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What did you learn?
I learned that the term "disability" has a broad meaning and it is not understood as scientifically and medically proved deficit. We should understand this term in the social and cultural context.
What was eye-opening?
The eye-opening thing is that the definition of disability is not restricted to only one meaning. It has various meanings and probably in the future, its meaning might change again since there are always ongoing scientific research about learning and other disabilities.
How will it impact your instruction?
I can understand the term "disability" differently for different students. When planning my classroom instruction, I might not see this as a deficit but uniqueness that can be used to overcome specific academic and behavioral challenges.

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1. What did you learn?
I learned that there were two major opposing thoughts about people with disabilities and special education. One focusing more on the medical aspects of the disability and what they can do to fix it and one

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1. What did you learn?
I learned that there were two opposing thoughts about students with disabilities. One focusing the medical aspects of the disability and what they they can do to fix and treat the disability and the other focusing on inclusion and not labeling people with a disability. Incrementalist being the first view and reconceptualists being the second. I learned about the shift in creating inclusive classrooms that focus on putting measures into place that allow special education students not to be isolated into a self contained room but to have gen ed and special education teachers work together to create an atmosphere that is conducive to learning for all students.

2. What was eye opening?
The fact that there was a huge debate about this for so many years really surprised me. It is not something that is heard about in main strain and unless you are in the education system you won't really hear about it. I find that really sad because people with disabilities make up 15 percent of out population.

3. How will it impact your instruction
Incorporating and learning how to create good UDL plans to my instruction will be a goal of mine so that I can make my classroom an inclusive one for all my students.

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As someone with limited experience in Special Education and the related fields, it was very interesting to learn about the divide between the two biggest schools of thought regarding Special Ed. One side sees disabilities or learning differences as an inherent "problem" that may be solely congnitive, developmental, but generally "individual". These are considered to be the "Incrementalists" and are often the people who heavily resort or attempt to resort to research-based interventions that target individual needs. Then there are the more "woke" group called the "Reconceptualists": They seem to take a step back and look at the system and envromental factors when it comes time to decide on what to "fix", and often focus on bigger picture stuff.

I do not know where I land, if in any of the camps at all. My instinct is that both arguments are valid and like any polarizing situation, the middle ground is the best but most difficult place to be. My residency year had me in a very challenging school, but I am fortunate (or unfortunate?) to have a sped department that was very aligned (and definitely on the Reconceptualist side.) It is eye opening to learn that there is a completely different philosophical approach.

This will impact my instruction in ways that I am sure i cannot yet foresee, but the major thing is this idea of middle ground: I don't think there is a correct answer, and I think that every situation merits the attention and understanding in order to provide the help that is required.

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1. What did you learn?
I was not aware that there was a huge debate that began over a decade ago about the practices in special education. I have been having this debate with my Cohort since we have gotten a clear expectation of what is expected from us as special education teachers. The points outlined in the reading is reminiscent of many conversations discussed by myself and my classmates.
2. what was eye-opening?
It was eye opening to see the similarities between other forms of oppression and people with disabilities. The reading states "the history of disability discrimination chronicles a relentless infliction of segregation, dehumanization, and exploitation, but has been less public than other forms of discrimination.

3. How will it impact your instruction?
I have now become aware of the biases that people without a disability possess including myself. This will allow me to approach instruction in a way that is empathetic to all students. Also, the high school that I worked at during my first year made it a point to not single out students with disabilities. Teachers did this by fusing differentiated materials into the lesson and all students had access. Through proving supports to the entire class and not just a selected few, students with IEPs and disabilities did not feel singled out in the classroom during instruction.

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What did you learn?

I learned that there are different schools of thought when it comes to disability and special education; they are complicated. We have the Incrementalists that sees disability as a deficit that exist within the individual. They see this deficit as requiring a cure, and in the case of an educational disability, an educational cure is needed. Then on the other side we have the Reconceptualists that sees disability as a social construct, and while they do not deny that there are compromised functions that come with disability, they focus on changing environmental limitations rather than changing or “curing” the student.

What was eye-opening?

One important issue that the article addresses is illustrated when the writer writes, “educators’ sincere, though frustrated, attempts to distinguish a child’s cultural and linguistic diversity from a disability is a further source of confusion that reveals the judgmental nature of disability.”

How will it impact your instruction?

This will impact my instructions greatly because I want to be able to design lesson for students regardless of where they are in their learning. I know the impact that great teachers had on me as a kid, and I want to replicate that. The more I read about education policy, the more evident it becomes that teachers alone cannot be the solution.

