What might be the state of Georgia’s rationale for this practice?
Segregating kids with disabilities and behavioral issues have for long persisted in Georgia (PBS News, 2015). There have been different dimensions of Georgia’s rationale for the segregation in schools with disabled kids. Georgia State might be feeling that the disabled or behaviorally challenged children need to be in a psychoeducational facility that is not attached to the mainstream education facilities and whose interaction is closely monitored. This is maybe because the children may cause disturbance when directly connected with the mainstream education facilities (Gooden, Jabbar, & Torres, 2016). The state might also be looking at the possibility of being able to separate kids with disabilities or behavioral problems and still provide equal opportunity for education for mainstream schoolchildren. Additionally, Georgia’s rationale may be holding on to the belief that such kids are not able to fit into the mainstream facilities since they do not have sufficient development potential as the other children (De Bruin, 2019). Lastly, Georgia also looks into education as a social dimension that can be addressed under the social affairs of the state, hence the state controls how the education system should look for different categories of children.
How could segregation be damaging to students with disabilities?
Segregation is detrimental, not only to the current exposure to it but also to the long-term perception of one’s worth and social interactions with others. Segregating disabled children makes them feel inferior. The children are not sufficiently attended to nor are they required to do much to make them better. For Georgia, segregation is coupled with discrimination and disregard for human worth. Children in segregated facilities are not sufficiently educated since they are not provided with the learning resources and support they would need to improve their cognitive development and become self-dependent as they grow (Gooden, Jabbar, & Torres, 2016). In such cases such children do not interact with a teacher, they are guided through computer-aided instruction which alienates them from the important role of a human teacher.
Since students with disabilities require special attention, they need to have a close interaction with a caregiver or teachers, something that is not considered in a segregated system. it goes to an extent of even detaching the students from essential activities and needs such as access to quality food and education and even getting guidance in bodily exercise and playing to better their physical development and eve cognitive functioning (PBS News, 2015). Alienation from the mainstream education facility diminishes their exposure to the general education system and other peers.
Emotional and psychological damage is also evident for segregated students. Since the students do not interact with abled students and even the general community, they feel like they are being enslaved. They feel rejected and start viewing their disability as the cause of segregation on them. Some of these students develop inferiority and resistance (Shogren, et.al. 2016). Some common mental problems that can arise in such students include depression, anxiety, aggression, insomnia, paranoia, and panic. Therefore, deprivation of human interaction and esteem cannot be detached from psychological and mental damage.
How might the state of Georgia address this issue?
It is important to emphasize the constitutional position of segregation against kids with disabilities and behavioral solutions. The US constitution indicates that every child is born included. Therefore, by revisiting the constitution, it is possible to subdue the wave of segregation by the state. The justice department should then become involved in overseeing the approach of education systems for children with disabilities and behavioral problems (Inclusion and Segregation, 2013). The program designed for such children should be evaluated to ascertain their conformance to quality education provisions and the rights accorded to each child. Georgia State cannot justify that separation can happen hand in hand with equality yet the design of the education programs and facilities shows the presence of segregation.
The natural world does not accommodate segregation. Therefore, segregation should not be enforced by its artificiality since it is mainly created by human systems that violate the natural state of diversity. Therefore, segregation should be viewed as unethical and against the designed order of life which means that it alienates the victims from what they are entitled to (Shogren, et.al. 2016). Therefore, the education programs should be inclusive. This also supports the universal cause for every child and seeking to know their experiences.
The psycho-emotional impact of segregation is inevitable and if it happens it even suffocates the social affairs department. The psychological and mental institutions will have more burden when such a segregation system is allowed to thrive (De Bruin, 2019). To avoid such a burden on the system that also other issues to focus on, segregation should be treated as a violation of the progress of certain social institutions.
References
De Bruin, K. (2019). The impact of inclusive education reforms on students with disability: An international comparison. International journal of inclusive education, 23(7-8), 811-826.
Gooden, M. A., Jabbar, H., & Torres, Jr, M. S. (2016). Race and school vouchers: Legal, historical, and political contexts. Peabody Journal of Education, 91(4), 522-536.
Inclusion and Segregation. (2013). Inclusion is natural, segregation is artificial | Kathie Snow. Retrieved 28 March 2022, from https://mn.gov/mnddc/kathie-snow/kathie-snow-06.html
PBS News. (2015). Georgia segregates kids with disabilities, behavior problems | Season 2015. Retrieved 28 March 2022, from https://www.pbs.org/video/georgia-segregates-kids-with- disabilities-behavior-problems-1445556187/
Shogren, K. A., Wehmeyer, M. L., Schalock, R. L., & Thompson, J. R. (2016). Reframing educational supports for students with intellectual disability through strengths-based approaches. In Handbook of research-based practices for educating students with intellectual disability (pp. 25-38). Routledge.
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