Special Education Curriculum

According to Arthur W. Foshay (1991), “The one continuing purpose of education, since ancient times, has been to bring people to as full a realization as possible of what it is to be a human being.” (http://www.ascd.org). In the past, our educational systems have had varied focuses transitioning to and from the goals of literacy to the development of moral character and including the goals of workforce preparation (http://www.ascd.org). Education in the 21st century is being redefined by educational researchers and leaders as these concerned professionals have come to the realization that not only are the skill requirements of the national and global workforce changing, but there is also a definite need to address the social and life skills that allow people …show more content…
It is this expertise that helps support the least restrictive environment edict and provides opportunities for students with disabilities to be active participants in the general school setting. The skills and strategies that special education teachers learn through their own professional development and utilize in their classrooms can be used just as effectively in the general education classroom. Utilizing the universal design framework respects learning style differences while also supporting the learning needs of students with disabilities (Villa & Thousand, 2003). In fact, using similar strategies allows students to better access the curriculum and better demonstrates their understanding which can help prevent students from falling behind their peers’ academic development. These types of instructional choices also prevents students with disabilities from being singled out as different, potentially making them a target of bullying while also supporting and modeling diversity in the