The Arc of Illinois takes strong exception to your commentary titled “Mainstreaming can hold everyone back” (Op-Ed, March 8).
The benefits of full inclusion have been well studied and documented. Results of those studies conclude that inclusion benefits both children with disabilities and children without disabilities. The academic progress of students without disabilities is not slowed by having students with disabilities in the classroom.
The truth is that it has been the practice in Illinois to exclude children with mental retardation and other developmental disabilities from neighborhood schools.
The 1995 Arc Report Card on including children with mental retardation in regular education ranks Illinois with an “F” as 50th in the nation. To quote U.S. District Court Judge John F. Gerry, “Inclusion is a right, not a privilege for a select few.”
What we need in Illinois is the removal of barriers that still stand in the way of implementing inclusive programs and the will on the part of public officials to achieve this mandate for all children with developmental disabilities.
