Integration prioritized for Special Ed internationally

BY ARSHIA CHAKRAVARTTI Copy Editor

Walk into any art elective class at Burlingame during a typical school day, and a unique learning strategy is on display: special education students and mainstream students working in the same environment.

is approach might seem like a recent development, but special education programs have been integrating students into mainstream classrooms since 2004.

“It really starts with what’s called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and its reauthorization in 2004 that provided guidance on including students with disabilities into general education classes at multiple levels,” special education teacher Patrick Myers said.

Myers interacts closely with Moderate/Severe Disabilities students within the Bay Academy program, and works to ensure that they are on track to receive a certi cate of completion and move on into Bay University. ese programs cater to each students’ needs and help them to develop so skills like communication and socialization.

When California reauthorized IDEA in 2004, Bay Academy established inter-department connections to allow their students to participate in arts-centered elective classes. Myers said the heightened integration between students has bene cial outcomes.

“It’s good for everybody,” Myers said. “I think that the bene ts for our students are, they perform at a much di erent level.” e elective classes are structured intentionally to make integration possible.

“ e way their curriculum is built is very inclusive, and so our students are able to come in and really participate fully,” Myers said.

For both Burlingame and Bay Academy students, a crucial aspect of performing in an academic environment is interacting with peers.

“Part of going to school is to be with your friends. at so- cialization is really really helpful, ” Myers said.

In the ceramics classes, ceramics teacher Deborah Edwards has seen positive social changes when special education students work with them.

“People tend to congregate with their friends… and so when Mr. Myers and all came in, it was really wonderful because it brought people who were kind of in their own little clusters into other tables,” Edwards said.

Another fundamental aspect of the integration process is how the students in mainstream classes interact with the Bay Academy students — and how those connections impact the broader student community.

“ ey seem to build a lot of leadership skills… and their empathy skills go up too,” Myers said.

Special education integration is becoming a priority outside of California. Blooming Dale International Academy, a school in Kolkata, India, emphasizes creating a community between special education and general education students.

Pradipta Kanungo, a founder of the academy, acknowledged the challenges of cultivating this type of environment.

“ ere are children with special needs and those specially with intellectual disability who are not nding the pace in mainstream schools… the concept is yet to gain popularity,” Kanugno said.

Kanungo founded this school with the intention of creating a safe and supportive learning environment for those who did not receive the resources and attention they needed in state schools.

“We built a school which is integrated with their mainstream children… taking children with intellectual disabilities so that they can work together and overcome their di culties,” Kanungo said.

Diverse classroom settings, both in terms of educational level and personal background, can result in a stronger community. In the years following the founding of Blooming Dale International Academy, Kanungo has noticed signi cant improvements across her student body.

“I have noticed that in the mainstream children, they have developed a kind of empathy… and for those with special needs or those who have an intellectual disability when they see other students who have no such problems working and solving problems, they get encouraged,” Kanungo said.

Whether in India or here at Burlingame, there are clear bene ts to creating a diverse and inclusive community through integrated learning.

“ ey feel accepted. ey feel like they’re a part of the class,” Myers said. “It really helps my students.”