Education Resources Information Center - ERIC: Maintains a searchable database of education literature, much of it available online. Visit this site and enter inclusion into the search engine to view an extensive list of research and resources related to inclusive schools and classrooms.
Urban Special Education Leadership Collaborative: Sponsors the annual National Inclusive Schools Week which is celebrated in schools, classrooms, and communities and focuses on the achievement gap and strategies for improving educational outcomes for all students.