Bengt Nirje on Normalization

Man: You talked a couple of times about mainstreaming versus dumping. In our country we're having inclusion movements right now where some people say that every kid should be educated in a regular classroom. Does that happen in Sweden and Norway?

Bengt Nirje: What we need is more knowhow. If the teacher is competent, if the teacher's assistant, competent specialists present, and if there are support services, and the child [Inaudible], that's great. But there is a long way to go I think before we have all those resources. And, in the meanwhile, I'm scared for what happens to the child in these situations. Because in the years where we get as normal development as possible, demands professional skills and professional supports and professional knowhow and exchange of things. So I'm, took it out. I had mainstreaming as my first definition. I took it out because I got scared for the way people could misuse it just to get away with a cheap solution. But if it works with… it is good because it responds to, would work well if the person could be competent in that situation. But it is a little hard to be competent, incompetent when you're sitting in a classroom with another adult beside of you