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Essay on Why Mainstreaming is Not an Acceptable Option
Deaf children are mainstreamed daily in hearing society as they are surrounded by the majority hearing culture everywhere they go. In discussing mainstreaming in educational settings, one must make the distinction between mainstreaming and inclusion. Mainstreaming refers to enrolling a child in an educational environment with students who reflect the majority of the society but who are different in some way than the child who is mainstreamed .
A Deaf child would be considered mainstreamed if enrolled in a program with primarily hearing children since they represent the majority of our society. In contrast, inclusion is when a child is enrolled in a program where s/he feels truly part of the centre of activity and of the academic and social life of the educational system s/he is in. It is for you as a parent to decide what kind of educational environment would be truly inclusive for your child.
You want your Deaf child to have the best education possible, to have all doors open to him/her, and to be able to explore all of life's possibilities. While you have no doubt met many professionals, you have probably met few, if any, Deaf adults, whose perspective has been shaped by years of firsthand experience. You may be considering whether or not to mainstream your Deaf child and you are hopefully assessing which educational environment is truly most inclusive for your child. You know that the choice you make will have a significant impact on the direction of his/her life. Here are some factors to consider
One of the most persistent problems facing the field of gifted education relates to the identification of giftedness in minority groups. In response to this issue, the literature over the last two decades has emphasized the need for multiple means of identification and appropriate curricula..........
