Residential placement.
This is a school equipped with facility ideal for the deaf. Life in the residential facility creates an opportunity for the deaf to familiarize and acculturate in the deaf community. This is from life in dining areas, dormitories, staff and personnel that work in the facility. The benefits that accrue with this placement include access to note takers, interpreters and assistive devices that allow efficient learning (Reynolds and Fletcher-Janzen, 2007). The schools create a sense of belonging to the deaf, and this allows them to associate with culture, language and other affairs that integrate them in society. Residential schools act as points of contact for the deaf culture where the students share their cultures. The homogeneous groupings in these schools also facilitate learning through sharing and development of capacity thinking. On the other hand, such schools face some limitations; the schools deny the students a sense of belonging, freedom to communicate, sports and group events that occur in their societies. This makes them hard to adjust in their societies even at an adult age (Dworet and Bennet, 2002).
Special-School Placement
These schools cater for handicapped children. The vulnerability of such children increases especially if they attend ordinary schools. This is where we find that the handicapped are limited in performance and socializing. The students face difficulties in meeting their expectations and those of their families, and this becomes extremely hard for them. Most of these difficulties are overcome when these students come across flexible staff. The advantages that relate to these placements include quality education from the better understanding. The needs of every child are met, and they get opportunities to interact with each other in groups. This increases their feelings of appreciation from their backgrounds. The schools allow better interaction and socialization from peers, adults and the society. On the other hand, these schools are criticized “labeling effect”. Treating the students as “special” lowers their expectations and their self esteem (Turnbull, Turnbull and Wehmeyer, 2010). In addition, the education systems are inefficient since they do not prepare the students adequately for the real world. This is because in the real world there lacks “special” and “regular.”
Specialized Settings Placement
These are educational facilities that cater for the blind and visually impaired. Children with such impairments receive services from options that include; special classes, itinerant teachings, and resource rooms. The students spend most of their time in self-contained classes with equipment based on their visual power. The advantages with such placements include better learning, which assists in acquisition of knowledge. The children acquire self esteem from the society from the fact that they can read and communicate even with their peers.
However, the placements have been criticized on their inefficiency. Most of the visually impaired students leave the facilities without having the necessary knowledge and skills required for further education, employment or earning an independent living. There lacks a proper measure in defining the needs of every child and so the children undergo the same learning process (Baine, 2011). This means that the needs of every child are not met. The schools also lower the esteem of children from the separation from their peers and society. This makes them feel isolated and leads to a lack of socialization from their peers. The facilities are also expensive. This limits the number of the intake, thereby leaving most of the visually impaired without proper education.
Reference.
Turnbull, A., Turnbull, R., & Wehmeyer, M. (2010). Exceptional lives: Special education in today's schools. (6th ed.) Upper Saddle River: Pearson.
Dworet, D. & Bennet, S. (2002). A view from the North: Special education in Canada. Teaching exceptional children, 34(5).
Reynolds, C. & Fletcher-Janzen, E. (2007). Encyclopedia of Special Education. John Wiley & Sons: San Fransisco, CA.
Baine, D. (2011). Instructional Design for Special Education. Educational Technology: New York.