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The schism in the field of special education described in the article is something our cohort has discussed with teachers, although I've not read an article that designates titles to the two sides of the issue. I thought the opposing points of view were clearly outlined and appreciated that the writers repeatedly notes that the overall goals of special educators overlap more than they differ.
I found the comparison between UDL and differentiated instruction noteworthy. Differentiated instruction is something we are to include in our lesson plans and something admin always seems to want from teachers and reading this article gave me a new point of a view - doesn't this just perpetuate the idea that there is one 'normal' or 'correct' approach to teaching? Differentiation for a student only continues to make that student an outlier when we are really trying to be more inclusive. To that end, I thought: Why have special education teachers at all? I suppose this would fall under the reconceptualists perspective. Reading the article made me think, couldn't we all just learn about myriad disabilities and how to teach to various types of learners? Doesn't having a special ed teacher in the room just perpetuate the divide between the 'general ed' kids and the 'sped' kids?  I think I would fall on the reconceptualist side of this debate, and I wonder how this will impact my own teaching. I'd like to be able to inform all my students about various disabilities and make them aware to the fact that everyone takes in information differently and intelligence comes in many forms, etc. I also understand that this may sometimes mean the majority of my students are able to handle content presented one way and a minority will require a different approach, which will require extra time or support or small group instruction - in other words - a special education teacher.

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What did you learn?

1. I learned that there is a separation in the field of Special Education; there are the “incrementalists” who are traditional people who have researched that concepts and strategies will work out for students, and there are the “reconceptualists” who sees that it’s not about the research, it’s about the social and emotional challenges that are going on with students. Even though there are two sides to the thought of Special Education, both share a side of self-respect towards students and what is right for them.

What was eye-opening?

2.  What was eye opening that the definition of disability is caused by judgment. This can mean the definition of disability can change throughout time and scientific research.

How will it impact your instruction?

3.  The article will impact my instruction because the idea of Universal Design of Learning (UDL) will be used in the classroom. Understanding that this can be planned group, such as co-teaching and team-teaching and not as an individual, not only we learn as educators on how we can deliver information to all students, but also how students can learn and give information back to the educator by various activities and implementations.

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What did you learn?

I learned that there is a divide, in terms of school of thought, within special education. There are two groups, the incrementalists and reconceptualists. The incrementalists think that the special education system generally works and needs little to no improvement. Conversely, the reconceptualists believe that the special education system is not working and should be overhauled.

What was eye-opening?

It is good to know that the “Disability Studies Quarterly” (DSQ) journal created in the United States in 1982, and the “Disability & Society” journal established in the United Kingdom in 1985, are the top journals in the field of Disability Studies.

How will it impact your instruction?

Last year, I worked with students primarily on a one-on-one basis and in small groups. When I did whole class instruction, I co-designed a lesson that involved a UDL (Universal Design for Learning) approach building in scaffolds for the lower performing students that can benefit all. In my new school in September, I intend to engage my students in the same way.

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1.  What did I learn?  I learned additional information on two differing groups within education - incrementalists and reconceptualists.  I feel that I am a mix of both, as LDs show that there is a deficiency that is not purely based on, or solved by alterations to, social or cultural conditions or contexts.

This article came out in 2012, and references a lot of work that was done in the early 2000s, and was authored by two former teachers who haven't been in the classroom since the millennium. Are there updates available to this material, now 6 years old? Has the field of teaching changed in the intervening time, and has research changed to such an extent, that we want to see more updated information on these differences? I don't have the answer(s), but am merely throwing it out there for consideration, as so much of what we study is based in the theoretical, or on (slim or little) research around particular educational efficacies.

2. Eye-opening to me was that like any other field or vocation, education and educational research splits into sometimes divergent camps with concomitant yelling and mud-throwing. I look to take the best (to me) or most comfortable (to me) or most efficient (to me) approaches from both camps to inform my pedagogy. Kids can sniff out in a second whether a teacher is real or not, and my time as a teacher is too short to try to adopt a technique or approach that I cannot interpret and adapt to me.

3. I do like the idea of UDL, or at least parts of it, which requires me to think about where a particular class will end up and work backward in design from there. There are necessary limitations on physical space that need to be considered, and the best design in the world can flounder immediately because of unanticipated hurdles - student additions/subtractions to class, working relationship of teachers, etc. and lessons I learn/insights I gain along the way about how to approach/teach specific students.

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I learned that, as in so many fields, activism in special education has yielded two groups, those who seek change from within, incrementally, and those who want revolution.  Not unpredictably, an incrementalist approach is based in data, aggregate or at least collective experience, research and mindfulness of how policy is developed. Reconceptualists are mission-driven and see elements across education and indeed society that need to be adjusted for real progress. Clearly, there is great overlap here, though it is always eye-opening to me to see how two sides who are broadly in agreement can work themselves into an oppositional construct with each other. Also eye-opening (though it should have occurred to me because it is the same with so many aspects of policy in the US) is the way localities and states vary in the definitions they use and the resources attached to SPED designations. Like many of my peers, this article reminded me of the efficacy and common sense of a UDL approach, and generated renewed commitment to delving into UDL methods, something I am happy to say that the SPED coordinator at my new school has flagged as important.

