Based on the experiences I've had and the people I've learned from, I would have to say that my philosophy toward Special Education is as follows.

I believe inclusion is the best way for everyone to have that chance to succeed, because first of all, it helps kids (and adults) with disabilities learn the most important skills they will need in life – social skills (Jorgensen, 1992; Strully and Strully, 1985). Second, it gives all kids the opportunity to develop cooperative skills (Jorgensen, 1992). Third, it helps kids without disabilities to have a more positive view of people with disabilities, through daily interaction (Jorgensen, 1992).

One way to create ideal inclusion in schools would be to somehow merge "special" and "regular" education. People sometimes forget that Special Education is not a room where the "special" kids go. It is a service to help make the mainstream setting more accessible to children with different needs. I mentioned earlier that maybe I should have been in Special Education. People may laugh and ask, "Why? What's wrong with you?" My point is, everyone has strengths and needs. The only difference between kids with disabilities and "typical" kids, is that typical kids have the adaptive abilities to succeed in a general, non-individualized curriculum – even I did to a certain extent (I got passing grades). That does not mean many typical kids would not benefit from individualized programs. "The technology of individualized instruction developed by special educators - assessing academic skill levels, identifying social and behavioral needs, and organizing teams around individualized plans - is now seen as beneficial to all students" (Ayres and Meyer, 1992, as cited by Burnette, 1996).

In class discussion, a student questioned the fairness of labeling some children "gifted." After all, she said, all kids have something they're good at – all kids are gifted in some way. Shouldn't all kids be given services to maximize their strengths, as the gifted children do? In an ideal world, maybe we won't need to categorize kids with "disability" and "giftedness" labels – but simply see the child in terms of her/his individual strengths and needs. "Students are viewed more and more not as separate groups - disabled and nondisabled - but as children with shared characteristics who vary on a wide range of attributes" (Stainback and Stainback, 1984, as cited by Burnette, 1996). The job of the educator would then be to help the child build on these strengths and accommodate his/her needs. (I don't foresee labels being totally eradicated. Used properly, they are helpful tools required for assessing needs.)

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