supportive environment (Nieto 2-5).
Similarly, Shapiro argued that students with disabilities are often unable to access the type of education that is provided to their non-disabled peers. Most of these disabled children spend the majority of the day being educated in special education schools, resource rooms and programs, where they are segregated from non-disabled children. Considered a burden from school administrators and districts, these children often receive inferior education because educators do not believe that they are able to learn (143, 173-4).
The inequitable treatment of students with disabilities is also integrated with that of students from minority backgrounds in Shapiro's illumination of the fact that many minority students are placed in special education settings. As Shapiro explained, students who experience academic or social difficulties in traditional classrooms are typically banished to the special education setting, without considering the underlying reasons. By focusing on the deficits of the students, the teachers' failure to adequately motivate the students by using engaging instructional approaches that are sensitive to the cultural needs of the students are often not considered (174-5). Shapiro's observation about the plight of students from minority backgrounds who are placed in special education classrooms is another affirmation of Nieto's emphasis on multicultural education.
Another key argument that can be found in both works the is importance of the teachers to serve as a "cultural accommodator and mediator" (Nieto 70). Teachers need to incorporate the larger socio-cultural realities into the teaching environment in order to create a positive learning environment that will promote learning (Nieto 71). This entails creating a culturally-sensitive curriculum and introducing alternative pedagogical approaches, which can lead to the creation of vibrant learning communities (Nieto 84...