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1. What did you learn?  I learned that according to the authors of Remedial and Special Education (RASE), published in 2000, there is a division within the special education, based on perceptions and opinions of professionals within the field. The authors identify two categories in which special education professionals may fit into based on their believes, incrementalists and reconceptualist. Despite the differences between the two groups, the authors believe that both groups have more in common then they think and instead of arguing the differences, we as professionals should accept and encourage plurality of perspectives in terms of special education.

2. What was eye-opening? Something I found eye opening in the article was the idea that differentiated instruction can recreate the same divisions it seeks to eradicate. It is eye opening because as a special education teacher, I have always been told and taught that to provide and plan differentiated instruction is my job. Is what works.

3.  How will it impact your instruction? The article will impact my instructions by keeping in mind to plan my lessons based on what benefits all of my students instead of focusing on just the ones who are struggling as suggested by the UDL designed. I will also want keep in mind my students strengths instead of just their weaknesses.

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What did you learn?
I learned that  though there are disagreements among different special educator groups, Reconceptualists and Incrementalists , both groups engage in professional dialogue but still hold on thing in common which is the shared commitment to ensuring the human dignity of all students. Regardless of each educators differences or the sources of their diversity.

What was eye-opening?
For me was both side were making  really great arguments and I dont know If I could choose one of the other. One example is how Incrementalists continue to support traditional research, understood to mean scientifically proven
practices to be used by teachers, whose work is construed as the technical application of interventions and strategies specific to types of educational deficiencies. While Reconceptualists seek substantial change, calling for more self-reflective, ethical decision-making
responsibilities for teachers.Both sides made great points and it seems that it can be both and not either/or.

How will it impact your instruction?

This study has impacted my instruction because I fall in the middle of these two ideas. I want to try to meld both into one this school year because I believe in both of them

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1. What did you learn?
I learned that there is a philosophical and fundamental divide among professionals within the field of special education. The 'incrementalists' believe in incrementally improving a relatively fixable special education system and the 'reconceptualists' believe that the system is broken  and needs to be substantially, if not completely reconceptualized or replaced.

2. What was eye opening?
The authors' advocating for community voice, or rather the voices of people with disabilities to tell their own stories was eye opening. This is because this ideal has been pushed in other fields, such as social work, participatory action research and community/grassroots organizing, but I have not seen much discussion or action around it in the education field. It is somewhat of a relief to know that there is a movement of people within my field with the same ideals as me.

3. How will it impact your instruction?
I am a huge proponent of doing away with broken systems and breaking free from social constructs. Time and time again, research has shown that the environment impacts the individual and the individual impacts the environment in a cyclical manner. To me, this means that I have to work towards creating a nurturing and positive environment for all of my students that give them all equal access to resources and education even if that access looks different for each student.

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Careen Covington
1. What did you Learn?

I learn about the lack of consensus and divergent views among people in the field of Special Education. The divide and schism in the field of Special Education exist between those who label themselves increnentalists and reconceptionalists. These people differ about the purpose of Special Education, the expected outcomes, the current state of knowledge about Special Education practices and even the necessary steps to improve Special Education.

2. What was eye opening?

Guess I was shocked that because of the schisms in Special Education how easy it is for a student’s diagnosis to be changed. Shocking because in one State a student can be diagnosed as having learning disability and if he moved to another State that diagnosis can be changed.

3. How will it impact your instruction?
This will impact my instruction because I ensure that I design lessons that provide access to all my students using the UDL framework. I will not be one with the approach that because of disability my students need fixing. Instead, I will design my work so that all my students have access to the curriculum.

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What did you learn?

1. I learned that there is a divide in the field of special education. People are clustered into two groups based on their views of special education; either incrementalist or reconceptualist. Incrementalist believe that special education is a set system that needs little to no modification, while reconceptualist sees special education as something that is broken and needs a lot of repair.

2. What was eye-opening?

One thing that I found eye opening is that the definition for disabilities can change and as a result they are in fact judgements. There's no clear cut definition for any of of the classification for disabilities. So schools in a district different from the one we are in can classify the same student with a different disability or even no disability.

3. How will it impact your instruction?

This will impact my instruction because it makes us as teachers see student for themselves rather than their classification. We as teachers can instruct student based on individual needs rather than what they are classified as having. Instruction becomes less generalized and more individualised.

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Kate Eddon

1.What did you learn?
I learned that there is a schism in the field of special education between those who identify as 'incrementalists' and those who identify as 'reconceptualists'.  Each group has a point of view that is playing out in our current dialogue as to the future of special education.
2. What was eye-opening?
The statistic that at 15% of the American population,  people with disabilities make up the larges physical minority in the US.
3. How will it impact your instruction?  Many assume that if students aren't learning it's their fault, no the curriculum.  Using UDL is one way to make learning accessible to all students.  This has the added benefit of improving co-teaching relationships.  If both teachers are well versed in UDL, they are more apt to teach as equals and share the responsibility of teaching all students, not just 'their kids'

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Diego Medina - pdf file

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RESPONSE