Special Education as Reconciliation

Abstract

This paper presents special education as a ministry of reconciliation designed to promote community and to recognize wholeness in the presence of disability. It is offered as part of an ongoing discussion of the need for an inclusive world view founded on Christian principles. Including the excluded –reaching out to those ignored or pushed away by society – was a characteristic of Jesus' ministry and must be a hallmark of Christian educators and churches. The hope is that the ideas expressed herein will foster collaborative efforts between general and special educators which lead to the creation of positive, caring classroom communities that value and promote unity and equality while also celebrating diversity. Christian teacher training programs must encourage and model an inclusive worldview in which individuals with disabilities are also recognized as God's image-bearers, and where there is acknowledgment of the abilities and gifts they bring to the classroom community.