From exile to inclusion: Special education makes big strides, but problems persist

Sixty years ago, a child with special needs would have never seen the inside of a classroom.

Fifty years ago, his or heracceptance wasat the discretion of aschool board an administrative body holding the power to bar a child from learning because it was simply too much of an inconvenience.

• 'Nowhere to turn': Teachers left alone to deal with special needs, fed up with system

It wasn't until 1979 that provincial legislation was amendedto say a school "shall" accept a student with special needs, rather than the discretionary "may."

With a change in legislation and a shift in attitudes towards special needs children, the line between regular and special needs classrooms slowly began to blur.

That blurred line has since disappeared in manyclassroomsin Newfoundland and Labrador, where inclusive education sees children of various needs placed together in the same learning environment.

DuringCBC'sInside the Classroom education forum, teachers from across the province expressed frustration and utter dismay at how the inclusion model has been implemented.

• When teachers talk: Why CBC gathered 30 teachers to take us Inside the Classroom

Teachers say they do not have the proper resources at their disposal to handle students with a vast range of special needs, from learning disabilities, to mental illnesses and behavioural disorders.

So, why not?

Money talks, teachers walk

Complaints of being understaffedare nothing new.

In a critical analysis of Newfoundland and Labrador's special education system in 2000, AlanEdmundsreported that teachers wereupset at a lack of resources and a larger workload. They believed inclusionwas a cost-saving measure by the province, rather than a well-intentioned initiative.

Sixteen years later, aprovincial budget which took no prisonersin any partof the provincebucked the overall trend of growth in education spending across Canada in the last decade.

In total, $50.9million was cut from the education and early childhood development budget for this school year the largest cut from any government department and 142jobs were allocated for the rollout of full-day kindergarten.

This move stripped resources from regular classrooms and moved them to the kindergarten program. That left many teachers without instructional resource teachersto assist them in their inclusive classrooms.

Growing pains

Special education evolved into inclusion in the decades since the integration of special needs kids into regular schools. Models have come and gone, and the definition of inclusion has seen changes.

By the1990s,students with exceptionalities startedtheir education in the regular classroom and were placed in separate classrooms if aspecial need was identified.

Teachers would then work with thestudent and his or her parents to tailora unique strategy for the student's learning known as an individual support services plan (ISSP).

• Inside the Classroom: Read all of the reports in our series

The method was met with criticism from teachers and experts, including DavidPhilpott, a professor at Memorial University and a current member of the premier's task force on education.

Policy and practice must change if the needs of students are to remain central to the focus of education.- David Philpott, Memorial University professor

By 2007,Philpottand a commission of educators had called down the model, saying it was no longer feasible.

"The commission is concerned that too many students are receiving ineffective programs," he wrote.

"Policy and practice must change if the needs of students are to remain central to the focus of education. That change has to begin now."

A change in philosophy

The ideaof inclusion has since moved away from focusing on each individual as problems arise, and instead targets a broader way to reach everybody from the start.

"We are moving towards an idea of universal design for learning," said Gabrielle Young, a special education professor at Memorial University. "[That]means you have to get to know your students from the very beginning, get to know who they are, and plan accordingly."

• Inclusive education the top concern of N.L. teachers, report says

The idea was adapted from architecture make a building accessible from the beginning, rather than tacking on additions like wheelchair ramps and elevators as the needs arise.

An initiative began in 2009 to bring schools into the new inclusion model. Theywere placed in one of eight groups, with a new group being trained into the model each year.

Having an extra teacher being plopped into a classroom every third day ...can actually be more destructive.- Gabrielle Young, Memorial University professor

The new systemstill allows for children to be moved away from the regular classroom and requires plenty of planning and creativity, Young said.

It also requires the dedication of instructional resource teachers on more than a part-time basis.

"It cannot be placed solely on the classroom teacher," Youngsaid.

"Having an extra teacher being plopped into a classroom every third day can actually be more destructive."

It's not easy, but they'll keep trying

The evolution of special education has seen students move from the basementto the classroom an undeniable victory for equality and human rights.

While the teachers featured onInside the Classroomagreed wholeheartedly with the intention, they do not see inclusionas a realistic method underthe current conditions of the province's education system.

Inconsistent implementation, ambiguous philosophiesand government budget cuts have affected the progress of inclusiveeducation in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The result, teachers say, is a lack ofdedicated resources and a mess of stress.

Craig Tucker, a junior highand high school teacher in central Newfoundland, showed the frustration in his voice as he summed up his feelings on the topic.

"When you have a large class with a lot of exceptionalities, you are spread very, very thin," he said.

He was then asked how his colleagues copewith the realities they are facing.

• Read more articles by Ryan Cooke

"You do your best," he replied.

"Our system is run by teachers who are constantly under pressure, but who are always making it work. But I wonder how long that's going to continue."