Students With Special Needs in the Mainstream Classroom

Joe Accommodating students with disabilities means enabling the students to participate in normal classroom activities in the least restrictive environment possible: special provisions must be made for the student to compensate for his or her disability in a classroom otherwise populated by the students' peers. In the case of 'Joe,' a wheelchair-bound 12th grade student, there is no cognitive impairment that prevents him from understanding and participating in classroom learning. Although Joe has some physical challenges, these can be met within the traditional classroom with some support.

For example, to accommodate Joe's hearing loss, having an assistant interpreter/note-taker; providing written lecture notes; using visual aids; and incorporating learning materials into the online component of the class are relatively minimal additional, assistive techniques that could help Joe -- and even also assist with the learning of other students (Working together PowerPoint, slide 7). Joe's mobility impairment can be accommodated by having classroom spaces with adjustable tables or spaces that can accommodate his wheelchair.

Any lab assignments or assignments which require movement in the room should be planned to allow for Joe to manipulate his wheelchair. To accommodate Joe the physical spaces of the classroom should be wheelchair accessible with ramps and other assistive techniques (Working together PowerPoint, slide 10). Mainstreaming is beneficial for students with disabilities because quite often a non-mainstreamed school environment does not have the same challenges and resources that the traditional environment possesses.

Additionally, they can benefit from the full range of ideas and experiences of a wider variety of students if they can participate in a traditional classroom environment with support. For their colleagues, having an inclusive classroom environment can be beneficial as well. "Children will eventually encounter many different people throughout their lives. Some people will be from similar cultures and backgrounds. Other people will not. A school setting is the ideal environment to notice and adjust to these differences. This real-world preparation is advantageous.

It promotes the ability to embrace human diversity. These skills are critical for getting along with co-workers and neighbors" (Reynolds, Zupanick, & Dombeck 2014). Mainstreaming students with special needs ultimately creates a more just and fair society as a whole through educating students about the need for tolerance. So long as the education of the student with special needs is not negatively impacted through mainstreaming, it is to be preferred.

Of course, it must be stressed that students with disabilities should not be simply abandoned in the classroom and treated 'the same' as others, since without accommodations they cannot fully benefit from the experiences the mainstream classroom can offer. But given the minimal additional support Joe.