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A Usenet persona calling itself KMAN wrote:
in article , Scott Weiser at wrote on 4/5/05 10:16 PM: A Usenet persona calling itself BCITORGB wrote: Scott: ============== You're the only one suggesting that disabled kids be "stuck in a class that is not intended for their learning needs." I've never even hinted at such a plan. ============== And KMAN hasn't said you did. He's just reporting on the realities. No, he's reporting on one, single reality while trying to extend the reasoning to the general case. Actually, I'm not. As you know, I've already agreed with you that (as an example) a person with a physical disability with the same or better intellectual capacity as their non-disabled peers belongs in the same classroom as their non-disabled peers. Obviously and unquestionable. This elides the grey area issue of a student who does not have the "same or better intellectual capacity" as their peers but who is sufficiently advanced to benefit from the social interactions and instruction, even if he or she is not at the head of the class. Because it can be extremely difficult to accurate gauge the intellectual capacity of a person afflicted with brain damage that impairs communication, but not cognition, it's discriminatory to judge too quickly that a particular child is not able to benefit from the curriculum. Thus, it's perfectly reasonable to presume in favor of the hidden capabilities of a student and work hard to ensure that they benefit from both the social and academic benefits of being with their peers, unless and until it can be conclusively demonstrated that they are so far behind that both they and their peers are suffering as a result of the attempt to mainstream the disabled student. I do not agree with your implicit metric that a disabled student must be able to participate on an equal level in the classroom. I see nothing wrong with placing a disabled student who will require *more* assistance and specialized tutoring in order to keep up in the classroom, and in doing so require the other students to learn to "reasonably accommodate" their peer's disabilities. There is, however, a limit. On that we can agree. It's how you discover that limit that's important. I argue for giving the benefit of the doubt to the disabled student and not excluding them unless it is quantifiably clear that they cannot benefit from any aspect of the classroom environment *and* they are being so disruptive that it's impossible to teach the other children. Both aspects of this test must be met, after a considerable period of adjustment and attempts at accommodation, before any student is denied access to the public schools. I'm arguing the general case, not a specific reality. You are being dishonest. How so? -- Regards, Scott Weiser "I love the Internet, I no longer have to depend on friends, family and co-workers, I can annoy people WORLDWIDE!" TM © 2005 Scott Weiser |
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