What is the Least Restrictive Environment?
An articulate, passionate post by a "feisty, opinionated Deaf gal" on why mainstreaming is not the Holy Grail of deaf education it has been made out to be. She gives a detailed, thought-provoking account of her experiences as a Deaf adult in a mainstream academic environment - as always, it’s tough.
This is simply intended to posit the idea that mainstreaming is not the best educational placement for many of us, especially during our formative years. I was mainstreamed part-time through elementary school and junior high, then again a bit in college, then again full-time for grad school. When I was younger, I didn’t mind too much, but when I was an adult, I grew to dislike it, feeling suffocated by it. But what really, really hit me and helped me articulate just what the issue with mainstreaming is was being mainstreamed to take classes this past semester to get my Level 2 credential.
