Least Restrictive Environment Essays - Special Education

Least Restrictive Environment Although the ideas and reasons for inclusive education are very noble and can have a positive effect on many disabled students, mandating inclusion for all disabled students denies some the opportunity to appropriately learn in the least restrictive environment (LRE) as required by law. The fight for inclusive education has made enormous gains from when the National Association of Retarded Children was established in 1950 to 1990 when the public law called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), P.L. 94-142, was revised. Educational systems have moved from not providing education at all for the disabled to providing schools for the disabled separate from non-disabled students. Recently "normal" schools have been practicing inclusion and have free rein to determine exactly how. The problem facing policy makers today is whether or not all disabled children should be inclusioned. If the policy makers would just observe the disabled students being inclusioned and ignore all the rhetoric being presented to them, they will find that not all disabled children benefit from inclusion. On July 13,1996, Omer Zak compiled several articles the deaf and professionals who work with the deaf had submitted to him and presented them on the Internet under the title Deaf Persons and Experts Speak Out Against Inclusion. One of the writings submitted was entitled "Interpreter Isn't Enough!" written by Leah Hager Cohen. The author is an interpreter for an eleventh grade deaf student that is being inclusioned in a regular school. Cohen explains how the deaf student will sit quietly by herself before class begins while the rest of the students are socializing and interacting with each other. The piece goes on to explain how the deaf student must look at the interpreter during class in order to receive the lesson being presented by the teacher. When the student looks takes her eyes off the interpreter to write in her notes the interpreter must stop signing. When the student looks back to the interpreter she begins signing again. The more often the student stops to write in her notes the farther behind the teacher the interpreter gets. As the interpreter falls behind she must try to catch up causing a loss of information. If the teacher adds a visual aid such as a map or a chart, the student must concentrate on three things causing her to fall even farther behind. The deaf student rarely has the opportunity to be the one to answer a question asked by the teacher due to the delay caused by using an interpreter. Before the interpreter even gets the question signed another student has answered it. Cohen also explains that while a teacher will ask her how the student is doing many teachers will decline an invitation to ask the student herself via the interpreter. That declination has a tendency to alienate the deaf student even more. Joe Murray also contributed an article to Zak. Murray is a deaf person who was fully "inclusioned" throughout his academic career up and including college. Murray was by most standards a very successful student. He participated in sports and other extra curricular activities along with going to Europe as an exchange student. Murray explains how in the mist of all his success he felt he was not living up to his potential and could not do so out side the deaf community. Murray had to make a concentrated effort at everything he did where as if he was in an environment with his deaf peers the flow of information and activity would have happened more naturally. One of the biggest argument supporters of full inclusion try to present is the fact that disabled students and non-disabled students will have the opportunity to socially interact with each other. It is hoped that this interaction will break down the prejudices and misconceptions people have about the disabled. In the case of a deaf student the opposite holds true. In a school for the deaf the students can communicate and interact freely without any restrictions. When a deaf child is placed in a school for the hearing that child is isolated from the rest of her classmates. In order for successful learning to take place a student must feel valued and comfortable in the classroom (Ormrod). If a deaf child is isolated from her classmates due to the lack of communication she will never gain the feeling of being valued or comfortable. The information processing abilities of students must be taken into consideration when placing them in any academic situation. Students need time to be able to

