Education is what fuels a community and furthers us all as a society.  As said by Dr. Paul LeBlanc of Southern New Hampshire University, "Education is the great enabler and equalizer, the force that allows individuals to reach their potential, to dream bigger dreams and to be more fully engaged with a much bigger world" (Why is Education, 1).  All students, even those with mental disabilities, have the right to the best education possible so they too can help further society.  Students with down syndrome should not be subjected to segregated classrooms because inclusive classrooms encourage diversity, acceptance and patients among students.  Therefore, all teachers should be properly trained to educate disabled students before becoming licensed.  

Down syndrome is a chromosomal disease where there is an extra copy of chromosome twenty-one.  The most common of all down syndrome, accounting for ninety five percent of effected people, is trisomy twenty one, a less severe form of the disease than the other five percent.  Children with Down syndrome are more prone to health defects like heart and respiratory problems, causing them to have to overcome more obstacles than just a mental disability ("Down Syndrome"). In 1975 the Education for All Handicapped Children Act was passed allowing students with disabilities, like Down syndrome, to receive public education in the least restrictive environment as possible.  The US now has the Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 enforcing these laws (Lakyani, 437).  Now, throughout recent history people with Down syndrome are becoming more assimilated in today's society and organizations like school classrooms, health care, work force and different recreational activities ("Down Syndrome").  However, school administrators and teachers across the country are still pushing families to put their children with Down syndrome into completely segregated classrooms.  Only thirty-three percent of students in preschool with Down syndrome were educated in general education classrooms (Lakyani, 439).  Students with Down syndrome do learn slower than most children, but not in all developmental areas are they equally disabled.  Social functions of these children are only a week or two behind "normal" children throughout childhood (Developmental Learning).    

To better promote inclusive requires the general public to better understand Down syndrome.  Without understanding Down syndrome, people will not be accepting of the disability.  The first step of getting the general public to better understand is by having administrators and teachers educating parents and pushing for these classrooms to be in place.  To do this, teachers and administrators should be knowledgeable of this disability and how to teach this disability before becoming certified in their field (Lyons, Brennan and Carroll, 87) Skeptics say that inclusive classrooms will have a negative effect on the disabled and the "normal" students.  Uncertain parents also argue that their child will be unaccepted by their peers and will not be included in everyday social situations with fellow students (Lakyani).  However, once students are put into these classrooms, acceptance and development of friendships between all students have thrived ("Together We Learn").  

In a study done in 2010, a mother of a student with Down syndrome defined inclusion as 

"[Inclusive education] represents my daughter being included in day-to-

day life. That she is not being segregated. That she's not being singled out and that she is being accepted for whom she is. Or at least an attempt to try to accept her for who she is. She should not have to earn her right to be in this class. It is her right" (Lakyani, 436).  

These mothers, along with many others in this study were faced with many hardships trying to get their children into inclusive classrooms.  The school would tell them they do not offer inclusion and the only option was "self-contained" classrooms.  

Administrative boards furnished a variety of reasons that their children could not be in inclusive classrooms, even after the parent's request for their placement in these classrooms.  Some mothers said the social workers and administrators were like sales people trying to "sell" the idea of self-contained classrooms.  Parents said that inclusion did not just make them feel as if their child was being accepted and included in the school system, but also in society  (Lakyani, 435).  A quote from one mother in the article "Land of Misfit Toys" said, "She's got to learn to fit into the real world.  And deal with real world problems.  If she's in an inclusive setting, those are things that hopefully she will figure out for herself" (Lakyani, 440)  

It is not just the parents that are pushing for the inclusion, but the students want to be included as well.  For example, a student who has Down syndrome named Megan made a video explaining to her community that she does not want to be limited and that she is just as capable as any other student to partake in different activities.  Megan explains how she was a cheerleader in high school, learned in inclusive classrooms and went on to model for a global Down syndrome foundation show and work at the High Down Syndrome Association.  Megan now is apart of the Bridge Program at Highlands Ranch ("Don't Limit Me").  

