According to the Educational Resources Information Center(ERIC), inclusion is "the integration of students with disabilities or other special needs into regular curricular or noncurricular activities." In the Encyclopedia of Diversity Education, inclusion is "a way of structuring educational services so that all students, regardless of labels or putative disabilities, are educated together in a shared community." Essentially, inclusion is exactly as it sounds, including those students who have disabilities in the classroom with those who do not. In her book Special Education: Contemporary Perspectives for School Professionals, Marilyn Friend defines inclusion as a “belief system shared by every member of a school as learning community emphasizing the commitment to educate all students so they can reach their full potential” (Friend, 2017). Inclusion creates an environment where no one single child feels left out, different, or less than his or her peers. By placing students with disabilities into regular classrooms, teachers can create an inviting and close-knit teaching environment where students feel supported and safe. The best way to assure success in the classroom is to create an atmosphere where students with and without disabilities can share in the joy of learning together. There are various benefits to an inclusive classroom not only for the students, but the entire educational staff. Although it may take a restructuring of some lessons, it is beneficial in the long run.
Along with inclusion, we have the Free Appropriate Public Education(FAPE) clause under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). FAPE requires a school district to provide a “free appropriate public education” to each qualifying student with a disability regardless of the type of disability. FAPE includes the school providing an individualized education program(IEP) for each qualifying student, as well as providing accommodations wherever necessary in order to learn the curriculum being taught (Lee, Andrew, 2014).
We will also come across the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). The least restrictive environment means that all children must be educated together, disabled or non-disabled, and that separating the student into a special education classroom only needs to occur if the aides or IEP services are needed. These terms will come up hand in hand with the inclusive classroom, and it is important to remember them as we move on.
What Inclusion Looks Like in the Classroom
An inclusive classroom will look slightly different than a regular education classroom or a special education classroom. In an inclusive classroom, students with special needs are able to be in the classroom with their friends and siblings, as well as participating in class with their peers. They feel like they belong, they feel respected, and in return they enjoy coming to school. In the classroom, these students should be scattered evenly, not all clumped together in one section. They should feel like they are equal to their peers.
In order to create this type of setting, teachers must have high expectations for every classroom, and every classroom is unique. Depending on the types of students, the disabilities presented, the gender, the age, and any other characterizing criteria, each classroom will have to adapt in its own way. Adaptability is the key in the inclusive classroom. A teacher who is able to adapt to student’s needs has no choice but to have a successful outcome. Adapting the way that the curriculum is presented to the students will benefit disabled and nondisabled students alike. According to Causton-Theoharis (2008), lessons “must be designed to address different modalities” and the curriculum “should be differentiated to meet the needs of all students.” This means that as educators, we need to focus on success for all students, and acclimate to whichever lesson plan they respond best to. All students need to work toward the same standard-based outcomes (Causton-Theoharis, 2008). By holding students of all kinds to the same types of standards, we are creating an inclusive classroom environment, where not one child is singled-out. This way, students with disabilities are partaking in the same classroom activities as their classmates, rather than simply just watching or completing separate tasks designed for special needs students.
According to Joseph Sanacore (1996), there are several effective classroom practices that should be implemented into an inclusive classroom in order to guarantee success. One of these effective classroom practices is to begin using Universal Design for Learning (UDL) into your class. UDL is specifically designed for a classroom with diverse students. UDL includes curriculum that can be learned and understood by everyone. One size does not fit all in the classroom, which is where UDL, and its flexible curriculum, is the strongest.
Along with UDL, assistive technology is also seen abundantly in the inclusive classroom, as is co-teaching. There are several different types of assistive technology that can be used in the classroom from low-tech to high-tech, as well as several forms of co-teaching that can be implemented. An inclusive classroom may include all three. It is ultimately up to the teacher. The change to inclusion will not be a simple one, but it will be well worth it.
Benefits of Inclusion
There are many benefits of having an inclusive classroom. When it comes to the inclusive classroom, there are qualitative and quantitative benefits for the students, teachers, and school district.
When it comes to the qualitative benefits in the classroom, we can look at the most important part: the student’s happiness. With an inclusive classroom, children develop a positive understanding of themselves and others. When children participate in an inclusive classroom with students who have likenesses and differences to themselves, they learn to appreciate and welcome diversity. According to pbs.org’s article on the inclusive classroom, when children of differing abilities and cultures play and learn together, respect for each other, no matter what the diversity is, will flourish. Friendships will develop from this mutual understanding of differences and diversities. When we, and our students, respect each other, no matter what the differences are, we create a school environment that feels safe and like home. No one feels left out, or singled out, and everyone has a sense of belonging. Children with and without disabilities are expected to learn the same exact content in all subjects, causing higher expectations for children with disabilities, which helps them learn basic academic skills(pbs.org). With higher expectations, children with disabilities are able to achieve more, “gain confidence and independence, and develop a stronger sense of self” (Henninger et. al, 2014). Children with disabilities stand to benefit a great deal from the inclusive classroom. According to Henninger et. Al in How do Children Benefit from Inclusion?, students will “develop positive social-emotional skills, acquire and use knowledge and skills, and use appropriate behaviors to meet their own needs”.
Research suggests that children who have multiple interactions with peers and adults throughout early childhood show a marked improvement across multiple areas of development (Henninger et. al, 2014). There is a mass amount of research that has been accrued over the last 30 years proving that when children with disabilities are included in a regular education classroom, they are more prone to exhibit social and emotional behaviors at a level that is far higher than their peers who are confined to solely special education classrooms (Henninger et. al, 2014). Research has also been seen to show that children have a positive cognitive growth when included in a regular education classroom. Researchers have also found that the “quality and quantity of children’s social communicative behaviors are highly predictive of long-term developmental and functional outcomes” (U.S. Department of Education, 2011, p.182). The research also shows that included children demonstrate academic gains including higher achievement test scores and eventually high school graduation (Wilson et. al, 2006).
The Inclusive Classroom Is the Successful Classroom
Aforementioned, there are many benefits to having an inclusive classroom. Combining the special needs students with the regular education setting has been proven time and time again to be beneficial to both the regular and the disabled students. The students are taught diversity, and to respect students who may be a little different than them. Students with disabilities are held to higher standards forcing them to learn basic academic skills giving them positive long-term effects when it comes to test scores. More students with disabilities who have been included in a regular education classroom have been proven to graduate high school. Although it may be a tough adjustment, there are also benefits for teachers. It is rewarding to improve the lives of students, and in an inclusive classroom you are doing this trifold. Friendships develop between the students, and students with disabilities feel like they belong. No one feels different, or out of place, and all the students can work together peacefully.