The concept of mainstreaming can be traced back to Brown v. Board of Education when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled the "separate but equal" doctrine unconstitutional. Not everyone has wanted to integrate minorities into their physical education and athletic programs, and now not all educators are accepting the broadening of ability levels within the classroom to include the handicapped. Research has not confirmed that children in special classes achieve better than comparable children in regular classes. Research has shown that a similarity of play interests exists between learning-disabled and normal children. While much research shows the mildly retarded child to be one to three years behind peers in motor performance, it is generally believed that many such differences are environmentally caused. Often retarded school-age children have not received physical education instruction. It is thought that early integration of handicapped and normal children in good physical education programs will result in comparable motor skills for both groups. Lastly, research indicates that ability-segregated classes seem to have detrimental effects on both the feelings of exceptional children about themselves and of others toward them. The issue at hand is not mainstreaming in physical education, but humanizing all of education. (PB)