College of Pension Actuaries

Special education inclusion signifies the participation of special education students in regular education classrooms and provision of support services to these students. The main objective of inclusion education is that all students in a school, regardless of their strengths and their weaknesses in any area, become part of the school community. Every student develops a feeling of belonging with other students, teachers, and support staff. In segregated special education, children will not learn how to function in a non-disabled world. For instance, children who are disabled in terms of communication and are emotionally distressed would not communicate and might remain in a more emotionally disturbed state in segregated settings. The federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) holds it mandatory for schools to educate children with disabilities in general education classrooms.

The prime advantage of special education inclusion is that both disabled and non-disabled students are brought together in an environment of togetherness. Children learn to accept individual differences in inclusion education and this would lead to the development of new friendly relationships. Inclusion education also enables active participation of parents in their child’s education. The law also states that students with disabilities have a legal right to attend regular classes and receive an appropriate education in the least restrictive environment. Although the advantages are many, inclusion education creates an uncertainty regarding the roles and responsibilities of regular classroom teachers and special education teachers. However, researches show that inclusion education can be made effective by a healthy collaboration of special education teachers and regular teachers. With the assistance of services that would be available from the health department, physical education department, occupational therapists, speech therapists, etc., the school administration can aid the teachers to develop active lesson plans for inclusion education. Thus schools can create a cooperative learning environment and promote socialization.

I came across these words from Julia Cameron’s The Vein of Gold: A journey to Your Creative Heart (Penguin, 1997):

Writing by hand is like walking somewhere, instead of whizzing there in the car. We notice landmarks. We retain a sense of direction… Speed is not always desirable. We are after a process that will allow for depth and distance, not just speed… writing by hand allows us to examine more closely the journey we are taking… We see how we feel. We see our life by the way we finger it.

I began to think about how I ventured into the world of writing, and realized that I began with scraps of paper where I would scribble jumbled thoughts in between my classes in high school. Writing like that – without definite form or specific direction – was both a way for me to relax and a personal forum for exploring my views on life. I began to discover a new ‘me’ that was more passionate and opinionated than I had ever known. Later on, the scraps of paper evolved into a notebook that eventually carried the first poems I ever wrote.

If you are a beginner, start with simple exercises. Don’t overstrain yourself with difficult subjects or complex ideas. For instance, write a paragraph of your thoughts every morning. Don’t worry about whether it makes sense or not. The idea is to keep the flame going till you can develop something more interesting. Build on this and work your way towards a whole page then two pages and so on. This exercise helps to develop your ability to communicate honestly from your heart. Write whatever comes to mind and don’t despise it; it could be good material for future use. Focus more on the process rather than the product, at least until you gain more confidence.