The attitude of some teachers toward the capacity of learners with special needs may have been learnt from an environment that did not cater for the needs of the special learner. If the learners with special needs were not catered for then obviously they would have faced challenges that were greater than those of their mainstream peers. The challenges may have overwhelmed the learner and prevented him/her from realizing what would have been, if his/her needs were met. I see this as cyclical meaning, a special needs learner enters an institution, the institution neglects the needs of the special needs learner, the learner is challenged and becomes overwhelmed, the teacher believes  that the lack of success on the path of the learner is due to the disability and a low capacity to learn.

Should the institution cater to the needs of the special needs learner, teachers' attitudes to the learning capacity of special needs students would change as they would realize that some special needs learners' capacity is on par with and may surpass those of their peers.