Would students with disabilities benefit from being labeled? Defend your position by citing at least four advantages or disadvantages of labeling students with disabilities.

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Ans: Advantages:
Labels serve as a means for funding and administering education programs.
Teacher certification programs are developed around specific disability categories.
Labels allow professionals to communicate efficiently in a meaningful fashion.
Research efforts frequently focus on specific diagnostic categories.
Labels establish an individual’s eligibility for services.
Treatments, instruction, and support services are differentially provided on the basis of a label.
Labels heighten the visibility of the unique needs of persons with disabilities.
Labels serve as a basis for counting the number of individuals with disabilities and thus assist governments, schools, agencies, etc. with the delivery of needed services.
Advocacy and special interest groups have an interest in assisting particular groups of citizens.

Disadvantages:
Labels can be stigmatizing and may lead to stereotyping.
Labeling has the potential of focusing attention on limitations and not strengths.
Labeling can sometimes be used as an excuse or a reason for delivering ineffective instruction.
Labels can contribute to a diminished self-concept, lower expectations, and poor self-esteem.
Labels are typically inadequate for instructional purposes.
Labeling can lead to reduced opportunities for normalized experiences in school and community life.
A label can give the false impression of the permanence of a disability.