Free Essays on Changes In Foreign Policy Since 9-11

on January 28th, 2003. â€Å"If Saddam Hussein does not fully disarm, for the safety of our people, and for the peace of the world, we will lead a coalition to disarm him.†(whitehouse.gov) This statement meant that Bush was growing inpatient with the current efforts to disarm Iraq. The Sept. 11, 2001, attacks changed everything, including the Bush administration's thinking about the Middle East. Senior officials decided that unless action was taken, the Middle East would continue to be a breeding ground for terrorists. Officials feared that young Arabs would always look for someone to hate and that someone would always be Israel and the United States. Europeans thought the solution was to get a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. But American officials felt a Middle East peace agreement would only be part of the solution. The Bush administration felt that a new start was needed in the Middle East and that Iraq was the place to show that it is democracy, not t errorism, which offers hope. From a structure function approach, Iraq is considered a worldwide deviant. This tag, is a result of the direct and constant defiance of the worldwide authority, the United Nations. This defiance stretched across twelve years following the end of the Persian Gulf War. Secretary of State Colin Powell stressed the meaning of these infractions in an address to the U.N. Security Council on Februrary 5th 2003 about U.N. Resolution 1441. â€Å"Resolution 1441 was not dealing with an innocent party, but a regime this council has... Free Essays on Changes In Foreign Policy Since 9-11 Free Essays on Changes In Foreign Policy Since 9-11 On September 11th 2001, the function of foreign policy in America changed forever. Our foreign policy went from being a matter of world peace and trade policy to primarily a matter of the safety of the American people. The first action after this change, Operation Enduring Freedom, meant the beginning of a long process to disarm the worldwide threats to freedom. The second action officially began with the presidents words on January 28th, 2003. â€Å"If Saddam Hussein does not fully disarm, for the safety of our people, and for the peace of the world, we will lead a coalition to disarm him.†(whitehouse.gov) This statement meant that Bush was growing inpatient with the current efforts to disarm Iraq. The Sept. 11, 2001, attacks changed everything, including the Bush administration's thinking about the Middle East. Senior officials decided that unless action was taken, the Middle East would continue to be a breeding ground for terrorists. Officials feared that young Arabs would always look for someone to hate and that someone would always be Israel and the United States. Europeans thought the solution was to get a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians. But American officials felt a Middle East peace agreement would only be part of the solution. The Bush administration felt that a new start was needed in the Middle East and that Iraq was the place to show that it is democracy, not terrorism, which offers hope. From a structure function approach, Iraq is considered a worldwide deviant. This tag, is a result of the direct and constant defiance of the worldwide authority, the United Nations. This defiance stretched across twelve years following the end of the Persian Gulf War. Secretary of State Colin Powell stressed the meaning of these infractions in an address to the U.N. Security Council on Februrary 5th 2003 about U.N. Resolution 1441. â€Å"Resolution 1441 was not dealing with an innocent party, but a regime this council has...

Adversities in of Mice and Men Essay Example for Free

Adversities in of Mice and Men Essay ? SteinbeckIn the novel Of Mice and Men, the problems experienced by the characters are often over looked in favor of the themes of the book. However, by looking at the adversities of all of the characters, one can see the same adversities expressed in our own lives; by examining these said adversities, one can also learn to face such difficulties in the real world and better determine how to handle them. In the novel, Lennie faces difficulty in explaining himself to the rest of the world. Since he is mentally challenged, most people, even George sometimes, underestimated his intelligence and logic skills. In Weed, the ranchers assumed the worst about him and didn’t stop to think of his motives. They chased George and Lennie out of town with a mob of angry ranchers. At the ranch in Soledad, Lennie is given most of the basic tasks. Everyone assumes he cannot do work like a normal ranch hand. And again, after he kills Curly’s wife, everyone, except George and perhaps Slim, assumes he killed her out of pure spite. This lack of interest in his true motives is similar to the lack of interest the world has for our motives for anything. The world focuses more on what we have done than on why we have done it. If one cannot display ones motives or desires, then the world assumes the worst, and often society labels situations in a less than satisfactory manner. George faces a barrier in achieving his dream of owning a ranch of his own. Partially this is his doing, as shown with the wasting of money on cathouses and booze, but there are other factors as well, like the death of Lennie. Also, George seems to abandon any hope in his dream at the end of the novel. In this case, one can see that if ample efforts are not taken in the right direction one cannot achieve his goal to its entirety. Furthermore, the way the workmen take away Candy’s dog is similar to the way the world takes away the joys experienced by some members of the society. Candy’s dog, symbolic of Candy’s life and livelihood, was more important to him than some of the other ranch hands. Carlson, the representative of the world, took Candy’s dog from him and killed it, just as the world will sometimes take what we hold most dear. One can learn from this to hold on to what is most important to them. One should never let the world dictate how to make decisions on how to live life. In conclusion, the problems of the characters in Of Mice and Men are very similar to the problems in the real world. In the novel, however, the difficulties are more apparent than in the world. By applying the experiences of the characters to one’s own life, one can learn how to better himself for his own benefit. Adversities in of Mice and Men. (2018, Nov 10).

