Wednesday, March 3, 1993 - North Shore News - $3 a TRAINING Special needs are mainstreamed OPPORTU NITIES MASSIVE DOWNSIZING of institutions for people with special ‘students watch and marvel at needs is more than.a‘government trying to cut costs. It is part of a greater philoso- phy. By closing down these establishments and blending, or. “‘mainstreaming,’’ physi- . cally, mentally and behavioral- ly challenged individuals into community life, society is act- ing more responsibly in taking care of its own, The education system is no * exception. Approximately 10% of British Columbia's students fall under: _the.genera! category of — “special needs’’ cornpared to | “14% across North America. Students considered to have _ special needs include mentally, physically, aiid behaviorally challenged people and can -also include those who are. ‘from impoverished families, have learning disabilities or are _ learning English as a second language (ESL). The roles of schools are . becoming more complex as ’ ~society becomes more accep- ting, diverse and multicultural.’ ‘ According toa discussion . paper called “The Three’ ’ Faces of Equity for Special Needs Students,’ produced by West Vancouver's acting su-. perintendent of schools George » Stewart, “a (school) board ' shall provide handicapped students with an educational program in ‘classrooms where _ that student is integrated with other students who do not . . have handicaps,’ ” as per the, provincial government's minis- terial order 150/89. By Kevin Gillies “In the 1970s we started to include our mainstream children into regular classrooms and we have reached the point now where virtually every child in the pro- vince is in regular classrooms,”’ Stewart said. ‘‘There are very, very few exceptions.” Order 150/89 recognizes in- dividual rights and that the : value of “role modelling” to an individual with special needs is paramount when it comes to making the transition from the isolated existence of institution living to becoming a contributory member of socie- ty. a : Speech pathologist.David ' Platt pointed out that, “Special-needs children also bring’a lot.of strengths to the learning environment.” Role modelling is also some- thing the special-needs stu- dents provide for the regular- needs students in local schools. Ridgeview elementary school’ principal Hazel Williams said,‘‘it's avery heartwarming thing to see a Downs-syn- drome child take a place ina regular classroom ... and to be a role model for the regular students.” “She is teaching the regular students tolerance and em- pathy.” She said that regular-needs the accomplishments of the special-needs students. According to Platt, the three main jong-term goals for special-needs individuals in the education system are in- dependence, functional com- munication and enjoyment. Independence can be pro- moted through the teaching of life skills and the development of strategies to deal with an in- dividuai's disabilities. The teaching of skills needed in everyday life must be started at an early age in order to in- crease the chances for success. Whether it be verbal or non-verbal, it is important to initiate an effective com- munication system. Com- munication is essential for someone trying to fit into society. ; “The earlier this is started, the more probability of success and the less chance of frustra- tion,” Platt said. ‘it’s impor- tant that.a child not feel frustrated or upset in his or her educational experience. “A child who is enjoying his educational experience will get much more from. it,” he added. ‘A ~“, McDonald's is not only the largest and most successful food service organization in the world, it is also:the fastest growing. Consequently our career opportunities are exceptional. 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