While attempting to uncover an effective manner for students with disabilities to be included among general education students I came across quite a bit of controversy. How can students who obtain a disability learn alongside the general public without causing distractions and damaging learning? One party in strong favor of combining the two groups were deemed "inclusionists", in Elizabeth Palley's article Challenges of Rights Based Law she explains that being included among the general education is a disabled child's "civil right". Thinking back to my own public educational career I remember children with special needs always being taught separately from the general classroom, which made me start to wonder. Palley then goes on to suggest the Social Relations Theory, which states that the civil rights based law limits not only the general education students but hose with disabilities as well. I disagreed with this, I do not think that combining the two groups is limiting if done the correct way. This led me to a piece of literature written by Patrick Howard in the Journal of Law and education. Howard's article entitled The Least Restrictive Environment: How to Tell? notes the exclusion of children with disabilities since the beginning of time. Howard goes on to explain the legality of the situation and explains The Least Restrictive Environment. The LRE is an act that was passed in 1975 in attempt to provide students with the most regular education appropriate for them. In contrast with Palley's idea, Howard's idea on the proper placement of a student with disabilities was based upon different levels ranging from complete inclusion all the way to institutionalizing.
             After examining these two authors' works I found Howard's article to seem more rational. Palley explains the disabled student's rights, but then suggests that granting them such rights will limit them. I found that the Least Restrictive Env...