Mainstreaming Handicapped Schoolchildren

As a parent of a child with disabilities, I was thrilled to see the article “Another Fight to Integrate” (Column One, Oct. 27) on the front page where it belongs. People with disabilities are among the last Americans to be excluded from the mainstream of life. If we are to learn to accept all kinds of people, we must start in the schools by promoting the positive values of compassion, tolerance and sensitivity. Laws implementing full inclusion of all peoples are hollow if the schools are unwilling to set the example for the rest of society.

Well-documented strategies exist for including all children in the regular classroom while adding to, not distracting from, the educational experience of the regular and special education students. These strategies have been proven and made available to all school districts. It is time for the Los Angeles Unified School District to show its students that all people have a place in mainstream society. It is time for all school districts to provide an appropriate and meaningful education for all of their students before they are compelled to do so by a court order.

BEN ADAMS

Los Angeles