ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, February 23, 1996 TAG: 9602230075
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER STAFF WRITER
CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES are being placed in regular classes through the sometimes controversial practice of inclusion.
First-grader Harry McCoy uses hand stamps to make his letters and numbers because he can't hold a pencil. He has stamps with all the letters in the alphabet and numbers 1 through 10.
Nor can he grip a computer mouse, so when Harry works at a computer at Oak Grove Elementary School he uses a touch screen to guide the pointer.
He touches squares on a computerized communication box when he wants to answer questions or tell his instructional specialist what he wants to do next.
Harry has multiple disabilities, including speech and motor skill impairments that probably would have caused him to be placed in separate classes - and possibly in a separate school - if he had been born 15 to 20 years earlier.
But Harry is in a regular first-grade class at the Roanoke County school because of the recent growth of inclusion, the sometimes controversial practice of placing children with disabilities in regular classes.
Teachers say he is making good progress and fitting in well with other children as he learns his ABCs and plays math games on the computer. Even though he can hear, he's also learning sign language so he can communicate with others despite his speech disability.
"He is gaining confidence and becoming more comfortable," said Page Griffin, an instructional specialist who works with him and provides the supplementary services he requires.
"He's having a good year. He enjoys being with other kids," Griffin said. "The other children love him. They want to help him. He has a buddy each day."
In a nearby kindergarten classroom, Chase Cloeter, a 6-year-old with Down syndrome, plays an alphabet game with other children. Chase has learned his letters, and presses the button for the correct answer to a question.
Chase has learned to read 24 words and has kept pace with the other kindergartners, said Debra Landgraf, an instructional specialist who works with him daily.
"He is fully included in everything with the other children," Landgraf said. "He gets along with them, and he's well-accepted."
"He's a high-functioning child with Down syndrome, and we haven't had to make major changes," kindergarten teacher Sandy Gould said. "He fits in well with the class."
Harry and Chase are among five Oak Grove Elementary pupils with disabilities who have been placed in regular classes as the county expands its inclusion program.
"Inclusion is best for some children, but not all," said Cathy Burke, a special education teacher at Oak Grove. "It depends on the child and their needs."
Roanoke County was recently cited by the U.S. Department of Education for failing to offer placement options for some children with disabilities and not offering them the opportunity to attend regular classes. The federal agency said the county does not place educable and trainable disabled students in regular classes.
The report also said the county does not provide counseling to special education students and does not offer an extended school year to those eligible, as required by federal regulations.
Eddie Kolb, county director of special education, has disputed many of the report's findings and claimed it contained errors. Federal officials apparently misinterpreted some information and ignored placement options offered by the county, Kolb said.
Janice Maddex, program supervisor for special education, said the county has expanded its inclusion program, but has not gone as far as some localities.
"We're cautious about inclusion. It is not a one-size-fits-all situation," Maddex said. "We consider it on a case-by-case basis."
Educators are divided on inclusion and the wisdom of educating all special-needs children in regular classes. Many believe inclusion has social benefits for children by helping them learn appropriate behavior, develop friendships and gain self-esteem.
Martha Snell, a University of Virginia professor who has worked with many school divisions in the state to implement inclusion programs, believes the practice benefits all students.
Studies have shown that students who are not disabled also grow in self-esteem and the ability to accept individuals with differences if they have classes with disabled children, Snell said.
But James Kauffman, another UVa professor, believes the inclusion movement focuses too much on where special-education students are taught instead of the types of services provided for them.
"The concern for the place students are taught has gotten out of hand. The inclusion movement is leading educators to define the regular classroom in the neighborhood school as the promised land for students with disabilities," Kauffman said.
"Instead of focusing on where services should be delivered, educators should design specialized programs that meet diverse student needs," Kauffman said in a recent article in the national journal, Learning Disabilities Research and Practice.
Some teachers have voiced concerns about inclusion. Virginia Education Association officials have said inclusion raises several issues:
* Teachers without adequate training, materials and equipment often instruct disabled children.
* Some localities may use inclusion to save money by reducing the number of highly trained special-education personnel.
* Inclusion may have a negative impact on children who are not disabled if the teacher spends an inordinate amount of time with the disabled children.
Roanoke County schools are focusing attention on their special education program this week with a series of activities to celebrate Exceptional Children's Week. In part, they hope to counter adverse publicity about the federal report on the county's special education services.
The county has a Parent Resource Center that provides advice and information to parents of children with disabilities.
"We maintain a library with books and tapes on disabilities," said Lynn Sherman, the center's coordinator. The center publishes a quarterly newsletter and has a mailing list of more than 2,000, she said.
Maddex said the schools attempt to keep parents informed of their rights.
Federal law promotes inclusion: It requires that to the greatest extent possible, children with disabilities be educated with children who are not disabled. If it is decided a child should be educated in a regular class, the law says the child is entitled to supplemental aids and services to ensure that he or she receives the best education possible.
LENGTH: Long : 125 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS/Staff. First-grader Harry McCoy,by CNB8, receives help on the computer from his aide, Page Griffin, and a
classmate, Brittany Goldberg, 7, at Oak Grove Elementary School.
color. 2. Kelly Linn Nevling, 6 (center) and Breanna Costa, 5, help
Chase Cloeter, 6, play a computer desk game in a kindergarten
classroom at Oak Grove Elementary School.