Strategies for Achieving an Integrated Education for Middle School Students with Severe Disabilities

There is much discussion about and emerging demonstrations of children with severe disabilities being included to greater degrees in the mainstream of school life, including general education classes and extracurricular activities. Educational service providers are struggling with how to change from a self-contained special education classroom model of service delivery to a more integrated approach in which special education is a service and support provided in general education environments. Presented in this paper are general and specific strategies that have been useful in facilitating such a change. Specific examples relate to middle and high school students, although the principles and strategies have applications for the integration of younger children as well.