Meeting Special Educational Needs In Ordinary Settings: Rationale Problems And Strategies

Special Educational needs children are perhaps the most vulnerable of all the minority and disadvantaged groups in any society. Their understanding and ability to communicate are presumed to be limited. Their educational and life experiences and opportunities to participate in decision-making of their lives are somewhat restricted in segregated settings. In a more violent sense, they are vulnerable from the moment they are born if medical practitioners persuade parents to allow an infant with, say Down’s syndrome to die withholding treatment essential for the survival. Throughout the whole of their lives, they are vulnerable in a different sense to abuse of power by professionals who are driven by a conviction that they know best what is good for them. They are also made more vulnerable by the widespread under-estimation by others of their capacity to learn and function in ordinary settings. This paper discusses the rationale for educating children with special educational needs in ordinary settings. It also outlines related problems and some strategies of educating them in regular settings.

A ZBTE article on special educational needs.