An Explanation of the Mainstreaming Act

  1. Attitudes of nondisabled students
  2. Attitudes of disabled students
  3. Mainstreaming Act florished
How did the Mainstreaming Act develop? Congress was able to pass Public Law 94-142 in 1975. This law meant that disabled children had to attend regular classes for either part of or all of the school day. Placing disabled students in least restrictive classroom environments with nondisabled students was the true meaning of mainstreaming. School psychologists and special education teachers had to begin writing Individual Educational Programs for disabled students. An IEP was a document describing the child's disabilities and a detailed plan about achieving his or her academic goals (Savin, 1994).

Attitudes of Nondisabled Children

 After disabled children were allowed to attend their public schools, nondisabled children still had difficulties accepting them.

Personal contact with the disabled may either substantially improve or worsen attitudes, depending on the quality of the previous interaction. ... nonhandicapped children with the most contact with handicapped peers held the least negative attitudes and were the most accepting of their handicapped peers. Others [people who have studied the negative and positive affects of mainstreaming] reported no difference according to the amount of contact (Reynolds & Mann, 1987, p. 150).

It was essential to educate regular classroom teachers and nondisabled students about how to treat and make appropriate accommodations for all disabled students. For example, the school psychologist or supervisor must inform all teachers about disabled students' physical and mental limitations, and capabilities. If a physically disabled student could only type with one finger, his or her teachers should not expect this student to draw a detailed map of the United States by hand. Sometimes, the school psychologist or a superior felt it was necessary to lecture nondisabled student about accepting their disabled peers (Reynolds & Mann, 1987).

Attitudes of Disabled Children

Many disabled students, who were mainstreamed into regular classes in 1975, had negative self images and low self-esteem problems. Since they were having difficulties socializing with their nondisabled peers and completing their class assignments, they often felt like failures. Reynolds and Mann (1987) commented that nondisabled students had positive attitudes and were more determined to overcome their obstacles than disabled students.

The handicapped's lack of confidence can lead to behavioral problems, or to withdrawn, overly anxious, immature behaviors. These behaviors can further limit a student's academic progress, interactions with others, and self-attitude (Reynolds & Mann, 1987, p. 149).

Furthermore, developing and maintaining positive attitudes was critical so that disabled students could become well adjusted, working class, successful citizens. Family members, friends, and teachers had to learn how to praise disabled students' academic success (Reynolds & Mann, 1987).

Mainstreaming Act Continued to Improve

In 1986, Public Law 94-142 received a brand new title, which was Public Law 99-147. Congress revised this law so that all severely handicapped babies, toddlers, and children, from ages three to five, could have the opportunity to attend public school. Finally, congress decided to rename the Public Law 99-147 to Public Law 101-476 in 1990. This recent law stated all disabled adolescents should have the opportunity to attend public school (Slavin, 1994).
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