Has anyone been to Special Education ? If so how has it effected you?

Maritza Ebanks: Special education students are being put into the regular classrooms more often. In some cases this is good, as some students could benefit from the challenge of regular education. Other students, however, who cannot handle the regular curriculum, will suffer. Even though they have an Individual Education Plan, the regular education teachers often cannot handle the demands of school teaching requirements and individual student needs, especially if there are several in one classroom. As a result, these students will suffer, and often, so will the rest of the classroom....Show more

Renita Sefton: First let me say congrats on passing your GED that is a big accomplishment!I don't know where you went to school or if it was a mainstream regular education campus or if it was a state school. To be honest with you what you describe sounds like the state schools we have here. Children with mental retardation can and are mainstreamed every day. However, even! in the public school those kids who need to be in a self contained classroom based on testing and observation are just thrown together. The best option is always the least restrictive and sometimes that guideline is not followed by the district. It is at this critical juncture that the parents must become an advocate for their child and FIGHT for the rights of that child. I am very sorry that your experience has left scars. Know that you are not alone and you can overcome this. Now to your questions:1) On the web you can always go to your states Dept Of Education site and gather information about Special Education and they have links to other sources of information as well.2) This is a throw back to the days before inclusion when all kids with all special needs were thought to have some level of mental retardation. We hid them away in "special schools" that were not schools at all or we instituitionalized and sterilized them. This did not begin to change really unt! il the The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which is where we get ou! r Section 504. However, society as a whole still had much the same mindset.3) Special Education and Mental Health are two very different things although sometimes there is a comorbidity. Although they are both funded and by some standards way to much so, those of us who work in the systems and those of us who utilize the systems realize there is not enough money but there is not enough public awareness either.4)I think it still goes back to that old issue of hide it away. Out of sight out of mind.5) I actually dont know the answer to this but would be very interested to see how special education as well as mental health services are handled in different countries.6) Hmm, I think you would have to walk a finite line with any kind of entertainment involving this area as some would take it as informative and some would take it as humiliation and making fun of...even if you weren't.7) The federal and state government is in charge of how much money we get and how it is alloca! ted. What we can do rather than raise money is raise awareness.8) Yes I have seen programs on television but if you are really asking if you should write your experiences then my answer is a resounding yes! This would not only benefit others who are new to these programs but also benefit you in your search for clarity and closure.My son needed the services of special education at the age of 6. As a parent I knew nothing about it other than "those" kids were behind a locked door when I was in school and we never saw them. I started taking classes and learned about the laws both federal and state so I was prepared to go into my son's IEP meeting and advocate for services he needed. Knowledge is power. Once you know something there is no turning back you must keep moving forward. I did and my son who is 21 and in college now was the benefactor. Maybe you have come to a place where its time for you to move forward, forgive the people who harmed you and said unkind thing! s to you and do something great for the kids who are now standing in th! e shoes you have left behind....Show more

Ronny Nowzari: Well I'm sorta in a Special ed class. I do all of the same work as everyone else except I have more time and the assignment is shorted. And i go to the same classes except sometimes the teacher will ask me to take my work to the Special ed room with the Special ed teacher if I find it hard or I am getting anise. I do have a IEP tho. And yes I agree that some kids in there REALLY GET ON YOUR NERVES.

