HISTORY OF INCLUSIVE EDUCATIONAL PRACTICES IN THE USA

Abstract

The article analyzes the historical stages of inclusive education in the United States: the first – 1960 – the stage of segregation and marginalization of people with special educational needs, the second (from 1968 to 1975) – the stage of normalization, the idea of involving disabled students in the educational environment, the third stage – educational mainstreaming (1975–1983), the fourth stage – (1983–2004) – inclusive education characterized by joint training of people with special needs with peers using typical development, the fifth –mixed educational system – a comprehensive inclusive education system starting in 2004 and until now in the United States.It was determined that the definition of “special educational needs” (learning disability), means developmental delay, disorder of one or more processes related to speaking, reading, pronunciation, writing or arithmetic abilities as a result of possible cerebral dysfunction, but not in the result of mental disorders, loss of sensitivity, cultural, educational or upbringing factors. It has been found that disorder or disability is not one specific concept, but often a mixture of disorders grouped under one broad term, and inclusive education is seen as “the process of addressing and responding to the diverse needs of students by ensuring their participation in learning, cultural activities and community life and reducing exclusion in education and the learning process”. Now intellectual level is determined by using standard intelligence tests, mostly Stanford-Binet, that allows to use individualized curricula as a basis for teaching children with disabilities in inclusive settings. But it is still clear that even in such circumstances, the problems of inclusive education remain to be complex and ambiguous.
 Keywords: special educational needs, children with disabilities, inclusive environment, inclusion, child with special educational needs, inclusive education, state acts, US general education system.