A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
Mainstreaming is described as the process of integrating disabled children in the normal education program. This entails presenting special needs children in the normal school curriculum apart from their special education program (Jones, 200). This consists of putting the special needs students in a regular class with the rest of normal students and making sure that they interact with the normal students. In the past ages, physically and mentally handicapped children were shunned away by the society. Most of them did not even attend schools and on often occasion, some were closed in hidden places the rest of their lives. In places such as Africa, disability was taken as a curse and the children were either killed or banished from the society. Cases of people killing albinos and taking their organs as a charm for wealth have also been reported in Tanzania (BBC, 2009).
President Ford was the first president to pass an Act protecting handicapped children and ensuring that they acquire education as a skill to improve their lives in 1975. This ensured that the government of America provided funding to all disabled children from the age of 3 to 21 both in regular school systems and in special education schools (Ford Statement, 1975).
Mostly, mainstreaming consists of locational integration. This means that the disabled children are taught in separate units or schools and then at some point brought in the same location with the non- disabled children to interact and study together (Jones, 2000).
Researchers have agreed that the effect of mainstreaming on disabled and non- disabled children is tremendous. In all the senses, it either moulds how students either make the world a better place for both parties. The question is, can mainstreaming really bridge the gap between acceptance of the disabled in the society that works as an organism to its benefit and to the benefit of the larger population and the environment?
PURPOSE OF STUDY
The purpose of the study is to determine the effects of mainstreaming on disabled children. Currently there are around 650 million people amounting to 10% of the world’s population having a disability. Most of these disabilities are as a result of increase of new diseases, increase of older dependent people and conflicts especially wars. Many of these disabled people are in the developing 3rd world countries (US Censors, 2011).
Of the 54 million children in the United States, 3 million of them are disabled. Almost 90 % of the children have enrolled in public schools. Most of these students come from lower to middle classes of the economic strata. The number of handicapped children is still growing over the years according to the U.S Censors as many tend to incur serious disabilities such as chronic mental illnesses. Many children disabilities tend to fall in poverty stricken areas in the United States as well as around the globe. Places such as Washington have low disability levels and is one of the upper class areas in the States (US Censors, 2011).
Mainstreaming affects both the non- disabled and the disabled in a classroom. Controversies have arisen from the ministry of special education, parents and teachers. Mainstreaming has been said to reduce the levels of learning in other students since teachers take a lot of time and attention on the disabled students derailing the curriculum process. This happens especially to autism and visual impaired students who have to shown hand in hand all the curriculum studies. This makes the learning process slow in the long run. Example can be an autistic student who has inability to process information fast. The classes have to be delayed for the teacher to slowly show the student how to solve equations and such. This makes normal education slow and thus reducing levels of quality learning in normal students (Borash, 2000).
Many teachers in practice don’t have the ability to communicate in sign language. This entails deaf sign language and writing in Braille. As a result, many disabled children enrolled in normal education curriculum have a hard time gaining knowledge rendering them poor in academics. Teachers have a hard problem balancing the level of education as per the disabilities of the students. Disabled students need more time and more commitment which entails private tuition and coaching. The teachers also have to take the initiative to learn the various sign languages which is tiresome and many are not willing to invest (Krueger, 2000).
Children with disabilities have low self esteem. This is due to the fact that they are limited to some activities that they may want to do and to some extent that many people try as hard not to interact with them. Reported cases of other non- disbled students bullying the disabled have been on the rise. This means that other children have the notion that disability is an inability and take advantage playing games on the disabled that they may not like. Parents too have been on the rise to complain about their children being mingled with the disabled in that the children will contract the disability. This makes the disabled children feel inferior and discriminated against. As the children try to compare themselves with the non- disabled, they get frustrated to the point of having suicidal thoughts (Jones, 2000).
Adolescence and sexuality takes a toll on the disabled as they feel not attractive to anybody. This pushes them to delinquency as they try to express their feelings through hurting the non- disabled children. Cases have been reported of disabled people torturing the non-disabled in the event of trying to inflict pain that they feel (ISU, 2000).