Dewey Heersink: From your lengthy post I would NOT consider you in anyway "retarded", many people with Asperger's syndrome are quite intelligent and are usually placed into mainstream school. In Australia these students are placed into mainstream unless their behaviours are uncontrollable.You are right in saying retarded is used for diagnosis, but the term is very much frowned upon, and there is a push to change term through the medical fraternity and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, in! which Asperger's etc is referenced.1. As Don'tWorry has said there is information about special education if your in USA it Wrights law; http://www.wrightslaw.com/ and no doubt similar information for other countries. Special education does have a place in teaching students basic education and independent life skills.2. Unfortunately people still think students who attend a special ed school are retarded. Its a misnomer that people who are retarded are in capable of contributing to the community, or caring for themselves.3. There is money coming into special ed, but not enough. As for mental health there is never enough money put into it, yet everyone at some stage in life of their will be affected by mental health either directly or indirectly.4. Strangely Mental health gets more media coverage than special education, special education does have a place in the community, and the role of these schools play needs mentioned often, however both are taboo and something people ! don't want to think about.5. There is special education schools in Aust! ralia and New Zealand. But if a student can be placed into mainstream schooling, then they will be.6. I think having media coverage would be a valuable tool in educating the community about children with special needs and the role of their school. Many of the schools here have a web page, and some have a video about the role of the school and how the students learn independent living skills.7. Educating the community is the first step, this could be through web pages, advertisements, videos, documentaries and community integration activities etc. Also ensuring parents and their child are aware of their rights, this should start with an information pack given to them by the diagnosing specialist.8. I have seen a few documentaries about young students with disabilities and their education, and adult services available (most of these were from England). But we need to have more of these documentaries etc, as I firmly believe educating the community is the key.Have you thought ! of doing a documentary about the plight of special ed schools, the students and the lack of funding etc.I would hope that these days trained teachers would not call a student to their face or in ear shot that they are retarded, in fact the term is very much frowned upon. As a student of the 70's I was told myself on many occasions that I was retarded, one teacher went as far as writing it in my school report, which I still have.This severely impacted on my education, I was unable to read until 14 and failed high school. I eventually returned to school as an adult, and gained qualifications as a Youth & Disability support worker, and sessional teacher. However I still have a lot of self doubt in my own abilities....Show more

Brock Anwar: Well,I've have talked to my mom about on more then once but I am in therapy (and have been since I was 16-years-old). Let just say I'm glad that I got my G.E.D in 2005 and that things for me more or less have improved. But I'm still ! sort of in a state of shell shock. But drawing helps and I've found tha! t to be my way of dealing with a lot of stuff. Though like I stated: unless a person (which could be anyone mind you) has experienced going to special Ed and dealing with all that goes with it.It's rather hard for others who haven't been in that situation to fully understand. But I do thank you for taking the time to answer my question. As someone like myself who has Asperger Syndrome (a mild form of autism) having someone in class constantly calling you retarded & making fun of you is painful (with much emotional trauma). So thanks for being helpful....Show more

Robt Betker: (1.) I've never seen all these "special education" seperate schools you talk about, but then I live in a smaller town on the central coast of California. I've been able to find plenty of information about special education online. Wrightslaw.com is my first source, then the states special education website. (2.) I have a daughter in special education on a regular school campus. She has autism! and is in no way retarded. My 6th grade son has an IEP for special education support services. He's not retarded either.(3.) This is an excellent question! They mandate that states follow IDEA, Yyet they don't do their part to fully fund what they mandate states to do. Just the government following through with their promise to fully fund their portion of IDEA would be HUGE.(4.) My opinion, people don't want to think about it. People are focused on their own lives and children. They don't have a friend, relative or child in special education so it's not important to them. They might perceive those students as a drain on the system, taking away from their own child. They don't realize that it's better to spend the money early, and help students reach full potential rather than have to caretake them the rest of their lives.(5.) I"m pretty sure there are. As long as there are parents who have children with special needs, parents who want the best for their childs futu! re, there will be a market for special education schools. If there's a ! market, someone will find a way to fill the gap. (6.) Maybe, but it would be tricky to do it in a way that would be entertaining without making fun.(7.) Education and involvement in the process is the most important first step. Helping parents to become effective advocates and informed of their and their childrens rights is top priority.(8.) I only know about what I currently deal with. My own children, and the fact that I work as an assistant in a special education class. My class is on a typical Jr High campus and is for kids with severe emotional disturbances. I'm so sorry that you endured such a difficult situation. Did you ever talk to your parents about why you were in such a school and if there were options available to you besides that placement?....Show more

