After speaking so much about the benefits of inclusion, we realized that like all things, there is a downside to it. For example, in the article linked above, a child who had been diagnosed with autism was placed in a mainstream classroom due to having a high enough IQ for it... Only for his mother to realize that he was not well supported, and thus, unhappy and lagging behind his typically developing peers. Since his IQ was on par with that of a typically developing child, he was rejected from special schools that might had been able to help him. Do you remember the questions we posted in regards to inclusion in this post? The reality is that if schools are not ready for inclusion, but try to practice it, it will most likely end up being integration- something we had already discussed about previously. This means that if the students with special needs is unable to accommodate and adapt to the school, they will most likely fall through the cracks. We've identified some issues arising from opportunities - or lack thereof - given to students with disabilities.
Social: Keeping students with disabilities segregated away from mainstream schools will just increase the stigma people have in regards to the term 'disability'. It takes away the opportunity for typically developing students and students with special needs to interact and realize that despite their differences, they are still similar in many ways. Today, many Singaporeans do not know how to interact with a person with a disability due to a lack of exposure, and the stigma that comes with it - so why not give them the opportunity to do so when they are young?
Educational: Students with disabilities, if given the right support, will be able to excel in studies as much as their typically developing peers, especially since many of the students with learning difficulties - such as dyslexia - actually have an average IQ. However, due to the lack of support for these students, they tend to do badly in mainstream schools, causing their self esteem to take a beating. This might discourage the student from trying, and inevitably stop themselves from reaching their maximum educational potential.
Moral: What are we trying to teach our children when we ignore the needs of students with disabilities in our schools by practicing integration, and not inclusion? Or when we decide to put them in special needs schools because we think that they can't? That they are "second class", or "not worth our time"? Inclusion in schools will help children - and the adults around them - be better people, simply by helping them recognize that we should look at the person first, and the disability second. We believe that inclusion will help with working towards minimizing ableism, by showing that students with disabilities are just as able!
Ethical: Students with disabilities should have the same rights to education as typically developing students; while not all students with disabilities will be better off in a mainstream school - again, we can't emphasize enough on there being adequate support and accommodations because we are aiming for inclusion -those who are able to should be given that equal opportunity to succeed in school. It is about doing what's right... Even if often, doing the right thing is the tougher path to take.
We feel that if the child in the article had been given the right support and accommodations when he was in a mainstream school, he would have done as well as after he was transferred to Pathlight. What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with our views? Why not leave some Food for Thought?















