To be Inclusive or not to be Inclusive

Since I have moved to New Jersey I have been struggling to understand its school districts’ policies toward, and treatment of, children with disabilities. I grew up in a school district where all the schools were accessible… growing up I only had the vaguest idea that “special schools” existed. I was mainstreamed from a very early age and I excelled in everything I did… well, ok, chemistry and calculus were tough, but those classes are supposed to be tough. There were also many other kids who excelled in the “regular” classrooms with minor support from the special education department. Sure, my school district had special education classrooms, but the kids that needed that level of support still walked the same halls, ate in the same cafeteria and participated in the same school functions as the rest of the student body.

As I have moved around the country, I learned that “special schools” do exist, but it has always seemed that the emphasis was still on keeping children in their home district if at all possible. In New Jersey, at least in the counties around where I live, I have not seen much effort toward inclusion. Schools are older, yes, but with buildings that large, I can not see why all of them can not be made accessible. Many high schools appear to be wheelchair accessible but fewer elementary schools are. I am disturbed by this because, in my eyes, young kids are shaped by what they are, and are not, exposed to and so this inaccessibility hurts not only children with disabilities, but those without disabilities as well. Inner-city schools (not just in New Jersey) tend to be accessible less frequently than suburban or rural schools; money being the obvious factor causing this. I have to wonder, though, at what point does all that money those schools are losing yearly by these children going to other schools surpass the amount of money needed to renovate the school, making it accessible?

I have heard that many parents who have children with disabilities, particularly those residing in inner-city districts, do not want to send their children to the local school even if it is set up properly because they do not want their children teased and/or the parents fear for their children’s safety. While I can surely understand the safety concern, if it is legitimate, it would be a risk to all children with or without disabilities. I do not know if parents should be allowed to use this as sort of a “special education get-out-of-jail-free card.” On the other hand, I also do not know if I can argue against a parent sending a child to a “better school” if the opportunity presents itself… the question is, how does one make that determination when all factors are considered. If fear of teasing is the main reason, those parents need to realize that they can not shelter their children from this forever, especially given the fact that, once their kids finish school, they come home to that very same area those parents were trying to shield them from. It is a tough world out there and our natural instinct is to protect, but overprotection is just as hurtful, if not more, than what those kids are being protected against.