Criticisms of Full Inclusion in the United States by an Organization for People Who are Blind and Teachers of Students With Visual Disabilities

Abstract

The purpose of the present review is to examine the criticism of full inclusion that has been put fbrth in the United States by an organization fbr people who are blind and by teachers ol' students with visual disabilities, in order to investigate the implications of these criticisms. The organization fbr people who are blind criticized full inclusion on the grounds that there has been a lack of understanding of blindness-specific skills and, in the methods of teaching these skills (including separated settings), due significance had not been given to the emotional and social meaning of peer interactions for students who are blind and their role as a member of society, and that the metheds required for assisting them to attain social status have been treated as unimportant. Students who are blind have been faced with isolation, poor training, and insuthcient participation for society, although they have benefited from long-term education in an inclusive education system. A fu11 inclusion setting definitely ought to be beneficial for students with mild mental retardation and learning disabilities; however, students who are blind have failed to benefit from similar options, because they have not learned such matters as blindness-specific skills that they would have acquired ideally in a separate educational setting,

The Inclusive Educational Process of Students with Visual Impairments in Spain: An Analysis from the Perspective of Organizations

“…Other features are practitioners' collaboration in the main teaching-andlearning processes that take place in mainstream classrooms (Argyropoulos & Nikolaraizi, 2009;Davis & Hopwood, 2002;Gray, 2005); attention to the social-emotional needs of students (Roe, 2008); and different views on translating policy into practice, such as between administrators and teachers (Smith et al, 2004). These studies show the gap between what professionals in the field say should be done and what is actually occurring (Oka & Nakamura, 2005).…”

Challenges Experienced by Learners With Visual Impairment on High-Stake Assessment

“…It provides the concluding remarks and recommendations towards the end. Oka and Nakamura (2005) argue that learners with special educational needs, especially those with visual impairment have been deprived of opportunities for full participation in regular classrooms. This coincides with Diaz, Hoag, Shasteen, Schade, and Larwin (2016) whose study seems to suggest that learners with visual impairment in inclusive classrooms feel neglected to some extent as compared to their sighted counterparts.…”

“…This coincides with Diaz, Hoag, Shasteen, Schade, and Larwin (2016) whose study seems to suggest that learners with visual impairment in inclusive classrooms feel neglected to some extent as compared to their sighted counterparts. Oka and Nakamura (2005) argue that a full inclusion setting has some challenges for visually impaired learners because it might not allow them to acquire specific skills required for their type of disability. They point out that the acquisition of such skills is likely to occur in a separate educational setting (op cit., 2005: 547).…”

Keeping Schools for Blind Students Vital in an Era of Inclusion: Key Elements for Success

“…The movement of children from residential to public schools commenced from the mid-1950s, following an increase in the number of children with retinopathy of prematurity and the enforcement of the law on integration, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act 94–142 in 1975 (Spungin & Huebner, 2017). Furthermore, the full inclusion movement in the 1990s accelerated the placement of children with visual impairments in their local public schools (DeMario & Caruso, 2001; Oka & Nakamura, 2005). In parallel to this movement, many schools for blind students expanded their role (DeMario & Caruso, 2001; Harley & English, 1989; McMahon, 2014).…”