| LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT (also famous folks with disabilities ... ) |
| Dr. Stephen Hawking is acknowledged as one of the greatest physicists in history. He developed a theory on black holes that provided insight into the origin of the universe. He is a professor of mathematics at Cambridge University, a post once held by Sir Isaac Newton. Dr. Hawking is married to Jane, and they have three children and one grandchild. Dr. Hawking was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS -- Lou Gehrig's Disease) at the age of 21. He uses a wheelchair and has round-the-clock nursing care. His speech was severely affected by the disease, and he communicates with the aid of a computer by selecting words from a screen which are then expressed through a speech synthesizer. |
| James Earl Jones is well-known for his deep, rich voice. He was the voice of Darth Vader and is the most in demand narrator in Hollywood. Virtually mute as a child, he stuttered throughout most of his youth. With the help of his high school English teacher, he overcame stuttering by writing poetry that he then committed to memory and recited aloud to the class. He went on to debating and then to the stage and screen. |
| Tom Cruise is a Hollywood actor who has been nominated for three Academy Awards and has won three Golden Globe Awards. He has been married three times and has 3 children. He calls himself "functionally illiterate" due to severe dyslexia. About his films, he said, "I'd get the director and producer to talk about the characters and the film. I'd glean information from them and I'd use that... I got pretty good at ad-libbing." |
| Many people have spread the notion that Albert Einstein must have had some sort of disability, most particularly a learning disability. He did not speak until age 3 (some people say 4). Most biographers believe that he did not have a learning disability. They also argue against the notion that Einstein was a poor student when he was in elementary school. When he was seven his mother wrote, “Yesterday Albert received his grades, he was again number one, his report card was brilliant.” At the age of twelve Einstein was reading physics books. At thirteen, after reading the Critique of Pure Reason and the work of other philosophers, Einstein adopted Kant as his favorite author. About this time he also read Darwin. Abraham Pais states, “the widespread belief that he was a poor student is unfounded.” (information from http://www.audiblox2000 com/dyslexia_dyslexic/dyslexia005.htm) |
| Itzhak Perlman was born in Tel Aviv, Israel. He started playing the violin very early in his life. He has performed with every major orchestra and received the Medal of Liberty in 1986. His joy of music captivates audiences and his music can make you cry. He contracted polio at age 4 which permanently paralyzed his legs. He performs his concerts seated, and walks with crutches. He is also a well-known advocate for people with disabilities. |
| Christopher Reeve grew up in New Jersey. In 1977, he was chosen to star in the movie Superman for which he won the British Academy Award as best actor. He was married and a father. During a cross-country event in May 1995, his horse balked at a rail jump, pitching him forward where he landed head first. His injuries left him paralyzed, unable to use any of his limbs or to breathe. Reeve and his wife were dedicated to increasing public awareness about spinal cord injury. He was the chairman of the American Paralysis Association and the vice chairman of the National Organization on Disability. Further, he founded the Christopher Reeve Foundation in 1994 to raise money and provide grants to local agencies that focus on the quality of life for people with disabilities. |
| Ludwig van Beethoven is widely recognized as one of the world's greatest composers ever. His reputation and genius have inspired and intimidated ensuing generations of composers, musicians, and audiences. Beethoven had hearing impairments, and was eventually completely deaf. By 1820, he was able to communicate with family and trusted friends only in writing, using "conversation notebooks." |
| Alice Cooper is an American rock singer, songwriter, and musician. Rolling Stone Magazine referred to him as the world's most "beloved heavy metal entertainer" and is seen as being the person who "first introduced horror imagery to rock'n'roll, and whose stagecraft and showmanship have permanently transformed the genre." He also has asthma. |
| Actor Michael J. Fox was born in Canada in 1961. His roles include Marty McFly from the Back to the Future trilogy (1985–1990); Alex P. Keaton from Family Ties (1982–1989), for which he won three Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award; and Mike Flaherty from Spin City (1996– 2000), for which he won an Emmy, three Golden Globes, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. He is married and has four children. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1991, and disclosed his condition to the public in 1998. As the symptoms of his disease worsened he semi-retired from acting in 2000. |
| Marlee Matlin is an actress on TV and in film. She won an Academy Award (Best Actress) and a Golden Globe (Best Actress) for her film debut "Children of a Lesser God." She is married and has four children. Matlin had roseola infantum at age 1 1/2 and lost all hearing in her right ear, and 80% of hearing in her left ear. |
| Richard Pryor was an American comedian, actor, and writer. In 1991, Pryor announced that he had been suffering from multiple sclerosis since 1986. In response to giving up drugs after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, he said: “God gave me this M.S. shit to save my life." |
