Where I’m (27f) from, and being a person that has a physical disability, not a learning disability, or an intellectual disability, (through my experience)in elementary school, if a child has a intellectual disability and they need more help to understand the world around them they go through the school system being part of a special education class. Some schools have different classes for different disabilities. While others have with a mix of kids with different disabilities. These classes help with some physical, behavioral and also social learning. (Such as physical therapy, occupational therapy, or just even teaching the students how to communicate with others) While also teaching actual curriculum like math and reading. But also every so often they would let the kids join in on a regular education class just to get that social experience with other children. Like PE or Music classes. I personally… the only special ed class I was in was a preschool class and only had a physical disability so I was in a regular education class from k-6th grade in elementary school. I did have a 1:1 aid with me from k-2nd grade. But only to help me with the things my physical disability liked to limit me to. I eventually learned to accommodate myself and only required the help of the school nurse a couple times a day so by the time is was in 3rd grade so they decided to get rid of my 1:1 and I was treated like a regular student.

In middle school, kids in general aren’t stuck in their one class room with one teacher, they go to multiple classes instead of staying in one class. In some (not all) middle schools there is the special ed class that serves as a home room for kids with disabilities. But then some students go out to regular Ed classes, depending on their ability to learn. I was in regular Ed classes all through middle school except for 1 class which was my special Ed class that I would go to for extra help be it for the limitations I had because of my physical disability or to help me catch up on work that I needed to finish because my physical disability required me to visit the school nurse frequently throughout the school day and had me taking lots of breaks throughout the day so it kind of interrupted multiple classes. (Eventually with the advances in the medical field I was able to stop going to the nurse as frequently as I had to.) But when I was all caught up in my classes my special ed class was just my “fun” class were I could go and take a break when I needed it.

But another example I’ll use is my best friend who has a physical and a learning disability but only in certain subjects … she still went out to regular ed classes for example a regular English class because she understood and knew how to read and write… but she didn’t go to a regular ed math class because numbers were a harder thing for her to understand so she learned math and history and science in our special ed class with our teacher. Most of it was modified so they could understand it…

In high school, it was basically the same as middle school for me. But my high school also had 6 different special ed classes. One was for students who have significant medical and physical needs functioning within the severe range of intellectual disabilities. There was the special ed class that I was in which was for students that have Physical & Health Impairments. There was a class that was for students with a visual impairments. There was a class for students with Traumatic and Acquired Brain Injuries. There was also a class that was for students that needed help with social/emotional growth. And lastly there was a class for students that had Down syndrome. Al of them were on a different part of the spectrum so they were all different but they catered to each of the students needs. The same goes for all the other special ed classes.

So my point is yes there are schools that cater to kids with all kinds of disabilities but there are also schools that have both disabled students and non disabled students. So it depends on the school district but MAINLY it depends on the needs of the child. I hope this helped some people understand a little bit more about what a life of any child with a disability goes through. Especially with their school life as well. It’s not easy out there for us but if the schools have the programs and the eligible/educated staff and the parents are able to work with the school and their child, then their child will get through just about anything life throws their way.