For many students with disabilities, their school experience began or quickly became non-inclusive. As schools increasingly adopt inclusive practices, these students and their families may have questions or concerns. This brief provides strategies, suggestions, and resources for schools to help families understand and become a vital part of the…

In recent years, the concept of teachers as researchers in both special and mainstream school settings has become part of our everyday language. Whilst many educational practitioners will see the need for research within their setting, many may not be familiar with the technical elements they believe are required. "Creating Meaningful Inquiry in…

Under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act Amendments of 2004, special educators and related services personnel are required to support a child with disabilities in the setting deemed the least restrictive and most natural for that particular child. There is considerable variation in the consultation experiences and skills…

This paper begins with an exploration of the history of the international Education for All (EFA) programme and its tendency to overlook some marginalised groups of children, in particular those seen as having "special educational needs" or impairments and disabilities. The exclusion from "mainstream" education programmes of the estimated, though…

The Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) states that transition planning should begin at the earliest age appropriate and no later than age 16. IDEA requires schools to make collaborative efforts to provide students access to an array of postschool activities including integrated employment, postsecondary…

Available resources and indicators of high quality inclusive practices are presented in this compilation. Assembling many different resources in one place allows for easy comparison of potential indicators of quality. Excerpts and adaptations of the resources are intended to provide some familiarity with the content of each resource and encourage…

Tess is a joyful eight-year old girl with epilepsy, frontal lobe dysfunction, and dyspraxia, as well as delays in language, fine motor, and gross motor skills. However, despite her disabilities, Tess happily embraces life. With assistance from a few support professionals, Tess currently functions successfully in a regular education second grade…

An approach to teaching reading comprehension skills to mainstreamed disabled students was designed for use by regular educators of any grade level and content area and involves eight steps that begin with obvious answers in multiple-choice items and proceed to fill-in-the-blanks and open-ended questions. (CL)

The author reviews such underlying principles of mainstreaming models as assessment of the child's feelings about mainstreaming and determination of the needs and resources for mainstreaming on a building basis. Eighteen types of models, including prescriptive instruction development, peer tutoring, team teaching, pod system, and Individually…

The article describes 26 audiovisual materials appropriate for inservice training for regular teachers involved in mainstreaming handicapped children. Summaries typically include title, source, format, time length, and a description. (DB)

Aspects of curriculum affecting the success of mainstreaming handicapped students are considered. The concepts of explicity, hidden, and absent curricula are discussed relative to curricular adaptations. A "Curriculum Adaptation Guide" is presented to assist in the selection and adaptation of curricular elements. (Author/DB)

A structured small group instructional setting helps to teach mainstreamed handicapped preschoolers the skills necessary to interact with the classroom materials without direct supervision. Examples are cited of individualized play activities with puzzles, paint, and play dough. (CL)

The article offers a classroom management technique, PASSWORD, that facilitates the smooth transition of handicapped students from the resource room to the regular class. Students are each asked a "code question," usually a review question, the answer to which is the password for leaving the resource room. (DB)

A teacher describes her experience trying to mainstream a manipulative disabled child and her techniques for demanding academic work from him. (MT)

Because grading practices relating to mainstreamed handicapped pupils have received little attention, the paper investigates the pertinent issues and gives examples. Emphasized is the need to avoid confusion caused by arbitrary grading systems, and clearly identify graders, consumers, and messages intended by the grades. Choosing satisfactory…