Special Education in the US and Denmark

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The human right to have access to education is an international concern for people with disabilities. Countries have evolved from desegregation and separation to inclusive educational systems where students with disabilities. Denmark was one of the first countries for inclusion in school systems and special education within the regular school system has existed for 99 years, and special teacher training has a 66-year history (Egelund, 2000). The United States government has passed laws to include students in general education by mainstreaming them into public schools. These countries are compared and contrasted for their individual instructional attributes and educational qualifications of the countries special education inclusive program for people with disabilities.

The general structure and procedure of placing a child in a special education program in Denmark consists of several steps involving a large team of collaborative members consisting of the parents, student, members of the school, other professionals from organizations and the municipality. Once the team is organized, they discuss options and have a high priority to provide the student with additional school education, resources and assistance to limit the segregation of the student. The amount of assistance and resources supplied, is determined by the team and the severity of the students needs.

An important member of the team is a designated personnel from the educational-psychological advisory service (PPR) who is appointed to the student upon a request received from a parent or a person who interacts with the student daily. The educational-psychological advisory services play an important role in promoting inclusiveness in mainstream schools. Once a child ...

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...n countries are considering the development of a special education system, necessary planning must be implemented to inform and educate all staff members and involvement of researchers to discuss and examine the entire educational program. The most important part of the system must consider the students well-being with the least obstructive involvement in students school and educational life. All factors of the students life must be presented including home life which creates an necessary and crucial involvement of the parents. Inclusion requires constant assessment of practices and results to better inform all parties of student progress. As inclusion becomes more widespread, a collaboration of developers and data must be analyzed to determine specific, effective strategies in creating happy, contributing citizens. (Wisconsin Education Association Council, 2007)

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