Beyond mainstreaming; the American dream for all children.

Beyond Mainstreaming The American Dream for All Children

The American Dream has been that every child can grow up and become President (of the United States or General Motors). As a nation, we have believed that education is the escalator that makes it possible for each child to reach his/her own dreams. Over the years, as we became aware that many children were excluded from the "American Dream" because of their gender, race or disability, our nation has taken action.

Since we began publishing EXCEPTIONAL PARENT in 1971, we have seen dramatic changes in the education of children with disabilities. In one score years, our country has progressed from parents banging on closed school doors to an increasing compliance by public schools to the Education of All Handicapped Children Act. At the same time, there continues to be reluctance to continue the community's support for these programs. Some have argued that they are too costly or ineffective. Others say teachers do not have the time or wisdom and that the "normal" children are being cheated.

In the past years, we have honored educational programs that have demonstrated an ability to include children with disabilities and their parents. This year, in addition to our individual school winners (see page 20), we have singled out a whole system -- the La Grange (Illinois) Area Department of Special Education (LADSE, a special education cooperative). They have demonstrated the power of an idea in enabling a community to meet its responsibilities to all children by publicly acknowledging the right of all children, with or without disabilities, to equal access to the same school resources.

Under LADSE's creative leadership, these communities have decided that each is responsible for developing programs that promote the meaningful involvement of all students and citizens, regardless of the nature of their disability, in all aspects of school and community life. Furthermore, one district has committed itself to providing educational programs within totally integrated schools in the neighborhoods in which children live. All children, with or without disabilities, attend school with their brothers and sisters and neighborhood peers. By starting with this basic principle (which they call "inclusion"), LADSE schools have begun to go beyond trying to find ways that individualized education plans of children with disabilities can be carried out within a particular regular school setting. With the concept of inclusion as the guiding principle, special education "is viewed as a process in which specialized instruction and support is provided rather than as a place where instruction is provided."

Another district dealt with the so-called "pull out" problem. In most communities, a child with a disability who is considered to be mainstreamed is removed from his/her regular classroom according to a prearranged schedule in order to go to another setting (often a "resource room") to receive specialized assistance. While a resource room program may be very helpful, the child misses part of the school program. The child's comings and goings are also likely to be disruptive to classmates and teachers, and he/she is clearly identified as different to peers. Within LADSE, collaboration between resource specialists and regular education teachers enables children to be successfully incorporated into regular education programs. Such collaboration between professionals, which often includes the resource teacher participating with the regular teacher in the regular classroom, has also allowed for more cohesive planning for all children, not just the child identified as a special education student.

LADSE's program includes peer tutoring and children helping one another in a range of areas from physical education to academic subjects, as well as sensitization of regular education students (and teachers) to the needs of children with disabilities. And there are on-going in-service opportunities for staff -- even including the training of lunchroom assistants to facilitate positive interactions between all students.

Clearly, these programs have not evolved overnight; nor do the dedicated leaders of LADSE claim to have reached their goals in each and every school setting. But it is clear that accepting all children has and will lead to many creative solutions, and the problems -- economic, social and attitudinal -- are merely issues waiting to be solved.

We also believe that the success of our award winners goes beyond the creativity and courage of the parents, professionals and children involved in the particular educational programs. We believe that all children are learning lessons about including people with disabilities in everyday community life that their parents cannot teach them -- and that these children are ready to welcome friends with disabilities without the prejudices of previous generations.