Digitized Honors Theses (2002-2017)

Date of Award

5-2016

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Degree Name

BA

Department

German

Faculty Mentor

Eleanor ter Horst, Ph.D.

Advisor(s)

Mir Husain, Ph.D., Laureen Fregeau, Ph.D.

Abstract

The nature of human exceptionality is such that even modern, developed countries continue to struggle with the challenges of offering people with disabilities equal opportunities in society. Special education was and continues to be a pioneering field in the realm of disability policy and rights. As such, two countries, the United States of America and the Federal Republic of Germany, each utilizing a mixture of integration and segregation systems of special education, are compared and contrasted in order to determine what modern policies and trends lead to better qualities of life and participation in society. The comparison flows from a historical tracing of commonalities, including an early 20th century period of eugenics and Social Darwinism that is broken following the second world war. Consequently, decades of disability policy and rights movements reached convergence in the 1990's where two distinct systems emerge. While both school formats utilize a decentralized but federal mandated system of special education, the United States has a multi-track, more integrated standard which differs from the segregated German system which places emphasis on separate special schools. In addition, classification (diagnosis of special education needs) diverges between two countries. Analysis of the systems is conducted by reviewing the emphasis placed on teaching qualifications, vocational curriculum, transition procedures, and credence given to the overall theme of inclusion. Ultimately, each system displays its own benefits and shortcomings, particularly in the racial and socioeconomic barriers to equal education in the US and social stigmatization resulting from German segregation. The paper results in a slight critique of the emphasis placed on inclusive special education which leads to conflict with individuals in residential locations, severe behavioral challenges, or intense additional resource or teaching needs. Also, policy trends indicate a public interest in Applied Behavior Analysis and increased vocational training - which requires a reevaluation of classical inclusion techniques.

Comments

© 2016 Bradley Paul Davis ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

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