A central purpose of IDEA is to ensure an effective and individualized education designed to address each child's particular needs in the least restrictive environment (LRE). Today, a continuum of placement options is being used in schools to provide special education services to students with disabilities. This practice fosters the achievement of social and academic goals by each individual child (Schnorr, 1990). A study by Evans, Salisbury, Palombaro, Berryman, & Hollywood (1992) found that social acceptance and opportunity for interaction are not uniquely associated with a child's cognitive functioning. Rather, the achievement of these social goals is affected by the environment in which services are received. The following example, described by a parent, illustrates how placement options are being used to accommodate the social and academic needs of students with disabilities (National Council on Disability, 1994, p. 10).
My own daughter was born to Dave and [me] on March 3, 1980, with Down Syndrome and congenital heart disease. She was lucky to be born in the early 1980s because she is the first product of infant stimulation and early intervention programs. It is Vicki's generation of students with disabilities who will be the benchmark for how successful good quality education can and should be.
When she was seven years old, Vicki was socially integrated into kindergarten, yet based in a special education classroom. For the past six years, Vicki has been a regular education student using special education supports. The success of this venture shows in Vicki's strong social skills and in her academic needs continually being challenged and met. She is going into the sixth grade this fall with the same students who have known her since first grade. She is part of their class and they are part of her class.
...Vicki's academic and personal needs have the same value as every other student enrolled in the school. The integrated educational opportunities that she experiences today will lead to Vicki being included in an integrated community for the rest of her life. (Carol Reedstrom, witness at the Chicago Hearing on Inclusionary Education, August 4-5, 1993.)
This quote highlights the types of placements and supports given to one child. In addition, it reveals a parent's commitment to inclusive settings based on the positive educational results for her child.
Equally important as individually tailored options are the settings in which students are served. Although challenges remain, IDEA has positively affected social and independent living results and educational attainment and employment for students with disabilities. Some of these positive results are described below, as well as factors associated with these results.
With Disabilities Without Disabilities Educational Attainment 1986 1994 1986 1994 ====================== ==== ==== ==== ==== Less than high school 40 25 15 12 High school graduate 31 30 37 41 Some college 15 28 25 26 Four-year college graduate or more 14 16 23 21 ---------------------- --- --- --- --- Total 100 100 100 100NOTE: Due to rounding, data may not sum to 100 percent.
NOTE: With Disabilities column is based on individuals ages 16 and over. Without Disabilities column is based on individuals ages 18 and older.
SOURCE: Louis Harris and Associates, Inc., 1994.
In the years since the implementation of IDEA, rates of work force participation also have improved for individuals with disabilities. The percentage of youth with disabilities ages 16 to 24 employed (62 percent) is double that of individuals with disabilities ages 16 to 64 (31 percent) (Harris Survey, 1994; SRI, 1993). These data suggest that in recent years more individuals with disabilities are entering the work force after leaving school than was the case in previous decades. This trend may be even stronger than the data suggest because many youth ages 16 to 24 are enrolled in secondary school or postsecondary programs, and therefore may delay entry into the work force while they continue their education.
The NLTS data raise two important issues. First, receiving quality instruction and proper support are important factors of successful school experiences. Second, there is no single special education policy or instructional strategy that benefits all students. In shaping policy and programs for students with disabilities, a range of options, tailored to meet the individual needs of students, continues to be the most effective approach to meeting a wide range of needs, preferences, and abilities of students who participate in special education.
Equally important as quality instruction, proper support, and individually tailored options, are the settings in which students are served. The next section presents a national picture of how the full continuum of placement options is being used to provide a free appropriate public education to students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment.
2 The information in this section summarizes the findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study(NLTS) of Special Education Students that are described in Chapter 3 of the Seventeenth Annual Report to Congress (U.S. Department of Education, 1995). These findings are based on data from more than 8,000 youth who were aged 13 to 21 and in special education in secondary schools(grades 7 through 12) or ungraded programs in 1985-86. Data were also collected in 1990 for youth who had been out of school 3 to 5 years.