70s (Dybvik, 2004, p. 44; Steiner & Dunne, 1997, p. 1). This increase does not reflect an increase in the proportion of children in society who are disabled as much as it reflects an increase in the recognition of disability. The increase in the recognition of disability is a manifestation of the combination of enhanced inclusion policies, improved strategies for the identification of disabled students, and the expansion of the definition of disabled. Whatever the reasons may be for the increased numbers of disabled students in schools, however, teachers in the contemporary environment must be prepared to provide the educational services necessary for such students to optimize their academic potential (Dybvik, 2004, p. 42).
The implications the inclusion of special needs students into regular classrooms have been and continue to be tremendous for disabled students, non-disabled students, parents, teachers, administrators, and the public who must pay for inclusion's increasingly high costs. The role of special educators has changed because of the shift from a focus as a direct provider of instruction to that of a facilitator and consultant. This change has resulted in increasing concern among teachers in this group. This shift has caused anxieties among special education teachers and parents of special needs students. Their concerns center on information issues, personal demands of inclusion placed on teachers, parents, and special needs students, and also uncertainty surrounding the funding and support for inclusion.
The anxieties caused by the implementation of inclusion for increasing numbers of special needs students are even greater among general classroom teachers. These teachers are being asked to assume the responsibilities of special education teachers in the absence (in most cases) of the necessary training and education. Further, the additional burdens placed on general classroom teachers detracts from the teach...