Students with disabilities refer to a group of students that are exposed to either physical, mental, emotional, sensory, or developmental deficiencies. Such students encounter many problems in the course of trying to access education. In fact, some of them are neglected and mistreated by others at school. Jobe, Rust, & Brissie (2000) report that mistreatment leads to trauma and a feeling of rejection among such students. Thus, their performance would gradually decline, as they encounter the myriad challenges. Students with disabilities should be appreciated like the rest of the students with the belief that disability is not inability. They would yield satisfactory results, in case they are given a chance. Therefore, the entire community should be responsible for ensuring that such students make it in life by achieving their dreams.
This paper explicates the inclusion of students with disabilities in various schools.
Students with disabilities should be treated fairly in all school programs. Fairness would ensure that such students feel part of the institution and get the motivation to work harder, in order to reach their dream. Institutions and other bodies should be keen to weigh the severity of the disability. Students with excessively severe disabilities should be highly considered. Adequate support through inclusion would ensure that students with extremely severe conditions are catered for, and are in a position to work for their goals. Fetter-Harrot, MTeketee, & Dare (2008) point out that students would have the urge to compete with others because of the presentation of a level competition ground. After analyzing the severity of the disability, such students should be offered with alternative courses to graduate from high school. Altered courses would ensure that they pursue subjects that are convenient to them, hence, enabling them to graduate with grades that would facilitate their transition into institutions of higher learning.
The research focused on accommodation as a vital area of inclusion. Accommodation refers to the acceptance of such students in the institution and the provision of conditions that are significant in ensuring that such students ultimately succeed. According to research, most institutions have been working on accommodation, in order to ensure that students with various disabilities are adequately catered for, hence, ensuring they feel to be the part of the society. The adoption of inclusion through accommodation has led to the development of various strategies that would ensure that such students are able to learn and compete for the same opportunities in the society. Accommodation has been put in place with the aim of ensuring that a level ground of competition has been achieved, and all students are equal, despite their physical abilities.
Research intimates that accommodation is an inclusion strategy that has led to increased number of disabled students joining various institutions because of the belief that they would be accorded the required assistance. According to Thompson, Bakken, Fulk, & Peterson-Karlan (2004), learning has also become more appealing and simpler for such students because of the simplification strategies adopted. Students are able to get the necessary assistance, despite their disability. In order to support inclusion through accommodation, various individuals have been trained and equipped with the necessary skills imperative for the practice. Therefore, the inclusion of disabled students through accommodation has helped in the creation of employment opportunities that are vital for ensuring better living among people.
Accommodation involves numerous strategies. According to research, accommodation involves issues, such as reading aloud for such students, giving extra time for studies and examinations, buying the necessary machines and equipment, and dividing such students in the smaller study groups. Reading aloud for students with hearing difficulties is a vital form of accommodation. It leads to a deeper understanding of the message being passed across. Students would be able to comprehend everything that they are taught in class through being involved in the loud reading. They would be in a position to ask questions relating to the class, hence gaining largely. This means that they would acquire the same level of understanding, as students with the abilities to hear clearly. Reading aloud would help in ensuring that there is a fair competition among all students within the institution. Purchases of support machines are another significant consideration in accommodation inclusion. This ensures that equipment required for education purposes and movements of such students is provided. Learning equipment, such as the Braille for partially blind students, would make learning easier, because students are given the necessary machines required. Wheelchairs would also be given to lame students, in order to ensure that they easily move from one point to another. This would ensure that they get access to learning points and get all the required details.
This method of inclusion has both advantages and disadvantages. According to research, accommodation is advantageous, because it ensures fairness. According to Norwich (2008), all students within the institution are able to get the same details, despite their abilities. Under the accommodation inclusion mechanism, nobody is required to be left behind. It ensures that all individuals are at part and get the same vital information that would lead to prosperity. There would be no difference between students, because the ground is a made level, and everyone is given a fair competition ground.
In addition, it is advantageous ,because it leads to success, despite the existing abilities. All students would get access to their desired levels of success. Success is vital in ensuring that students with disabilities get access to employment opportunities within the society. They would be accommodated in various sectors, hence, leading to better living among such students. Threats of misery would be eliminated, because of the employment opportunities created.
On the other hand, accommodation leads to relaxation among some students. Research points out that some students with disabilities would take advantage of the accommodation privileges and relax in their studies. Norwich (2008) points out that they would not work as hard as it is expected from them. They would relax with the belief that they would always be supported in their entire activities. Laxity would lead to failure among such students, and they would eventually become unproductive. This means that there would be a bleak future for individuals with disabilities.
In my opinion, the severity of the condition should be taken into consideration, in order to ensure that the learning schedules are altered for fair graduation of such students. Severe conditions would be considered, and students would be allocated only the relevant areas of study that would ensure that they graduate from high school with appropriate grades. Adjustments and alterations should be spread in a wide variety of activities that students with disabilities encounter. For instance, assignments should be altered with the aim of ensuring that students with disabilities attend to only those assignments that are convenient to them.
In conclusion, disability is not inability. Students with disabilities could be helped to improve in their academic work through vital inclusions. Accommodation is one of the most significant types of inclusions. It ensures that students with disabilities are given the required support and are able to work as their counterparts with full abilities. This would ensure fair competition both in the learning and eventually in the job environments. Thus, the necessary alterations need to be made by learning institutions, in order to ensure that they get access to fair learning, and eventually succeed like students with full abilities.