Fifteen years ago the federal government passed laws aimed at getting more handicapped children out of special, segregated schools and into their local public schools. Children with all kinds of disabilities began appearing more frequently in public school classrooms. Deaf children were among them. Government officials and public education officials firmly believed that the best way to educate deaf children for a life in the hearing world was to start them off in regular public schools. the term for this is mainstreaming. Many assert this has been handled poorly. Following is an opportunity for listeners to question Joe Nathan, an educator, and Paula Goldberg, a disabilities expert about the mainstreaming of children with disabilities.