The New, Improved Holy Grail

Abstract

After five years as Editor of LDQ, this is my final issue. Leaving editorship brings mixed emotions. Certainly, there is a sense of relief no more deadlines and so much more free time. I'm not sure how I'll while away hours. (I'm too old to hang on street corners again!) On other hand, I'll miss privilege of associating with Kirsten McBride, marvelous Associate Editor 6f LDQ, Board of Reviewers who reaffirmed my faith in gentle art of nagging, CLD Executive Board who provided editorial freedom that is essential to producing a quality journal, and of course, scholars who submitted their work to LDQ. So much for pleasant, temperate portion of this piece. I have mellowed somewhat over past five years, but not so much that I don't intend to use my editorial prerogative one final time to share a few of my impressions about field. I'll begin by saying that I'm no pessimist. In my tenure as editor of LDQ, I have read some excellent work by some very able people. When I reflect upon our relatively recent beginnings as a profession, I think our fund of knowledge about learning disabilities and issues that relate to education of learning disabled has increased substantially. When I become impatient, I remind myself that acquiring information that pertains to something as complex as functioning of human brain is obviously a slow, difficult process. We should expect false starts, blind alleys, and a certain amount of chaff among wheat. However, despite my positive attitude about fruitful efforts of many fine scholars, I am deeply disturbed by a pattern within field that appears to create endless mischief. As I see it, a serious impediment to systematic acquisition of valid information stems from constant pressure in this applied discipline to provide simple, yet solutions to complex problems and to do so quickly. I have come to regard responses to this pressure as learning disabilities version of search for Holy Grail. The search in learning disabilities for Holy Grail is similar in many ways to legendary quest of Knights of Camelot motivated by good intentions and a sincere belief in all-powerful qualities of Grail. In world of LD, those who think they've found Grail are fervent champions of its magic, dwelling exclusively upon its benefits, not only to handicapped learners, but often to society as a whole. The skepticism of disbelievers may be viewed as negativism, defensiveness or ignorance certainly, their ideas are not regarded as sensible or important enough to raise doubts in minds of believers. Caution characterized by careful, objective research and a critical examination of events is not necessary when a true answer has been found. Indeed, funding sources may provide financial resources only to those persons or institutions whose activities are designed to substantiate perfection of the solution. Usually, it is passage of time which tarnishes glow of perfection. As problems persist, number of believers diminish until field is once again readied for discovery of new, improved Holy Grail. As I think back over history of learning disabilities I can identify a parade of Holy Grails which have lost their magic. I see no point in enumerating them. I prefer to direct attention to new perfect solution not only to problems facing learning disabled, but to those existing in whole of special education. I refer to Regular Education Initiative (REI), approach to special education that maintains that regular classroom should be primary site for services to handicapped learners. This particular Holy Grail lay for years under noses of educators, yet it could not be found until imperfections of previous perfect solution, so-called pull out model for special services, were revealed. Primary among those imperfections were stigmatizing effects of labeling and segregation, inability of special teachers to remediate or cure problems limiting learning and, last but certainly not least, cost involved in special education programs. According to its champions, REI will solve those problems plus a few I haven't mentioned. The regular class will become optimal learning environment for most children those qualifying for special educa-