SPECIAL

EDUCATION:
THEN AND NOW.
SED 361 Interview Project

Kali Hopkins
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Introduction

This interview was done in order to figure out how special education programs have

changed since the 1970’s to now. The following interview gives both a siblings perspective and

a look into what parents had to go through in order to get their children an education. It shows

the importance of what siblings go through and how it can take a toll on them. There is a need

for more interviews of siblings who have a family member in the special education program.

People tend to forget that it also affects them on a day to day basis and not just the parents or

the person in the special education program.

This interview took place on Wednesday, March 6, 2019. I interviewed my mother, CH,

about her sister BG. I facetimed my mother that night for about an hour. The interview was just

a close up of her face. My father was in the background but not visible on the video. She talked

about her sister BG, who has since passed away. Both were born in Brockton, Massachusetts

and as children their family lived in Holbrook, Massachusetts for all of their childhood. My

mother completed all of her schooling in Holbrook, Massachusetts. Once she graduated she

moved to East Bridgewater, Massachusetts with my father. The interview was held at our house

in East Bridgewater. BG did most of her schooling in Holbrook as a young child but moved to a

school system in Stoughton, Massachusetts that offered special education programs. BG was

born in 1970 and started school when she was eight years old and she graduated at the age of

21.
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Findings

I interviewed my mother, CH, about her sister, BG, who was diagnosed with down

syndrome at birth. She said that she was treated different by the doctors than any of her other

siblings once she was born. “They wanted [her] parents to give her up,” and “put her in an

institution” (CH). During this time period, 1970’s, mental institutions treated their patients

horribly. A lot of psychiatric hospitals practiced eugenics as well. “Although expressing some

reservations about who was receiving eugenic treatment, many psychiatrists enthusiastically

supported it. While doctors remained skeptical about the possibility of curing people with

severe and persistent mental illness, preventing it through eugenics promised to solve the

problem for future generations” (America's Long-Suffering Mental Health System). If my

grandparents had decided to give up BG there could be a chance that this could have happened

to her. The last sterilization that happened in America was in 1981 which was 11 years after BG

was born. (America's Long-Suffering Mental Health System).

When BG was brought home “she was treated just like everyone else” (CH). My mother

had 13 siblings in total and BG was treated just like all of her other siblings. My grandparents

loved her just like any of their other children. My mother said “she never thought there was

anything different about her”.

CH said that getting BG an education “was very hard, especially in a small town. My

[grandmother] had to really fight in order to get [BG] an education.” During this time period the

IDEA passed in 1975, which was only 5 years after BG was born. A lot of small towns didn’t

provide special education classes. They were not equip for it and they just believed that they

didn’t need to offer it everyone. So my grandparents, specifically my grandmother, had to “go

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in front the school boards” in order to fight for BG to even be allowed into the school systems

(CH). She also had to fight for her to be “in the general education classroom and be

incorporated with students who were not handicapped” (CH).

BG did her schooling up to middle school in the town of Holbrook. Her schooling in

Holbrook was at a separate building than the other children. “There were about 6-7 other

children in the classroom who also had special needs” (CH). She was completely separated from

all the other students and never had the chance to interact with them. My mother said that the

school “was not really much of a learning environment”(CH). They mostly did arts and crafts.

She did learn how to read, write, and do simple math but all the lessons were altered. The

school also lasted “half the day” (CH) so once she was done my grandmother took her home

and watched her for the rest of the day. This went all the way up until middle school.

Once BG entered late middle school my grandmother fought for her to be placed “in a

special education program at Stoughton High School” (CH). This would allow her to be in the

general education classroom. “She had a one on one aid that followed her from class to class”

(CH). The aid would explain the work that was going on and help her when she needed it. Being

incorporated allowed her to be surrounded by peers but also have the proper education she

could handle. The reason that she had to go to school outside of her hometown was “because

their town didn’t offer any kind of special education program” (CH). So my grandparents “had

to find transportation” for BG because the school she was going to was three towns away. It

was the closest school system that offered any kind of special education program.
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BG graduated at the age of 21. “She didn’t receive a normal diploma it was more of a

participation certificate” (CH). While she was in school BG loved it. It allowed her to spend time

with the friends she had made, which was a lot, and participate in different classes.

Discussion

From this interview I was able to see the differences between what special education

was like in the 1970’s and today. For the most part it seems very similar. As we had talked

about it in class students are still given a participation certificate rather than an actual diploma.

When students graduate with this type of certificate then there is little they can do with it after

high school. It is not similar to a GED or an actual diploma. So there is little to no chance that

they could be accepted to a college with that certificate. If a student with special needs wants

to continue with their schooling, then they will need to get their GED at the least.

There is also the fact that students are still being segregated from the general education

classroom. It is definitely happening a lot less now then it was in the 1970’s but it is still

happening. The “IDEA instructs that students with disabilities should not be removed from

regular classrooms solely because of the needed modifications to the general education

curriculum” (The Segregation of Students with Disabilities). The IDEA rules that students need

to be in the least restrictive environment and that is the general education classroom. Most

schools do follow this yet there are still some school systems that separate special education

students from the rest of the school.

Parents are still fighting for their children’s rights to go to school and be included in the

general education classroom. When BG was born, my grandparents were forced to fight for her

to even get an education. Now a days parents are fighting for their children to be included in
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the general education classroom. “In the 2015–2016 school year, students with intellectual

disabilities and multiple disabilities participated in general education classes with peers without

disabilities at rates far lower than any other population: at 17 percent and 13 percent

respectively, with little to no difference over the past 10 years” (The Segregation of Students

with Disabilities). This quote just shows that students with intellectual disabilities are still not

being completely included in the general education classroom. When students are included in

the general education classroom everyone benefits from it not just the student with special

needs.

Recommendations

Having students be completely included in the general education classroom allows for

students both with special needs and without to exceed within the class. It allows students with

special needs to have that social interaction that they wouldn’t have if they were in a

segregated classroom. Being completely segregated does not allow students to have that social

interaction aspect of school. Having a social aspect of school allows students to progress in

their social life.

When a student goes through the special education program they should still be getting

an actual diploma. Even though they are receiving an altered curriculum the students are still

learning different thigs within the classroom. Allowing students to receive an actual diploma

will help them excel in life after graduation. It will also allow for those students to continue

their education if they want to.

There should be more of an influence from the government and state in order to force

the idea that students with special needs need to be included in the general education
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classroom. If the government becomes more strict on requiring students to be included in their

least restrictive environment it will ensure that school systems are providing an adequate

education for their students. This not only includes those with special needs but also those who

don’t have special needs.

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Appendix

The following are the questions asked during the interview.

1. Was BG treated any different by the doctors?

2. What was it like when she was brought home?

a. Was she treated the same or different?

3. What was her schooling like?

a. From elementary school to high school.

b. Was she in a segregated classroom?

c. Did she have an IEP or a 504 of any kind?

d. Was her school work modified?

i. If so to what extent?

e. Did she get an actual diploma or was it more of a certificate?

4. Did BG ever consider schooling after high school?

a. College or trade school?

5. What was life like after graduation?

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Citations

1. America's Long-Suffering Mental Health System. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://origins.osu.edu/article/americas-long-suffering-mental-health-system

2. The Segregation of Students with Disabilities. (feb 7, 2018). National Council on

Disability,1-61.