Fissuring Barriers to Inclusive Education for Students with Severe Disabilities

Abstract

Inclusive education for students with severe disabilities has and continues to spark intense debate. To what extent should students with severe disabilities be educated in nonsegregated environments, particularly the general education environment? For some, there is no question, but history indicates many do not agree. Agran and colleagues provide a clear, concise summation of the rationale for continued segregation of students with severe disabilities. This commentary extends those arguments, speculating on how perceptions about people with disabilities manifest in society and in schools in particular, often resulting in continued segregation and far less inclusion than might be expected or warranted.