Making Inclusion Work in General Education Classrooms

The goal of any educational program is to help students maximize their performance. For many students with disabilities, the environment in which to achieve this outcome is under continuing debate and sometimes diminishes the likelihood of achievement. As a result of a long and sometimes difficult history of treatment, individuals with disabilities experience educational professionals and service providers who not only downplay their capabilities and willingness to live a "normal" life, but who also argue that excluding them in educational processes is justified, proper, and right. We believe to increase normalcy in their lives, all individuals with disabilities should be educated with their peers without disabilities in environments that are inclusive. In this article, we discuss how general and special educators can make inclusion work in general education classrooms despite continuing concerns about its practicality.