"Cast Into a Cold Pool": Inclusion and Access in Middle School for Students with Labels of Mental Retardation and Autism

I consider issues of ableism and enforced normalcy within these middle school sites, and the resulting impact on access to the social and academic opportunities of school for students who challenge constructs of normative performance. Further, I consider the socially constructed nature of competence and incompetence in middle school, and the role that teachers and school personnel play in creating opportunities for students to be seen as capable, participating members of middle school communities or as outsiders existing on the periphery of the classroom. In the conclusion, I present a framework for a more competence-based approach to middle school inclusive education and describe the implications of this study for administrators, teachers, and inclusive teacher preparation programs.