The Lion's Pride Volume 10 (Spring 2018) | Page 70

their ability. Children and their families have the right to educational
programs which represent them as equal members of their community.
The Department of Education (2015) makes statements which are
congruent with those made by NAEYC and DEC: “It is the
Departments’ position that all young children with disabilities should
have access to inclusive high-quality early childhood programs, where
they are provided with individualized and appropriate support in meeting
high expectations” (p. 1). That is to say that children with disabilities are
to be granted the same educational opportunities as typically developing
children in a manner which best supports them regardless of their ability.
The history of inclusion begins with the rights of individuals with
special needs to be educated. Those with special needs have not always
been considered worthy or capable of traditional education or of any
education at all. It was not until certain laws were put into place that
rights were granted to those with abnormal development or those
requiring special education. The Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act (IDEA) was first signed in 1975 and last amended in 2004. This bill
does not require inclusion per se but does require that children are
placed in the “least restrictive environment…” (IDEA 2004). This leaves
some to interpret the meaning behind the phrase, “least restrictive
environment…” (IDEA 2004) to be inclusion. The bill includes
provisions for children with special needs to be represented as part of
their community by being included in the mainstream classroom if that