Educational Setting

Inclusion can be successful in preschools, private schools, parochial schools, charter schools, public schools, elementary schools, middle schools and high schools etc.

This is because kids in inclusion classes have a sense of belonging and membership. They have a different, fun environment in which they learn. Students can have friendships with typical peers as well as with students that are different from them. This causes the students’ self esteem to improve, and they often stop thinking of themselves as being different. The students with disabilities have classmates as role models, so they have many opportunities to practice social and language skills. They also have much better access to a wider curriculum in general education settings.

Typical students start to understand and appreciate the strengths and weaknesses we all have. They have more acceptances of differences and sensitivity towards others. They increase their abilities to help teach all classmates. Students develop empathy and compassion for classmates, which in turn builds desirable character traits in them. When students have a variety of classmates from which to make friends, they have chances to experience the many differences and diversities of society.

For teachers as well as for students in inclusion classes, it helps them to have more appreciation of diversity, as well as helping to increase communication between teachers and students. I feel inclusion is beneficial to the teacher and all the children in the inclusion classroom.

Settings Appropriate for Inclusion

Ø preschools

Ø private schools

Ø parochial schools

Ø charter schools

Ø public schools

Ø elementary schools

Ø middle schools

Ø high schools