Lu Tiner: Having been in special education made me more aware of government policies, and more likely to question the policies which appeared 'off kilter'. This included performing my own legal resea! rch for the answers to questions which I had at IEP conferences..etc. I knew I could effectively stand up to 'the system' having already had to do it while growing up. Unlike my parents, especially my father, I am not intimidated by somebody merely because they are an 'official' with a government title of any kind/any department. I know how to successfully decipher bureaucratic legal language and understand what they are saying and/or what they really need to be saying instead. Later, when I became the first 'person with a disability' to enroll in an honors class, I was honestly shocked by that environment: The all honors students verbatim accepted what 'the experts' in a 'government' field said. And they were too lazy to perform substantive investigative research outside of their textbooks. But performing our teacher's requested advanced legal research was already old hat for me! I was not finding it 'challenging' at all-ironically again due to my special education confer! ences, where yes, a lot of legal jargon does get tossed around. All A! merican k-12 public schools are required to educate all students with disabilities, this is the law. Public schools cannot 'select' which students with what kind/severity of disabilities they will decide to educate or if they will decide to educate a student with disabilities at all. It is mandatory to properly educate all school-aged people, regardless of disability and/or the severity of that disability. People are still uncomfortable with special education because, especially in standardized test-crazy present day, we've sold ourselves on an emotionally-charged idea that all students MUST learn the same way to be smart. Society remains uncomfortable with any degree of variation from the concept. As for television series, the closest live-action series which I've seen about a special education classroom is "Welcome Back Kotter". A person who had undiagnosed learning disabilities when he was in public school, and strugged a GREAT deal because of this, comes back to teac! h one of the first officially recognized special education classes for students with learning disabilities--in that same high school of all places. Mr Kotter decides to be a positive teacher who believes in the potential of his students where others in the school still do not think they will ever amount to anything specifically because of their disabilities. Airing shortly after special education was federally authorized for the first time in America, the cast wardrobes/hair ARE dated (1970's). But it also very well captures the solidarity which inadvertently develops from being 'different' from the larger school population. So this is why this particular show would still be a good 'teaching tool' today. And I LOVED the cartoon version of Teen Wolf (even better than the live action movie which it was supposed to be based on). Scott Howard struggles with being 'different' while attending high school. This struggle includes having to figure out who actually accepts him beca! use of his 'difference'. Scott does not have magical powers or strength! because he is a werewolf, this entire series is a none-too-transparent allegory for a teen living and coping with having episodic conditions like epilepsy, diabetes, asthma..etc And even though most of his family (barring a little sister) share this same condition, most of the drama-tension occurs at school, where he is around 'normal' people most of whom tease him because of this difference. Scott learns who his real friends are and how to like his body for what it is and will always be. Books, I'd recomend the "Hank Zipzer" series by actor Henry Winkler, who has always been very open about and proud of his own disabilities. Throughout this series, the central theme is Hank and his own defintion of 'smart' in a world which does not always easily accommodate people with learning disabilities. During the 1970's, he was the first celebrity, who I saw talk about how I needed to be proud of having learning disabilities--and it made me feel proud that "The Fonz" of all peopl! e was advocating for my rights. Part of the American Girls series is 'Changes for Julie'. Julie Albright runs for class president to 'help' a classmate named Joy Jenner get treated fairly in 1970's San Fransisco. But Joy ultimately teaches Julie that she is only deaf and is perfectly capable of successfully advocating for her own rights as a human being. I too encountered insensitve comments from peers and condescending comments from people attempting to 'help' me without actually considering me their equal. But I learned that my real friends loved me for who I was, not for what classes I was enrolled in. My real friends wanted me to get the accommodations which I needed to learn in school--and succeed in life. They helped me honor good teachers and get rid of the bad ones. I think as more people from our generation (and younger) come into power and had been in special education, we will hear more about this program, and what needs fixing. Because this law only was pa! ssed in 1975, my generation was the first generation to wholly be in th! e special education program--the test generation. Bringing our 'field experiences' is what will then effectively reform it for subsequent generations. A world with special education is normal for us. But we want that education delivered without abuse and mistreatment. I don't know if other countries provide special education for their students with disabilities though....Show more