I. Imagine walking into the school, walking through the white and blue halls of Upton Middle School to your locker. As you go through the motions, you move to compose your combination. This time though, the numbers change...or maybe your fingers are having trouble operating the lock. As you gather your things for class, a friend calls you from across the hall, but it sounds like you're underwater. This is what life for a person with special needs can be like: a daily, never-ending struggle for “normal.” Although disabilities can be overcome, there is no cure. Just fifty years ago, adequate education for the disabled was difficult to obtain. Since the 1600s, the lives of people with special needs have been greatly improved through increased public awareness of the disorders and the training of teachers, who came together to create the specialized education programs we have today hui.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 assistance at school.1. Students may have the following and be eligible for special education: unusually high intelligence, speech and language disorders, mental retardation, emotional disturbances, hearing and vision problems, orthopedic disabilities, autism, deaf or blindness, and traumatic brain injury. b. The most common disability would be a person with autism or mental retardation.1. Autism is a medical disability that occurs during pregnancy. It affects a person's speech and social interactions as well as certain developmental problems.2. Mental retardation can occur because of a genetic abnormality or when problems...... in the middle of an item... a task or action, and can cause them to have difficulty in their relationships with others.F. In the future, we hope that special education will become more specialized for its students.1. Children should receive the same curriculum as their peers, but in a different way, better suited to their learning style.2. Individuals with special needs should be encouraged to do their best and accomplish what they need to do to learn and grow in school.VII. Although the quality of special education has improved significantly over the years, there is still a long way to go. We will always learn how to best educate and treat these children. As research and technology are constantly evolving, the needs of students will also evolve. Special education programs currently in place will continue to evolve as public awareness, knowledge of disorders, and teacher training continue to improve..