What Are Human Rights and How Far are States Concerned to Promote or Essay

What Are Human Rights and How Far are States Concerned to Promote or Protect Them - Essay Example Democracy is the ideology whose main basis is ensuring equality for all and since many countries exercise democracy or its many variations, it means that many attempt to protect the human rights for the people under their protection. There is a direct correlation between the level of human rights protection and democracy, such that the closer to an ideal democracy a country is, the higher its likelihood of upholding high standards of human rights.1 This essay defines human rights, states the role of the state in upholding high human rights standards, and analyses Iceland and Pakistan and their levels of human rights protection. Definition of Human Rights By virtue of being human beings, people are entitled to rights and freedoms that should be universally accepted and available for everyone. In national and international laws, human rights exist as natural or legal rights; if they are not stated in the constitution, they are natural rights; otherwise, they are known as legal rights.2 Most public policies are based on the doctrine of human rights, including international and regional institutions, state policies, and activities of non-governmental organizations. However, due to the strong claims made for ideal human rights, they are hard to implement in they entirety, especially considering that many countries are just emerging from dictatorial and colonial rule. Moreover, it is not even clear what the term right means, mainly because in order to adhere to some of these rights, some people have to be favored over others. For instance, everyone has the right to a decent life; this means that states have to favor the unemployed people in an attempt to give them a life that is comparable to those who are employed. In any case, people believe they are entitled to some rights and privileges by virtue of their age, gender and economic status among other factors. Role of the State The state is responsible for enforcing the human rights of the people within its jurisdic tion, and punishing offenders. It does this mainly by ensuring that people enjoy their human rights without interfering with those of others; laws, policies and Acts are the main tools used for this purpose. However, it does not mean that human rights have to be written; since they are basic rights, it means that if someone infringes into the rights of others, it is clear, though there may be some complications where religion and culture are involved. The level at which a government can enforce human rights is dependent on the structure of the government, with ideal democracies and dictatorships having the most and least respect for human rights respectively. Nowadays many countries lie between these two extremes, and their level of human rights enforcement varies depending on how much they share a characteristic with these two opposite ends.3 Most constitutional republics have a clause of human rights in their supreme law, which is uniform across all states. The level of implementa tion of these rights varies from time to time as governments change, changes in political stability, social factors and other environmental factors. The state ensures that all its people’s rights are protected at all times as conditions may permit. For instance, the basic rights of the people are limited if the country is in a state of emergency or undergoing a military coup. Moreover, the state is charged with ensuring that all local or international individuals, corporates, and other entities respect the human rights of its citizens wherever they may be.4 State Analysis As mentioned above, various states have varied levels of implementation

Public School Funding Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Public School Funding - Essay Example Consequently, there is a need to examine what the major problems within the education system are. If the nations' students are lacking solid support from this very important system, then their future may also be in danger. Results also show students are leaving high school with very little understanding of the core subjects thus rendering them unprepared for college life. (O'Neil, 2002) One of the most difficult issues to deal with in education is its funding. The funding process needs to be made in such a manner that it ensures effectiveness, efficiency and fairness. In the US, schools are funded though local taxes generated for property taxes. The use of such a method has generated a lot of controversy between different stakeholders within the education system. However, this particular essay will focus on parents and the role that they can play in reforming public education system funding. A number of experts have asserted that utilizing property taxes is ineffective owing to the fact that children coming from rich districts generate more property taxes since their homes have a higher value while those ones from poorer districts have to contend with less amounts of finance for schooling. This means that schools within this poor districts lack adequate resources, are more crowded and therefore yield poorer results. Through the property tax system, the amount of money spent on each student within the public system can vary from one thousand five hundred dollars to about fifteen dollars in other districts. There is a grave disparity between these systems and it can be seen clearly that the education system favors children from wealthy background while limiting the opportunities available to those from low income households. (Linn, 2005) Some people argue that funding is just a small portion of the problems within the education system. However, the fact of the matter remains that schools cannot run without finances and no people understand this more than parents who provide the reason for having these institutions as well. In urban districts classified as low income, it is common to find homes that cost as little as four thousand dollars. On the other hand in suburban and wealthy districts, one is likely to find houses that go for as much as four hundred thousand dollars. From this comparison, it can be seen that the amount of taxes raised by the latter communities are much higher than those ones raised by the former ones. As if this is not enough, poorer neighborhoods are taxed a little more than their counterparts but this effort has not paid off owing to the fact that the amount garnered is quite low and providing higher tax rates only serve to add more pressure in low income households without reflecting this on school performance. Issues are further compounded by the fact property taxes are treated as deductions and this means that wealthy families can therefore get portions of that tax back from the federal government. Because houses in wealthy suburbs are much higher than in other residential areas, then the amount of tax refunds is much higher. This means that wealthier parents have greater finances at their disposals and they can therefore make more contributions towards important public services such as education. In the end, people from low income households are unable to generate high amounts of money to fund their schools and this minimizes the quality of their education

