Explain how federal legislation has identified students for special services. Identify the categories and percentages of students with exceptionalities.
Sample solution
Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell.
In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.
God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.
Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.
To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.
References
Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.
Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.
Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.
Sample Answer
Sample Answer
Federal Legislation and Identification of Students for Special Services
Federal legislation, particularly the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), plays a crucial role in identifying students who qualify for special services. IDEA outlines the criteria for determining eligibility, ensuring that students with disabilities receive appropriate educational support. Below are the key components of how federal legislation identifies students for special services and an overview of the categories of exceptionalities along with their prevalence.
Identification Process Under IDEA
1. Referral for Evaluation:
– A student may be referred for evaluation by parents, teachers, or other professionals when there are concerns about their academic performance or behavior. This referral process is often initiated when a student shows signs of learning difficulties or developmental delays.
2. Comprehensive Evaluation:
– Upon referral, schools must conduct a comprehensive evaluation using non-discriminatory assessment tools to determine if the student has a disability that adversely affects their educational performance. This evaluation assesses various areas, including cognitive abilities, academic skills, and social-emotional functioning.
3. Multidisciplinary Team:
– Evaluations are typically conducted by a multidisciplinary team that includes special education professionals, psychologists, speech-language pathologists, and other relevant specialists. Their combined expertise ensures a holistic understanding of the student’s needs.
4. Eligibility Determination:
– Based on the evaluation results, the team determines whether the student meets the criteria for one or more of the disability categories defined by IDEA. If eligible, an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is developed to outline the specific services and supports needed.
5. Parental Consent:
– Parents must provide consent for evaluations and the development of the IEP. They also have the right to participate in all decisions regarding their child’s education.
Categories of Exceptionalities Under IDEA
IDEA recognizes several categories of disabilities for which students may be eligible for special education services. The following are the main categories along with approximate percentages of students identified under each category in U.S. schools:
1. Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD):
– Approximately 34% of students with disabilities fall under this category. SLD includes difficulties in reading (e.g., dyslexia), writing (e.g., dysgraphia), and mathematics (e.g., dyscalculia).
2. Speech or Language Impairments:
– About 20% of students with disabilities are identified with speech or language impairments, which can affect communication skills, articulation, fluency, or voice.
3. Other Health Impairments (OHI):
– This category represents around 14% of students with disabilities and includes conditions such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and epilepsy.
4. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD):
– Approximately 8% of students with disabilities are identified as having autism, which affects social interaction, communication, and behavior.
5. Emotional Disturbance (ED):
– About 7% of students with disabilities fall into this category, which includes conditions that adversely affect emotional well-being and behavior.
6. Intellectual Disabilities:
– This category accounts for around 7% of students with disabilities and involves limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior.
7. Multiple Disabilities:
– Approximately 3% of students with disabilities are classified as having multiple disabilities, indicating the presence of two or more significant disabilities.
8. Deafness and Hearing Impairments:
– Roughly 1% of students are identified as deaf or hard of hearing, affecting their ability to hear and process auditory information.
9. Visual Impairments, including Blindness:
– About 1% of students have visual impairments that impact their learning experiences.
10. Orthopedic Impairments:
– This category encompasses less than 1% of students and involves physical impairments that may affect mobility and learning.
11. Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI):
– Less than 1% of students are identified with TBI, which results from an external force causing brain injury.
12. Developmental Delays:
– Used primarily for children ages 3-9, this category covers early childhood development issues but is typically not specified as a percentage in older age groups.
Conclusion
Federal legislation like IDEA has established a structured framework for identifying students with exceptionalities who require special education services. Through a thorough evaluation process involving multidisciplinary teams and parental input, schools can determine eligibility based on well-defined disability categories. The prevalent categories highlight the diverse needs of students with exceptionalities, with specific learning disabilities being the most common. These insights guide educators in developing appropriate interventions and supports to foster academic success for all learners.
