Analysis of Current Cultural Climate of Special Education

Analysis of Current Cultural Climate of Special Education

Special education was specifically instituted from time to time for the students who require unusual attention. These students normally have physical, language, sensory, cognitive, learning and/or emotional activities which are not similar with the rest. These abilities deviate from those of the common population in one way or another. Therefore, it was discovered that these children require special attention and hence a special educational program was instituted in order to take care of them. The special education teachers are trained to provide specific instructions that are intended to meet the expectation and needs of these children. Without such a program, these students would have restricted access to education in general. Hence, the importance of this program is emphasized throughout the world (Gay 621).

Although it has been observed that this program is new to the United States federal government, students who require special attention mainly due to stabilities have been in the societies throughout all generations. As education became the ultimate goal and objective in the society especially in achievements, teachers and other scholars embarked on the search for the mechanism that can be used to educate children with special needs. Special education is now effective and it has all sorts of programs and courses that benefit children with disabilities such as mental retardation, speech-language disabilities, traumatism, emotional disturbance, impaired hearing and deafness, learning disabilities, traumatic brain injury, low vision and blindness, and other severe disabilities. The program recorded over five million students in the United States by 2001 (Jakubecy et al para. 2).

It was until 1975 when President Gerald Ford of the United States signed the Education For All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) into law that the attention was diverted to the needs of children with disabilities. It required...