It is also worth noting that the evolving nature of special education can be attributed to the cultural changes, family values, and civilizations taking place. Research attitudes towards people with special educational needs exhibit considerable variation as one move from one culture to the other. Findings show that people of different culture may perceive the similar conditions differently. For instance, Yoruba perceived that albinism as a punishment from God (Wilson, 2003). Consequently, such ideology tends to promote segregation. In fact, some cultures stigmatize disabled people by alluding that the condition is incurable and as such, they remain abnormal to the society. However, this situation has slowly had slowly been wading away as families, and individuals become more civilized. In these regards, families have started accepting the fact that disabled people are normal people, but challenged in one aspect or the other. This acceptance has made the society embrace them in various institutions. Furthermore, this realization has seen the number of teachers enrolling for training in special education increase significantly.
From the matters discussed above and the evolving nature of special education, it is essential to acknowledge the progress that specialists have made in this field. As it is evident, children with special educational needs are humans and deserve to be treated just like any other person. Choosing to segregate the victims based on disabilities only serves to stigmatize them further instead of helping them deal with their conditions. The choice to include them in the 'whole school' curriculum is laudable except for the little logistical concerns. One of the biggest questions that have plagued the minds of many is the basis of classifying the children with specials needs into various categories. It is an undeniable fact that the level of disability varies from one person to the other. However, choosing blindly to incorporate all the children in the mainstream classes would be like burying the head in the soil and assuming that the danger is gone. The future remains unknown. From a personal point-of-view, it is crucial for the educational...
For instance, parents and children should be permitted to choose freely which
school their children should attend.
In addition, it is a laudable move by legal institutions to prohibit segregation of disabled people in institutions of
learning. However, in as much as we give thumbs up to the move, care should be taken so that the entire educational system is not jeopardized. This means that the
special interest groups have to recognize that disability exists at different levels; there are exceptional cases that call for specialized attendance. The only factor that they should then advocate for is equitability in the distribution of resources between these individuals. For example, a
student with special needs should be accorded with similar or even better resources as compared to normal students. This would ensure equity as far as educational needs of such students are concerned.
In
conclusion, special education stands out as an ever-evolving field. This
evolution has been necessitated by
civilization, changing family and cultural values,
human rights activists, technological advancements, and philosophical propositions. As such, the professionals in this field have to accept the ever-changing nature of the system as long as it is to the best interest of such students.
References
Hallahan, D.P., and Kauffman, JM. (2000). Exceptional Learners: Introduction to Special Education. Boston: Allyn and Bacon
Smith, J.D. (2004). The Historical Contexts of Special Education. Boston: Pearson Education
Wilson, B. (2003). Inclusion: Empirical Guidelines and Unanswered Questions. London: Routledge Falmer
Wilson, R. (2003). Special Educational Needs in the Early Years. New York: John Wiley…
