Understanding Mainstreaming Through the Perceptions of All Participants: A Case Study

Several earlier studies considered attitudes toward mainstreaming, the implementation of mainstreaming, and the success of mainstreaming. However, none of these studies directly asked the participants about the definitions they used for the terms handicapped, disabled, mainstreaming, integration, or inclusion and implicitly assumed everyone held and was working with the same definition. This case study examines how a variety of individuals construct definitions of handicapped and mainstreaming and communicate those meanings when providing a mainstreaming program for a fifth-grade student with disabilities. Data were gathered via interviews and observations. We identified three themes based on the analysis of the data: (a) Being handicapped is not about possessing a label, (b) mainstreaming is not a placement, and (c) frames of reference influence the interpretation of mainstreaming effectiveness. We conclude that attention to how participants understand and express their ideas is critical because their definitions can have a substantial impact on program development, student Outcomes, and policy.