Every year there are changes made about a child’s education, in the attempt to provide the best education possible for children. In recent years, the education of students with disabilities, who were previously not educated in the regular school system, has been publicly debated. The idea of inclusion, or mainstreaming has received a great deal of support. Although there is the need to adapt programs and sometimes classroom environments for the child with special needs, there are many benefits for all that are included in this situation. This paper will define the phrase “mainstreaming”, and what constitutes a child with disabilities. The role that teachers play within the classroom is one that will affect all students. The importance of teachers will be discussed as to their influence on children and parents. As well, strategies that a child and youth care worker could use when working with the disabled will be discussed.Over the past 30-35 years there have been much advancement made towards the education of students with disabilities. Students with disabilities can include students with “mental retardation, hearing impairment (deafness), speech or language impairments, visual impairments (blindness), serious emotional disturbance, orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, health impairments, or learning disabilities.” (Deiner 1993, p. 27) In the past, disabled children were often placed in institutions, or kept in the home, with no form of education. Educating the disabled was thought to be a waste of time, since their future roles were limited. At the present time, inclusion begins early, within the schools, and continues throughout the life span, through employment. There has be a significant shift away from the placement of disabled children in institutions, and instead into the classroom. This idea of “mainstreaming” means moving handicapped children to the leas...