A student named Abigail also suffered from Down syndrome and her family had to fight throughout Abigail's grade school education to keep her enrolled in inclusive classrooms.  Abigail said how she wanted to stay with the other kids because she felt apart of something and felt included in her school.  She is now attending a local community college and wants to push even further in her community and get a real, paying job so she can support herself (Brooklyn Park Student).  There are countless stories about students with Down syndrome who want to feel included and want to prove their capabilities.  Those who then do partake in inclusive classrooms, prosper. 

Teachers who have been teaching in inclusive classrooms can see the immense benefits for these students, and the "normal" students as well.  These teachers said that the students with Down syndrome improved their social skills, but the "normal" students did as well.  As the year went on the students without Down syndrome started to help their fellow students with disabilities and inviting them into different social situations (Guralnick, Connor and Johnson, 312).  The teachers have also observed that the students without disabilities have come out of these classrooms with more acceptance and willingness to work with disabled children (Lakyani, 440).  They have also noted that the nondisabled students have not been held back.  When the teachers use different techniques to involve the entire class, like reference cards, the class stays at a normal pace (Clarke, 37).

Professionals who argue against inclusive classrooms argue that not only is the student with Down syndrome being left behind, but so are the "normal" students.  Their argument states that it is impossible for students with learning disabilities to keep up with a normal pace of a regular classroom (Guralnick, Connor, Johnson, 314).  However, teachers who teach in inclusive classrooms noted that when they used different techniques to keep all students involved, everyone kept on pace in their classrooms (Clarke, 40).  Teachers had also said that because of inclusive classrooms, their "normal" students had become more accepting at such a young age.  If all students are mixed in together starting when very young, they grow up accepting one another and their differences.  If students are kept separate and then become integrated later on in life, it is harder for the "normal" students to be accepting of their disabled peers ("Developmental and Learning").   Parents of the students with disabilities noted that their child being placed in these inclusive classrooms indicated social acceptance, instead of their child being singled out and segregated all day long (Lakyani, 436).  

Students with Down syndrome are benefitting from inclusive classrooms because it drastically improves their social skills, thus improving their capabilities to find a job and become a more active member in society.  Children with Down syndrome are known to be naturally cheerful and able to learn how to work with "normal" students after being taught (Brenna, Carroll, Lyons, 90).  Down syndrome does affect the social capabilities of children.  However, after teachers have taught in segregated and inclusive classrooms, they say they notice significant changes in the social skills of the disabled students.  Teachers point out that they see the students being able to participate in lectures more as well as ask the teacher more questions when put in classrooms with their "normal" peers.  It has also been noticed that students that have been in inclusive classrooms longer have more social capabilities than students that were put in these classrooms later on (Guralnick, Connor and Johnson, 313).  

There was a study done with fifteen different students with Down syndrome, ranging from ages six-twelve who had been put into inclusive classrooms.  These students were monitored throughout the year and psychologist, along with the teachers in these classrooms took notes on the changes of the students from the beginning of the year to the end of the year.  Both the psychologist and the teachers noticed drastic changes in the social abilities of these students after just one year.  The students started to ask more questions and interact with classrooms activities as the year went on.  The disabled students and the "normal" students in the same classroom had also started to form social relationships that expanded outside of the classroom (Guralnick, Connor, Johnson, 315).

These types of interactions are very beneficial to students with Down syndrome.  It teaches students real world experiences.  Students with Down syndrome will not be segregated in the real world and the "normal" students will, more than likely, encounter and possibly have to work with, different people with disabilities.  Mixing these students together at a young age enforces acceptance among all people benefitting them greatly later on in life ("Together We Learn").

