Introductory Section
Interview Overview
This study is based on the responses that have been obtained by interviewing the head of faculty from Florida School for the Deaf and Blind. The school has a long history because it has provided this program since 1885 and produced eminent personnel. As a result, it has advanced greatly in accordance to the modern world which is progressing on daily basis. Based on this progress, the school was established to teach pupils up to the 12th grade; however, their current program has included a post-secondary program that allows advancement to higher education.
Interviewee’s Views on Current Special Education
During the interview, it was evident that special education has experienced a transformative process. The concerned specialists are progressively discovering new ways of providing this education. This implies that present special education program is more advanced than the previous system. In his explanation, the interviewee contends that current special education is based on applying technology and including special education in general curriculum.
Regarding technology, he argues that modern special education requires institutions to use technology when they are teaching. Technology is applied as a tool that efficiently helps the needy student to maneuver academically. For example, specialists have developed applications that help the blind pupils to operate computers. When a pupil presses the keyboard, the application provides an audio notification concerning the command that has been made. Persistent practice enables the pupil to operate the computer at a speed that is equivalent to a normal human being. This implies that technology is an crucial tool that defines modern special education.
Second, it is evident that modern special education aims at integrating special education in the general academic curriculum. In this light, the interviewee argues that pure special programs isolate the needy pupils from normal ones. These modern programs have developed a curriculum that can handle needy pupils along with the normal ones. Further, it has developed a procedure of determining pupils who cannot fit into the general curriculum. This integrative curriculum has played a crucial role in promoting social growth by purporting interaction between normal pupils and the handicapped ones. These two aspects, which include application of technology and special general curriculum, form the core basis of the modern special education.
Contributions of Past Special Education
Based on the interview, it is noticeable that past special education was provided in accordance to the past context. First, special education was meant to equip the needy students with basic academic skills that would help them to lead a normal life. For example, teachers used manual tools to make holes on special writing material. Then, the pupils would read the notes from these writing materials and internalize them. Although this process was tedious, the interviewee contends that it served the purpose of special education in relation to the traditional context.
Second, past special education involved psychological counseling that assisted pupils to accept their handicapped condition. In this case, needy pupils might be alienated by their counterparts who are physically normal. This alienation can lead to psychological depression which affects their academic and social performance. Based on this situation, the past special education involved robust and persistent counseling program. As a result, it contributed greatly to the attainment of social acceptance and sustenance of self-esteem.
Lastly, it enabled teachers to provide individualized consideration to the needy student. Understandably, institutions did not combine special education with the general curriculum. Instead, past special curriculum separated the needy students from the normal ones. This implies that teachers would consider the needy pupils at personal level allowing them to offer individual assistance. This personal consideration is fairly better than collective teaching that provides education conjointly.
Present Experience in Special Education
Following the advancement of special education, schools use technological devices when they are teaching handicapped pupils. This is inspired by the increasing quest for technological knowledge and the rising availability of these devices. Additionally, it implies that institutions seek to equip the handicapped pupils with technological skills that enable them to fit into the modern world. Further, they use technology to simplify learning since it replaces some manual systems and supplement others. For example, schools use narrators to help student when they are typing their work on a computer keyboard.
A narrator is an application that uses audio technology to inform the pupils about the commands they make on a computer. This application is used persistently until pupils develop auto-suggestive sensitivity which helps them to perfect their typing skills. Lastly, it is important to note that using technology in special education is applicable due to profound availability of technological devices and technologically knowledgeable human resources.
In addition to technology, schools have developed a system where needy students are taught together with normal pupils in order to develop the social growth of handicapped pupils. In this case, the interviewee suggested that isolation of handicapped pupils from the others alienate them socially leading to social dormancy. In fact, this fact has inspired the creation of special general curriculum which enables teachers to teach both the handicapped and normal scholars simultaneously.
Applying technology and combining curriculum are the key occurrences that are experienced in the modern special education. Nonetheless, modern special education has not demolished all the aspects of past special education. For instance, modern special education involves counseling that was a core component of the past special education. This implies that sensitive aspects of the past special education are included in the modern special education.
Concepts on the Way Forward
In light of defining the way forward, special education should incorporate rational concepts which include inclusion and categorization of scholars. In this case, inclusion and categorization seem to approach special education from parallel perspectives. However, the interviewee suggests that institutions should blend the two concepts. He argues that applying categorization and inclusion creates a holistic model that caters for all pupils.
In this case, he explains that inclusion is a concept that encourages institutions to allow for interaction between the disabled students and non-disabled ones. It argues that interaction develops the social autonomy of the disabled scholars since they experience appreciation and acceptance. This implies that teachers must allow their pupils to interact freely with their counterparts to ensure that they develop socially.
Further, the interviewee suggests that inclusion should be applied in a controlled manner. This means that the disabled students should use some of their time alone. During these sessions teachers should consider the students at individual level. It, also, allows them to understand their personal problems and offer the pertinent solutions. Otherwise, inclusion can disadvantage disabled pupils when they are taught together in all sessions. This gives way for the second concept referred to as categorization.
Concerning categorization, the interviewee explains that the concept requires teachers to categorize pupils and students into classes according to the severity of the disability. In fact, he contends that categorization must be conducted before inclusion. When categorization is conducted before inclusion, the teacher can identify scholars who cannot be taught together with the non-disabled ones. At the same time, pupils who can learn along with non-disabled pupils are considered for inclusion. The interviewee, therefore, advocates that institutions must integrate the two approaches to realize good results.
Lastly, the interviewee suggests that teachers and institutions should apply individualized consideration. This concept requires that severely disabled pupils are taught at individual level. For example, pupils who are suffering from memory loss should have personal sessions for individualized teaching since they cannot learn with the non-disabled ones.
Conclusion
In light of providing an elevator opinion, it is important to state that the interview has enlightened the autonomy of special education profoundly. First, it is clear that special education has evolved greatly over years due to improvements. These improvements have changed it from an education system that entirely concentrates on basic skills to a system which equips disabled pupils with technological skills. Further, it is noted that modern special education has adopted inclusion where disabled and non-disabled pupils are taught together. This concept purports social growth and instills a feeling of acceptance to the disabled pupils.
The study has, also, shows that the two concepts should be applied simultaneously to create a holistic educational system that considers all pupils. Lastly, institutions should not demolish all the aspects of past special education in favor of the modern aspects. Instead, they should include some desirable aspects of the original special education.