Mainstreaming is expensive to maintain. The Special Education Expenditure Program reports spending 1.5 times more than the cost of a normal student having no disabilities. This consists of hiring two teachers per class one for non- disabled and another for disabled children. Facilities used by the disabled have to be acquired and installed in and outside the classes as well as education equipment such as physiotherapy, Braille and wheel chairs. Even though the government is trying to support the disabled, the families continue to struggle adding p to what the government provides (SEEP, 2009).
Language barrier is also an issue as most people don’t know how to communicate in sign language. Children tend to have a more difficult time communicating with the disabled as they don’t know how to (Vallercosa, 2000).
On the other hand, mainstreaming has been documented to have a lot of positive effects on the disabled children and also on the non- disabled children. When put in a regular classroom, the disabled children have the desire and motivation to study. This is because they know they need and extra effort to grasp information thus become more motivated to learn. Psychologists have reported that a disabled child is 2 times willing to do their homework in time and also appear in class in time for lessons. Since they have limited social mobility, they have more time to their studies and become brighter than the rest of the students (Krueger, 2000).
Disabled children are given higher expectations in a normal class. This means all the attention is to them to see whether they can perform as the non- disabled children by the teachers and the parents. This makes them put more effort and become successful in class work. History has provided leaders who had disabilities and through high expectations, became shapers of the world now. These include President Abraham Lincoln who had mood disorders, President J.F Kennedy who had asthma and the famous philosopher and physicist Albert Einstein who suffered Asperger syndrome a socially intolerance syndrome (Jones, 2000).
Mainstreaming teaches all the students non- discrimination. All the children learn to appreciate ability and disability. This also gives children a forum to learn sign language and other skills that the disabled use to communicate. As much as there is discrimination of the disabled, the disabled also discriminate the normal students. All the children continue to learn attitudes of people, learn to appreciate everyone as a human being not less (Jones, 2000).
Mainstreaming helps disabled students have more social interaction skills and ensures that they have the confidence and know how to engage in conversation, how to act around people among other skills. This builds them wholly in preparation of the outside world and how they are going to interact to make a better people in the future (ISP, 2000).
SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
The significance of this study is to confirm the controversy issues that face mainstreaming in details. It will hold depth in truth as to whether mainstreaming really puts disabled children in the right atmosphere when integrated with other non- disabled students. It will evaluate physical and psychological effects on non- disabled and disabled children over time. It will also determine the attitude of teachers on the need to mainstream on regard to student socio- productive development. The proposed study will also bring out reasons as to why parents have different views on mainstreaming.
LIMITATIONS OF STUDY
The limitations of this study are many. Geographically, mainstreaming differs in places thus taking of data at particular places will not determine the conditions of all the places. Another limitation is collecting views of chronic disabled children since they cannot express very well their feelings and attitude towards mainstreaming. Hostility from parents of the disabled is also foreseen as they have a defense response to people trying to evaluate their lives. Providing of false information from the participants is also a limitation. This is because the participants may hide information that may be not moral such as drug abuse of disabled students.
METHODOLOGY
The methodology used will be through direct contact with participants. This will include interviews with all the participants entailing children, parents, teachers and government officials. Questionnaires will also be used to collect written data for evaluation and report writing. Focused group discussions will also be facilitated consisting of all the participants.
TIME PERIOD
The research period is going to take a period of 6 months cut across all states in America and compiled at a 2 week period to finalize the findings.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, this research paper will enable solve the controversial issues that face mainstreaming and its effects on disabled children. The research will offer recommendations on the issue at hand basing its findings on collected data in the field.
WORKS CITED
Vallecorsa, A., DeBettencourt, L. U., Zigmond, N., & Davis, A. C. (2000). Students with mild disabilities in general education settings: A guide for special educators. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Merrill.
Jones, K. (2000). The effects of different educational settings on the performance of students with mild disabilities.
Borash, A. R. (2000). Inclusion and students with learning disabilities: Implementation, attitudes, and effects.
Indiana State University., South Dakota University Affiliated Program., & South Dakota. (2000). Effective education adapting to include all students ; Essential characteristics of inclusive schools ; Valuing parents in the IEP process, making decisions aobut what and where students learn. Terre Haute, IN: Bailey Video Design Productions.
Krueger, M. H. (2000). Which reading-language arts strategies are most effective for mainstreaming?.
