Impact on Educators

With the growing focus to address the needs of all students, including those with disabilities, inclusion is a component of school restructuring agendas (McGregor & Vogelsbert, 1998). The inclusion model has become the current education classroom standard. Consequently all teachers have a need be trained and prepared for the inclusion of special needs students in the general education population. Lipsky and Gartner (1996) define inclusion as “the provision of services to students with disabilities, including those with severe impairments, in the neighborhood school, in age-appropriate general education classes, with the necessary support services and supplementary aids (for the child or the teacher) both to assure the child’s success – academic, behavioral, and social – and to prepare the child to participate as a full and contributing member of the society.” Teachers must be prepared in the instructional setting to adapt instruction for an individual by changing one or more aspects of the material being taught such as:

The method by which the instruction is delivered to the student.
The amount of content material to be covered.
The evaluation method or criteria.
The level of assistance provided in the learning situation.
The learning environment: and/or
The instructional materials that are used by the student.