Inclusion in Two Languages Special Education in Portugal and the United States: Each Country's Values Shape the Attitudes and Beliefs That Direct the Daily Practice of Inclusion in Classrooms and the Broader Society
2011; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 92; Issue: 8 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
1940-6487
Autores Tópico(s)Collaborative Teaching and Inclusion
ResumoIn every society, a major goal of education is to transmit cultural values from one generation to the next. society's values are reflected in its classroom practices--for example, the importance of discipline, achievement, and cooperation--and these practices form a significant part of children's view of themselves and how they relate to others. This is as true for children with special needs as it is for nondisabled children. In our ideal classroom, diversity in all of its forms is valued and disability is a difference to be appreciated, not disparaged. But even in our culture, such fundamental values as the benefits of inclusion can't be assumed. There's no reason to believe that every society's goals for inclusion will be the same. In the United States today, special education legislation has been influenced by the 2001 No Child Left Behind Act, itself an outgrowth of our society's belief that most children, regardless of ability, can achieve as well as their nondisabled peers and should do so in the general education system (Sailor and Roger 2005). In fact, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) specifies that students with special needs can be removed from the general education setting only if they fail to achieve, as measured by formal assessments, despite documented supports, aids, and services. message is clear: primary goal of inclusion for students with special needs in the United States is academic achievement. In contrast, in several European countries where inclusion also is considered a basic right, a primary goal of inclusion appears to be the right to be accepted as a valued member of society, not just to achieve. Though descriptions of these inclusionary policies may look similar, their implementation is defined by each country's values concerning individuals with disabilities and their place in society. As a former teacher and now professor of special education in the United States, I've seen special education evolve from the mid-1970s, when the goal was merely securing a place for the special-needs student in the public education system, to today, when the standard is making a place for these students in the general education classroom. Recently, I was a Fulbright visiting professor of special education at the Escola Superior do Educacao, Institutor Politecnico do Porto in Portugal, and I observed a similar emphasis for including students with special needs in the general education classroom. At first glance, the two systems of service delivery appear to be similar in intent, if not always in practice. SPECIAL EDUCATION IN PORTUGAL Portugal, like most other European countries, mandates full inclusion for all students with disabilities. With rare exceptions--such as children with visual impairments or profound retardation accompanied by the need for medical attention--all children with disabilities are educated alongside their typically functioning peers. Even minimal segregation is viewed as ethically wrong. My students at the Instituto Politecnico do Porto were shocked when I told them that in the United States, though inclusion was one service delivery option in the special education system, schools were mandated by law to provide placement options ranging from the most restrictive self-contained schools to full inclusion with minimal support. In the United States, this cascade of services, as it is known in the special education literature, reflects the American value of choice. Portugal is an interdependent society. I was told that The Portuguese like to talk, to socialize, and to eat, and, indeed, I observed this with my own university students. They would enter an empty classroom and sit right next to one another--in contrast to my U.S. students, who establish a broad personal space, often taking two desks to themselves. When asked about this behavior, the Portuguese students responded, We like each other. …
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