Since the passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), it has been mandatory for disabled children to be educated with non-disabled children within public agencies to the greatest extent possible. While school systems have responded by creating academic and functional programs better suited for educating students with disabilities, they tend to be self-contained environments with limited opportunities for exposure to typical peers throughout the school day. The inclusion of special education students, especially those with significant impairments, is currently not meeting the expectations set forth by IDEA. The reasons for this vary widely and have led to the pervasive restrictive placement of students with significant disabilities and extensive support needs (ESN) despite the numerous benefits of inclusive placement presented in available research. This Capstone project presents a literature review of this topic, compiles evidence and presents a case for improved integration of students with signficant disabilities into the general education setting. The findings of this Capstone project support the need for occupational therapists (OTs) to promote their knowledge and service potential, return to their roots in the utilization of occupation within natural contexts, expand their views on school-based intervention, and become the powerful advocates needed in schools to fight for the educational rights of the country’s most significantly impaired students.