Relationship Between Employees and Health Care Organizations Essay Example for Free

Relationship Between Employees and Health Care Organizations Essay Analyze the factors affecting the relationship between employees and health care organizations to determine which single factor is the most significant. Explain your reasoning. The long-term economic success of healthcare organizations depends on the efforts of employees with the appropriate capabilities and motivation to perform their jobs well. Organizations that are successful over time have understood that individual relationships do matter and should be managed. (Flynn, Mathis amp; Jackson, 2011) The relationship between individuals and healthcare organizations is influenced by outside forces. Four of the biggest influences are economic changes, the expectations of different generations of individuals, loyalty, and changing career expectations for women. These factors affect the psychological contracts in a number of ways. (Flynn, Mathis amp; Jackson, 2011) All of these factors are just as significant and important but the only that I feel has the more impact is the loyalty. One important organizational value that affects employee loyalty is trust. Employees who believe that they can trust their managers, coworkers, and the organizational justice systems are much less willing to leave their current employers. According to a survey conducted by a nursing magazine, one of the top reasons given for RNs leaving their previous employers was a lack of trust and confidence in management. (Flynn, Mathis amp; Jackson, 2011) Supportive learning and working environment are crucial factor for job satisfaction, especially in the field of nursing. An ageing population with an increasing number of patients suffering from chronic diseases are included in the factors affecting work environments negatively, resulting in dissatisfied employees. To improve the environment and prevent persistent employee dissatisfaction, Richer at al. 2009) suggested â€Å"appreciative inquiry† to create radical changes. Knowles (1990) reported that a supportive learning environment is considered to be a critical  element of human resource development, and he acknowledged the need for the development of individual workers through improvements to the educational aspect. Four of the biggest influences between employees and health care organizations are economic changes, the expectations of different generations of individuals, loyalty, and changing career expectations for women. All these factors play a significant role in the workplace and staff and leaders have to be cognizant of them. I believe the most significant in this relationship is the ever-changing economy, especially with the onset of the Affordable Care Act. The economy has been in a recession, and many organizations have had to cut their budgets to stay afloat. Personnel have been laid off, they have quit their jobs in healthcare to find a more stable job field, and providers have additional regulations that in turn change their practices. Healthcare is still appealing and a necessity, but the demands are becoming more and more stressful on employees. You absolutely need loyalty and managers and leaders can control it but they cannot control the economy hence why I believe it is more significant. You can’t control the difference in generations, but you can understand the differences and change the leadership style to accommodate those gaps. You cannot control the economy and it can drive substantial decisions that can be unfavorable * From in the e-Activity, determine how well the health care organization you found is addressing the factor you identified in the first part of this discussion. Discuss additional steps the organization could take to do a better job. Samaritan Medical Center is the largest hospital in the Watertown, New York area. It is a 294-bed community medical center. In order to retain their current employees Samaritan Full-time employees are eligible to participate after six months of employment and may be reimbursed up to $3,000 annually for tuition assistance. Part-time employees are eligible to participate after one year of service and may be reimbursed up to $1,500 annually. They offer 401(k) Retirement Benefit + Employer Match, RN, LPN, Tech Retirement and 403 (b) retirement plans. They offer paid time off and also the following other benefits: * Employee Referral Quit for Life Smoking Cessation * Employee Fitness Rebate * Aflac Cancer Coverage * Cafeteria and Gift Shop Discounts * Over the Counter Pharmaceutical Discounts * Employee Assistance Program (ESP) They also offer the following insurances for all employees: * Medical Insurance * Dental Insurance * Vision Insurance * Life Insurance * Accidental Death and Disme mberment Insurance * Short Term and Long Term Disability * Medical and Dependent Care Spending Accounts This hospital also recognizes that employees are happy when they continuously learn and grow in their jobs. They offer a professional development program as well. I think that this hospital does a terrific job at concentrating on all areas of incentives and purpose for their employees to retain the best qualified personnel. â€Å"Samaritan recognizes the importance of investing in their leaders with ongoing management training. Excel IV will assist leaders of all levels in developing greater efficiency through increased managerial competence. Excel IV focuses on the following Leadership Competencies: Communicating with Impact, Building a Successful Team, Facilitating Change, and Aligning Individual and Team Performance† (Samaritan Medical Center, 2013). References: http://www. samaritanhealth. com/join-our-team/why-choose-samaritan/professional-development ince the textbook indicated Griffin Hospital located in Derby, CT at number three on list of small companies in the Fortune magazine as one of the best companies to work for 10 years consecutively, I decided to look up this company on the