What is Special Education? Essay -- Education Educating Teaching Essay

Before covering the main idea behind how technology can enhance learning of special students, it is important to discuss what qualifies a student as ?special?. Special Education is identified as, ?the education of children who deviate socially, mentally, or physically from the average to such an extent that they require major modifications of usual school practices,? (Encyclopedia Britannica Online, 2005, p.1). According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997, ?students with disabilities include those with mental retardation, hearing impairments, speech or language impairments, visual impairments, serious emotional disturbance, orthopedic impairments, autism, other health impairments, or specific learning disabilities,? (Warger, 1999, p.1). Since there are so many different types of disabilities, each student needs to be assessed to determine the best type of learning environment for them (Ralabate, 2002, p. 13-14). This is a very important part of help ing special education students from the very beginning of their education. With the right leadership from teachers, and knowing what works best with teaching each unique student, they can reach their full potential in learning. Inclusion ?Children who learn together, learn to live together? (Renaissance Group, 1999, p.1). Resurfacing the issue of different teaching methods in Special Education, many schools educate students in an Inclusive environment. Inclusion refers to the placement and participation of students with special needs into a general education environment such as classrooms and extra curricular programs (Lewis & Doorlag, 1999, p.5). Many find the use of inclusion in schools very beneficial to both special and general education ... ....gov/ERICWebPortal/Home.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=Thesaurus&_nfls=false This an online ERIC thesaurus defining assistive technology. ?Special education.? Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Online. 2005. This is an online encyclopedia definition of special education. Internet Resources Internet for Education. (2005). Retrieved on April 27, 2005 from http://www.vts.rdn.ac.uk/tutorial/education?sid=4740639&op=preview&manifestid=82&itemid=7126 This site contains information on the ways the internet can enhance education. Renaissance Group. (1999, October, 14). Inclusive Education. Retrieved April 20, 2005 from http://www.uni.edu/coe/inclusion/ . This site contains a lot of current information concerning the importance, philosophy, and future of education in an inclusive environment.