| In 1989, Stevie Wonder was inducted into the Rock 'N Roll Hall Of Fame alongside none other than the Rolling Stones. He is a singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist. When he was born, he was premature, and had damage to his eyes -- a condition called retinopathy of prematurity -- which caused blindness. |
| John Cougar Mellencamp is a musician, rock singer/songwriter, and occasional actor. He has been married three times and has five children. He was born with spina bifida. |
| Least Restrictive Environment To the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are not disabled, and that special classes, special schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability is such that the education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily. |
| LEVEL FOUR: FOURTH most inclusive; fewer students than level 3; (inclusion is rapidly declining ...) Student is placed in a self-contained classroom for children in special education for the majority of the day. The student attends the general education classroom in subject areas consonant with his/her capabilities. |
| LEVEL THREE: THIRD most inclusive; fewer students than level 2; The student is placed in a general education classroom for the majority of the day but goes to the self-contained classroom for specialized instruction in his/her particular area of need. |
| LEVEL TWO: SECOND most inclusive; fewer students than level 1; The student is placed in the general education classroom. The special education teacher acts in a consultive role and provides assistance to the general education teacher. |
| LEVEL ONE: the MOST inclusive; the MOST number of students with disabilities; The student is placed in the general education classroom with no additional or specialized services. |
| Educational Service Options for Students with Disabilities: (Seven Separate Levels) Levels 1 -- 3: General education has primary responsibility for the student's educational program. Special education is a support service designed to facilitate the student's success in the educational setting. Levels 4 -- 7: Special education has primary responsibility for the student's educational program. As the levels progress, inclusion declines. Student population declines as levels progress as well. |
| LEVEL FIVE can't really be called inclusive any more ... fewer student than level 4; The student is placed full time in a self-contained special education classroom. The classroom, however, is in a general education school. |
| LEVEL SIX no longer inclusive; fewer students than level 5; Student is placed in a separate school designed for children with disabilities. |
| LEVEL SEVEN Most restrictive; least number of students; Student is educated through homebound or hospital instructional program. |
| WHAT DO GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHERS SAY? TIME Teachers need 1 hour more a day to plan for students with disabilities. TRAINING Teachers need systematic, intensive training, either as part of their certification programs, or as an ongoing process. PERSONNEL RESOURCES Teachers need additional personnel (aids) to carry out many individual IEP goals. MATERIAL RESOURCES Teachers need adequate curriculum materials and other classroom equipment appropriate to the student's needs. CLASS SIZE Teachers agree that class size should be reduced to fewer than 20 students if students with disabilities are included in their classrooms. CONSIDERATION OF THE SEVERITY OF THE DISABILITY Teachers are more willing to include students with mild disabilities than students with more severe disabilities. WHAT DO YOU THINK? |
| Yvonne was the second of twins: her sister was born first and without difficulty. However, Yvonne was not as lucky. There was something different about her; it became obvious almost immediately after the birth. She didn’t have good muscle tone. Within days, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Her head and left side were the most affected. The doctor told her parents that she would most likely have physical and learning problems throughout her life. She was placed in an early intervention program, and then a preschool program when she was 3. The preschool population was made up of children without disabilities. |
| One day, 4-year-old Matt was playing across the street from his house. As he crossed the street to return home, he was hit by a car. Matt suffered severe head trauma and was in a coma for 2 months. Matt wears a helmet to protect his head, and he uses a walker in his general education kindergarten class. He is working on his fine motor skills and speech skills so that he can write. He is working on his alphabet, counting, and number recognition. He receives speech therapy. He is well-liked by his classmates. His teacher enjoys seeing his progress. |
| Lance is a very troubled kid. At school, he picked fights with students, spit in their food, threatened to kill his teacher and his classmates, and cursed at the principal. The final straw came on a bus full of children. When Lance erupted and threatened to cause a crash, a teacher’s aide had to restrain him. Lance hit and kicked the aide. |
| Ross has achondroplasia, a skeletal disorder that causes short limbs and orthopedic problems. The bones of his head and face did not develop normally and this has left him with a small amount of permanent hearing loss necessitating the use of hearing aids. Ross, who also has learning disabilities, attends Public School 234 in Lower Manhattan. He is 11. |
| QUESTIONS TO PONDER: What is the solution to inclusion when there are severe disabilities that interfere with the other students’ learning? Why is it so important to provide early intervention as early as possible? What is your opinion about pulling children from general education classes for special education services? How can teachers be everything to everyone? How can parents get teachers who are everything to their child? |
