From: BRICKEYJ@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU (Jean Brickey)
Newsgroups: misc.handicap
Subject: Is education preparing Special Needs Students for the Future?
Date: 1 Sep 92 15:10:28 GMT
Reply-To: BRICKEYJ@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU (Jean Brickey)

Index Number: 24120

[Note from Bill McGarry: Jean sent this article to me with the
 following note:
Bill would you post the following for me on L-HCAP and on Blink
Talk.  Silent Talk and any other list you know of for deaf people.
I have my opinions about the answer to this problem, but I want to
know what others think.  The reason I want opinions from others is
that in Virginia there is a movement in the Department of Education
to close the residential schools entirely.  There are some strong
opinions both for  and against this idea.  I would like to know
what others think.  I know what rehabilitation counselors in our
state think, and have some information alreadyk but the more ideas
we have the better prepared we are for dealing with the issues that
will come up in our state this January.   Thanks Bill.]

[Beginning of article]

What is happening to our visually impaired and deaf students.
In the last month I have had the opportunity to talk to many people
that work with visually impaired and deaf people.  The people I have
talked to work as counselors, educators and one is the superintendent of
a school for the deaf and blind.  In every conversation the same thing
has come up.  What has happen to the education of these students in our
country today.  The thing I kept hearing is they are not prepared to go
out into the world and cope after high school.  Over and over again I
am asked what I think the problem is.  The answer has to go to education.
What has happened over the last fifteen years that effects the education
of special needs children.  To be perfectly honest mainstreaming has
been the key change.  Mainstreaming in theory is a good concept, but in
practice it is not working.  There are several reasons it is not
working.

1.  Teachers lack the special training needed to assist and teach
    special needs children.  If a teacher has the special training, they
    do not have the opportunity to use it every year.  A teacher may get
    a deaf or blind child one year, and not get another child with these
    special needs for five to ten years.  When you don't use your
    training, it gets rusty.
2.  Parents often are over protective and the child is never allowed to
    participate in the social activities at the school.  The child never
    gets involved in clubs, sports, school dances and other activities.
3.  Social promotion.  Students are socially promoted and though there is
    some merit to social promotion, to do it all the time is detrimental
    to the student.  Allowing any child be it special needs children or
    "normal" children to go through school without being able to read or
    write or gain any mathematical abilities is what is wrong with our
    young students today.  The United States has more illiterate people
    then most of the other countries in the world.  Not because we cannot
    teach them, but because we allow them to go on through school and
    never get the basic skills needed to function in a technically
    advanced society.
4.  Itinerate teaching.  There is no way an itinerate teacher can teach
    a blind child braille, or a deaf child to sign and read by being
    with that child two or three days a week.  We don't teach our
    "normal" student to read or speak by working with them a few days
    a week.  The "normal" child gets these skills taught on a daily
    basis.  This is not a knock on the intemperate teacher, they are
    doing the best they can with the student load and time they have.
5.  Acceptance among peers.  Lets be honest, ADA cannot legislate
    attitudes.  Though some people readily accept a blind or a deaf
    child or a retarded or mobility impaired child, the majority of
    society still has problems interacting with special needs people.
    There is a lot to say for being among your peers.
6.  Money.  It is expensive to provide all the special things a
    special needs child should have for a good rounded education
    Special equipment that should be used with these students costs
    and few school systems can afford the equipment for one or two
    children.
7.  Many teachers do not want to work with a special needs child in
    their classroom.  I know of teachers that resent having a special
    needs child in their class.  This is not true for all teaches is
    true for enough of our nations teachers which hinders the
    success of mainstreaming.

What I have been asked over and over by counselors and even the
superabundant of a residential school is one question.  What is the
answer for this problem?  I have my own ideas on what would work,
but I would like to know what others think.   I would really like to know
what the rest of you think is happening to our special needs students
today.  Should residential schools be closed and forgotten about?  Is
mainstreaming preparing students for the future?  What are your thoughts
on a least restrictive environment.

Just so you know I am visually impaired and have attended both a
public school before mainstreaming and a residential school.
I have also attended college before and after 504 was passed.  After
504 was passed I had the opportunity to substitute for a school system
for two years, and still have contact with teachers and principals that
deal with these problems on a daily basis.

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