The issue of inclusion

The inclusion of students with disabilities into general education classrooms (often referred to as mainstream classrooms) is one of those contentious issues that appears to polarise thought in school communities. As much as being denied the fundamental right to choose where and how they are educated is a social justice issue for many individuals; it is also important to remember the flipside of inclusion is that the necessary reconstruction of the classroom impacts on individual teachers' workplaces and job descriptions. It is often discussed that inclusion is far more popular amongst academics and administrators than it is with classroom practitioners. The reasons for this are worth exploring.