What is the Difference Between Mainstreaming and Inclusion?

Mainstreaming and inclusion are both approaches to integrating individuals with disabilities into society, but they have different focuses and implementation methods:

Mainstreaming:

• Mainstreaming consists of integrating students with disabilities into general education classrooms.
• Students study subjects like reading, writing, or math with their nondisabled peers if their skills indicate that they can benefit from the lesson.
• If a student's skills do not indicate that they can benefit from the lesson, they are taught by a special educator in a separate classroom.
• Mainstreaming requires that exceptional learners adapt to the rigors of the general education classroom.
• The goal of mainstreaming is to spend more time with general education peers and being engaged in academic activities.

Inclusion:

• Inclusion involves systemic reform and altering teaching methods to ensure that all students are accommodated.
• Inclusion is more complex and means actually “including” the student, which is more than just being in the same room with general education peers.
• The key to inclusion is making adjustments and changing things around so they are accessible to the student.
• This could be modifying the curriculum to the student’s level, giving the student extra breaks, having the student sit at the front of the classroom so they can see or hear better, or providing a one-on-one aide.
• Inclusion refers to the current model wherein students of differing abilities work and learn together in both academic and non-academic general education settings.

In summary, mainstreaming focuses on placing students with disabilities in general education classrooms, while inclusion focuses on adapting the classroom and teaching methods to accommodate the needs of individual students, including those with disabilities.

Comparative Table: Mainstreaming vs Inclusion

Here is a table highlighting the differences between mainstreaming and inclusion in education:

In summary, mainstreaming is the practice of placing students with special needs in regular classrooms for part of the day, while inclusion is the practice of fully integrating them into the regular classroom with adapted curriculum and support for all students. Mainstreaming focuses on providing students with disabilities the opportunity to engage with age-appropriate material and develop their overall skills, while inclusion aims to create a supportive, fully inclusive classroom environment for all students.