The Road to Inclusion: Special Education in the United States and Mexico

Disabilities do not discriminate, they cross all racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic classes. In the twentieth century, people with disabilities were generally sent to live in institutions, were uneducated, and were isolated from the world. In these last several years, there have been many laws passed and programs created to integrate people with disabilities into society. Both the United States and Mexico have made great improvements with their special education policies; however, they constantly strive to progress in this area. This study will bring awareness to help educate society on what programs are in place in these countries. My paper addresses the similarities and differences of these countries’ special education programs. It compares the different public and private schooling systems, examines their funding strategies, and evaluates how the governments oversee and review their programs. This project explores the cultural views of the disabled from the mid-1900s to current day in order to analyze the motivations behind the support for disability legislation (i.e. the American Disability Act of 1990 and the Special Education Reform of 2002). This project also investigates the different laws and legal policies in each country that gives education and nondiscriminatory rights to the disabled. The specific material examined in this study are legal documents, articles, and journals that explain how the education systems and laws work within each country. I will also analyze interviews to focus on citizens’ perspectives and opinions of students with disabilities. In conclusion, I claim how one country could implement a more advanced program from the other, and I also propose improvements that would be helpful to both countries in order to enhance their special education systems