internet. At Griffin Hospital, every employee is a caregiver and every employee makes a difference. We understand that employee satisfaction leads to patient satisfaction. Our culture of teamwork, professionalism, and respect makes Griffin Hospital a place where both patients and employees want to be. Griffin Hospital was named to  FORTUNE Magazines 100 Best Companies to Work for in America  list for ten consecutive years and our management team has been nationally recognized for listening and responding to employee feedback. Also looking at the hospital, they give recognition and much gratification to their employees for all their hard work and dedication by having an awards program. They also offer bonuses to their employees. I would suggest having a flexible schedule if possible but the hospital appears to offer an array of great benefits and compensation to their employees which is why the rank so highly in the Fortune. And this a highlight that has taken place at the hospital to turn things around according the CEO, â€Å"We surveyed all of our departments, and the one that came out worst was our obstetrics. In fact it was so bad an outside consultant suggested we close it. † What were the things he did to turn around the obstetrics department? We turned the traditional maternity unit on its head. We created a welcoming, home like environment for women, but it was really based on empowerment and information. First of all we moved to all private rooms. We installed a Jacuzzi in our maternity ward to help relieve pain early in a woman’s labor. We also embraced the whole family in the birthing experience by having specially designed double beds put into private rooms so the husband could sta y with his wife from start to when the three of them could leave. In the past the husbands were relegated to the proverbial waiting room. So our approach to vastly changing our obstetrics department was the start of the transformation of Griffin. † From that auspicious beginning, Pat Charmel has raised the profile and patient centric care to one of the highest in the nation. It has won numerous awards for their approach, including awards for their nursing staff and the NAACP for their diversity program. References: http://www. griffinhealth. org/About-Us/Careers-Volunteers. aspx   http://blog. istage. com/ceo-tv-show/pat-charmel-ceo-of-griffin-hospital-explains-what-he-did-to-turn-around-the-hospital The health care organization I chose is a local healthcare organization-Saint Francis Medical Center; I believe they facilitate employee loyalty because on their website numerous references are made where they address employees as being family and the benefits of employment page offers various healthcare programs, continued education savings, a nd reimbursement plans, and savings and annuity plans. Additional steps I believe additional steps the organization could take to do a better job are by following the Richard Branson method of celebrating employees. His business meetings often consist of employees meeting for lunch at his home, entire department vacations, and inter-office costumed events. I believe all organizations should follow this method. http://positivesharing. com/2011/09/richard-branson-celebrates-employees/ Baptist Health System (BHS) has five acute hospitals and offers benefits to their employees to create loyalty. BHS is committed to providing a stable, rewarding and generously incentivized relationship with their employees and start every relationship with incentives in hopes of getting the highest level of performance from the very best people (baptisthealth. com, n. d. )  to better attract and retain employees. Some for their benefits include: health, dental and vision plans, flexible spending accounts, accident and life insurance, short and long term disability, paid time off (PTO), extended illness days (EID), and tuition reimbursement (baptisthealth. om, n. d. ). Beginning August, 2012, BHS no longer hires individuals who use nicotine products. They intend to provide healthy, smoke free environment for their employees. Employee loyalty provides a competitive advantage and is necessary for a successful business. If BHS goes above and beyond for its employees, it is likely the employees will do the same for BHS. BHS could promote and provide a culture of communication, flexible schedules , employee praise and respect, and birthday celebrations.

The Best Years of my Life Essay example -- essays research papers

Looking back now, I can see that people were right when they said that my high school years would be the best years of my life. Most teenagers complain that their lives are unfair and that high school is the worst part. I know this to be true because I have done my share of complaining. Even though I have many responsibilities, probably more than most people my age, my teenage high school years have been very carefree and enjoyable compared to future years as an adult and I have learned many life lessons through out my years in high school that will prepare me for many of life’s challenges. I know that even though I have complained and have looked forward to graduating, I will miss being in school. So, I have to say that my high school years are the best years of my life.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  If an individual really thinks about it, their high school years are some of the best years of their life. While teenagers are still in high school and living at home, they do not have to worry about having money to by lunch, clothes, gas, or anything else, unlike when one graduates and moves out on their own. As a rule, teenagers do not have to worry about whether a certain bill has to be paid on this day and another bill on that day. They do not have to worry about not getting their electric bill paid by a certain day of the month so that their lights are not turned off or they do not have house payments or medical bills or many of the responsibilities that occur later in lif...