History of Special Education... Where are We Now?

          As it pertains to Special Education, we have come a very long way from when students of all ethnicities were not given equal opportunities to receive an education. However, we as educators still have a little more homework to do in order to provide equal and quality education for all students regardless of if they have a disability or not (Link to timeline: https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/2050599).

         

          Figure 1. History of Special Education Timeline

          From segregation upheld in Supreme Court case Plessy v. Ferguson that created the ‘separate but equal doctrine’ to those ideals being challenged by the Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education when Brown’s daughter would have to walk a long distance to her school to receive an education that was of lesser quality in comparison to the school that was located near her neighborhood for students of predominantly white ethnicity due to the laws set with segregation. This Supreme Court case allowed for individuals to truly acknowledge that the doctrine set up from the Plessy v. Ferguson case may have been separate but was far from equal.

          While there have been advances to provide equal access to a quality education for all students, there were other factors that got in the way. These factors included test bias, poverty, special education processes, inequity in general education, issues of behavior management, and cultural mismatch/cultural reproduction” (Skiba, 2008, p. 264). Depending on the social status of students enrolled in school, this alone can impact the type of access students have to a school that supports their cognitive development. For instance, students that are a part of middle-class families are more than likely to have access to a higher quality education in comparison to students who are in families of a lower socioeconomic status. While this may not be the case for all schools, a school’s location can be reflective of the resources it can provide for their students. A school located in a better area may have more funds to pay for additional services to aide students with disabilities whereas schools located in an area of individuals of lower socioeconomic status may have the heart to provide for their students but may not have the funds to provide services to aide special education students. In addition to socioeconomic status, then process for one to receive aide for their disability is harder than ever. From my experience having an IEP, my mom always shared with me how hard it was for her to prove that I truly had a disability and needed more help than what my teacher alone could provide to improve my academic performance in the classroom. Ten years later, my younger sister is in the same position as I am and is in need of an IEP due to her issues with reading comprehension. While the process of evaluation was kept the same, knowing the process of how hard it is to get those resources to students made my mom mentally prepared for the fight she would need to put up for getting my sister on an IEP. I find that once you can receive aide for your disability, obtaining those same resources as one advances to college is much simpler. At my school, all one would need is proper documentation and submit this form to their instructor to receive the aide they need for taking exams.

          Another component of Special Education is the ideal of students that possess different vulnerabilities. One of these vulnerabilities may be a traumatic event a student has experienced that has resulted in a shift of mindset. This change of mental state can result in students lashing out against teachers, peers, and loved ones as an attempt to channel their emotions. To help students manage their anger, numerous resources may be needed such as the school guidance counselor, therapy, and an area on the classroom that can be called the cozy corner. This area can be used as a method where students with anger management issues can have the opportunity to complete activities that are designed to soothe the child and allow for them to calm down prior to continuing with classroom activities and assignments. Finally, I have noticed that Special Education students are kept separate from other students. While I do understand that keeping students with disabilities together creates a classroom environment where everyone can relate to one another, I wonder if keeping them separate leave Special Education students unprepared for the real world that awaits post-graduation.  

Reference

          Skiba, Russell J.; Simmons, Ada B.; Ritter, Shana; Gibb, Ashley C.; Rausch, M. Karega; Cuadrado, Jason; Choong-Geun Chung. (Spring 2008). Achieving Equity in Special Education: History, Status, and Current Challenges. Exceptional Children. 74 (3) 264-288.