Not only does inclusive classrooms improve their social skills, but also it increases their drive to go onto different higher education programs and obtain more professional jobs.  Students with Down syndrome see their fellow peers striving for higher education, which the influences them to push themselves as well.  Also, with the experience of real world education, they are better equipped to further themselves than those who have been segregated throughout grade school ("Together We Learn").  Parents have also witnessed a stronger drive in their children after going from segregated to inclusive classrooms.  In the article, "Exploring Parental Perspectives of Participation in Children with Down Syndrome", parents noted that their children had began to talk about future aspirations and what they can go to obtain those goals after moving into inclusive classrooms.  

For example, in the article "Surprising Idea for Special Education Students: Go to College", there is a young boy named Cody who has Down syndrome and is now a sophomore in high school.  Cody has always been in inclusive classrooms.  Even though Cody has a disability, his goal has always been to attend college.  He knows that even though he is different, he will not be limited and can accomplish his goal.  He plans to attend a local community college in Portland, Oregon so he can further his education and make a greater salary to support himself (Hammond, The Oregon).  Another example is one of a young girl named Abigail who has Down syndrome and was accepted into a local community college.  Abigail had not only always been in inclusive classrooms, but she has also always been apart of extra curricular activities as well.  Abigail's inclusion in high school, and now her experiences in the real world at her college, has pushed her to want to go on and find a professional job for herself ("Brooklyn Park Student").  These examples prove that with the assistance of well-trained teachers, a long with peers, students with disabilities can feel accepted and encouraged to further themselves more than the skeptics thought they ever could.  

Not only has it been beneficial for the students, but for the families as well.  It is unfathomable to parents who do not have a disabled child the amount of stress it causes parents to send their child with disabilities to school.  They worry about their child standing out, not being accepted, and even being bullied by other children.  However, parents have witnessed in inclusive classrooms the acceptance the other students have given their child (Lakyani, 444).  

After pushing to get these students into inclusive classrooms, there are different things teachers can do within the classrooms to better the students even more.  These techniques will not only benefit the students once they are in the classrooms, but they will shine a positive light on inclusive classrooms causing administrators and uncertain parents to place more students on this path.  Inclusive classrooms must also provide flexibility and behavioral support for all students ("Together We Learn"). 

For example, one technique teachers in inclusive classrooms can use to include all students is the use of response cards.  Response cards are used instead of students having to volunteer to answer a teachers question allowed, but instead the student uses something like a white board or note card to write down their answers and have the entire class hold up their answers at the same time.  This technique is used so the teachers can get all students engaged in classroom discussions.  In study using response cards, teachers noted that accuracy of answers from disabled students did not significantly increase, however the frequency of participation greatly increased (Clarke, 37).  Professionals also say teachers need to focus on a multi-sensory approach of learning.  The use of diagrams, graphics and pictures in generally how students with Down syndrome learn best ("Successful Strategies For Teaching").  This will not hold back other students, because some "normal" students are visual learners as well.  Teachers also need to work to engage the disabled students.  They need to individually ask the disabled students questions throughout the lesson to keep them engaged while evaluating how well the strategies are working for the students ("Development and Learning").   

For teachers to know to implement these techniques in their classrooms, all teachers should be trained in special education before being certified. Teachers should be required to be certified in special educations before receiving their degree.  However, this does not mean we should get rid of special education teachers.  There are still extreme cases of students that cannot be put into inclusive classrooms and do need specific special education teachers.  This application is only for students with more mild cases of disabilities, such as Down syndrome.  Special Education teachers can also be used as experts in inclusive classrooms and evaluate progress of the disabled students.  These experts would work with the teachers and assist them in finding the best way to educate the disabled students without holding back the other "normal" students in the classroom (Clarke, 42).  

Though there are many professionals and parents that are very skeptical of inclusive classrooms, it has been seen in inclusive schools across America that disabled and "normal" students have thrived in these classrooms.  Inclusion will promote a better future for disabled students, beyond what most parents and educators would have ever imagined.  Education is how we thrive as a society, and all students have the right to the education that will better themselves, and society, the most.  Therefore, disabled students should not be subjected to only learn in segregated classrooms.  

