Replacing Cascades with Supported Education

Twenty-five years ago, Dunn (1968) described a progressive plan to improve special education for students labeled as “slow learners” and “educable mentally retarded.” This blueprint for change contained many recommendations that ring consistent with some of today's calls for educational reform, except for his exclusion of students with severe disabilities from these recommendations. Dunn even used the terms “support” and “neighborhood schools,” as well as calling for changes in school organization and espousing an ecological approach. In this paper, we set forth the basic tenets of his blueprint for change while adding current extensions and giving justifications for broadening the applicable population of students to include those with extensive support needs.