Abstract
This study investigated the effects of integration on a group of severely handicapped (SH) trainable mentally retarded students placed on an age-appropriate regular public school campus. The focus of the study was the effect of integration on SH students. The results showed that SH students on the integrated campus preferred their new school to the segregated campus. Their parents shared their enthusiasm for the age-appropriate normal school setting. Parents perceived increased independence, social skill development, and transfer of learning from the integrated setting to the neighborhood and community. The appearance of the SH students improved dramatically over the course of the school year. Parents confirmed that the students were aware of the dress and grooming of their normal peers and sought to emulate their new role models. The SH students attempted to interact with the non-handicapped peers at an increasingly frequent rate as the school year progressed. SH students from the integrated campus were more responsive in the use of social language and improved in their ability to carry on an unelicited conversation as compared to their peers on the segregated campus. The social behavior of the SH students improved in all areas assessed. Growth was noted on standardized test scores. The reading recognition and reading comprehension scores showed substantially more growth during the 1984-85 school year than in previous years. Based upon the variables utilized in this study, it is clear that integrating SH students onto age-appropriate regular school campuses can be a successful experience for those youngsters. Exposure to normal role models appears to provide motivation for handicapped students to strive to look and act more age-appropriate. The findings support that they gain confidence which enables them to reach out into their neighborhoods and the community in ways that enhance their independence.