Full Inclusion: Reality Versus Idealism

Topic of Interest: Full Inclusion Parents of both deaf and hearing students request (co-enrollment) placement in greater numbers than can presently be accommodated. Not all children are accepting of the deaf and hard of hearing students . Some make fun of them or do not try to communicate or work together. Full inclusion can be a detriment to all if the hearing-impaired student is not capable of the academic work. Classes where deaf and hearing students are mainstreamed together do tend to move at a slower pace. Communication does require more time for any topic to be taught or discussed, particularly at the beginning of the year. Full inclusion should meet individual needs. It is a plan to coordinate resources, not eliminate them. Parents Observations. In 1992, the parents of 90 hearing, deaf, and hard of hearing students participating in the co-enrollment program were surveyed by mail. About two-thirds were parents of hearing students. Asked about their interest in having their child remain in the program, 87 percent said "yes". The remainder indicated that it didn't matter. The most commonly stated reasons for wanting their child to remain in the program were the social/emotional growth of their child and the fact that their child was happy in the program . Virtually all indicated that their child had both hearing and deaf/hard of hearing friends in school. Of all the comments made by parents , only one was negative. This parent said that she (not her child) thought, "The deaf children in her class are very selfish. They do not click together. My child has a hard time with this because she does not handle rejection very well. It upsets her that the deaf children are not her friends." Many other comments from parents spoke favorably about the social experiences of their children: Because of the socialization at Washington (Elementary School), (he) enjoys the friendships of several hearing boys in his Cub Scout group. We recently had a birthday party at our home. Many of the children were hearing impaired or deaf. It was nice to see all of the children playing together and helping each other. I think they all had something special to offer each other, friendship. I can see hearing children in her class who are eager to learn sign language to make my child feel comfortable and to share with them. (Her) best friend is deaf. She says they play together all the time and are able to communicate with no trouble. ... one of her best friends is hearing . They share their personal likes and dislikes about many things... Before, she was in a hearing-impaired program, it was almost impossible for my daughter to have a hearing friend... (Deaf and hearing ) children were kept apart. That is why the Washington Elementary School program is so important. (She) says that her new friends are friends, and that there is nothing different about them except for how you communicate. In the flow. By its nature, the common "mainstream" or "inclusion" model makes the deaf or hard of hearing student an outsider on the edge of the "mainstream of education ". In contrast, the TRIPOD/BUSD model places the student in the flow of an educational environment which nurtures communication, full participation in learning, and lasting friendships. As stated by a TRIPOD/ BUSD parent, "... they can only learn from each other." Full Inclusion: Reality Versus Idealism Stephen C Baldwin Teacher Texas School for the Deaf The education of deaf students has seen more than its share of movements and controversy over the past several decades, including heated debate over what constitutes the least restrictive environment for educating a deaf child. Now we are confronted with a fireball of a movement called/«// inclusion. In a recent Education section of the New York Times (2/6/94), Albert Shanker, President of the American Federation of Teachers, said: The movement in American education that is taking hold the fastest and is likely to have the profoundest - and most destructive - effect is not what you might think. It's the rush towards full inclusion of disabled children in regular classrooms. Is full inclusion the same old wine as mainstreaming, in...