I. Imagine walking into school, walking through the blue and white hallways of Upton Middle School to your locker. By performing the movements, you move to compose your combination. This time, however, the numbers are reversed... or perhaps your fingers have difficulty tampering with the lock. As you gather your things for class, a friend calls to you from across the hall, but you seem to be underwater. This is what life can be like for someone with special needs, a daily, never-ending struggle for “normality.” While disabilities can be addressed, there is no cure. Not even fifty years ago was it difficult to obtain an adequate education for the handicapped. Since the 1600s, the lives of people with special needs have been greatly improved through increased public awareness of disorders and the training of teachers, who have combined to create the special needs education programs we have today.II. Special education is available to students with a wide range of disabilities.A. Special education includes students with medical, emotional, or learning disabilities who may need special help in school.1. Students may have the following and be eligible for special education: unusually high intelligence, speech and language disorders, mental retardation, emotional disorders, hearing and vision problems, orthopedic disorders, autism, deafness or blindness, and traumatic brain injury. B. The most common thought about disability would be someone with autism or mental retardation.1. Autism is a medical disability that occurs during pregnancy. It affects a person's language and social interaction along with some developmental problems.2. Mental retardation can occur due to a genetic abnormality or during problems... middle of paper... task or action and can cause them difficulty relating to others.F. In the future, we look for special education to become more specialized for its students.1. Children should be taught the same curriculum as their peers, but in a different way that best suits their learning style.2. Special needs should be encouraged to do their best and accomplish what they need to learn to thrive in school.VII. Although the quality of special education has increased significantly over the years, there is still a long way to go. We will always learn how to best educate and care for these children. With research and technology constantly evolving, student needs are also changing. Special education programs currently in place will continue to evolve as public awareness, knowledge of disorders, and teacher training continue to improve.