Professor Sue Buckley:

There was a difference in self-help and independence in schools. However, our special schools would argue that they focused on this area. We expected more independence and daily living on a life skills programme than turned out to be the case. In regard to socialisation, the children who were included partook in more inclusive activities outside of the school setting. The children were involved in similar amounts of activities but if they were in special schools they accessed the specialist activities, whereas if they were in mainstream schools they were more likely to be involved with inclusive social activities. The other question that provided an interesting result was whether they had special friends, boyfriends or girlfriends. They were more likely to answer that question positively if they were over the age of 16 and in special education.

We did not have many students over 16 years who had been all the way through the inclusion process. The issue is whether they have that peer group of other folks. My daughter lives with a partner with the community. She leads an ordinary adult life with support. She is in a relationship that is just like being married. Her partner has Down's syndrome and one would expect it to work when people have similar abilities and interests. They are fantastic. The way they love and look after each other would put many people of normal ability to shame because they have had quite a lot of things to deal with such as health issues.

I am passionate about inclusion. It is not that one does not need to deliver special education services, but the child should be going to school in his or her community where he or she can make friends outside school. We should be preparing them to be able to live in the real community. If one talks to adults with Down's syndrome, one will see that they want what you and I want; therefore, if a person grows in that community, the community gets to know him or her. Mark and Roberta's neighbours are not fazed when they appear in their flat. The issue about whether it is better to deliver high quality special education services but in a mainstream setting-----