This article proposes a new conceptual approach to disability and performance through a contribution that comes entirely from outside the disciplines; a re-theorisation of Gibson's [1979. "The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception". Hillsdale: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates] theory of affordances. Drawing on three visual ethnographies…

The Alabama Champions for Healthy, Active Schools is a state-wide wellness initiative for grades K-12 that utilizes the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model. A champion school is encouraged to provide 60 minutes of physical activity throughout the academic day; provide nutritious meals, nutritious smart snacks, and nutrition…

The science and practice of early childhood development now stands ready to address the needs and ensure the rights of infants and young children with disabilities and their families, among the most underserved and marginalized in all regions of the world. Synergies in global policies such as the "United Nations Convention on the Rights of…

Rittel and Webber (1973) wrote, "The search for scientific bases for confronting problems of social policy is bound to fail, because the nature of these problems. They are 'wicked' problems, whereas science has developed to deal with 'tame problems'" (p. 155). Thus, a wicked problem is one where the solution is bound up in its…

With many students learning English also identified with disabilities in public schools, collaborations across special education and English learner (EL) education are critical to promoting these students' academic and linguistic development. Yet, many special education and EL teachers work independently of one another, focusing on their own…

Competitive integrated employment is defined within the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA, 2014) as full-time or part-time work at minimum wage or higher, with wages and benefits similar to those without disabilities performing the same work, and fully integrated with coworkers without disabilities. The Act requires that states ensure…

Scholars have called for the articulation of new frameworks in special education that are responsive to culture and context and that address the limitations of medical and social models of disability. In this article, we advance a theoretical and practical framework for inclusive education based on the integration of a model of relational…

Students with disabilities often find writing extremely challenging (Harris & Graham, 2016). Special educators can, however, promote tremendous gains in students' ability to write by understanding common challenges students face and mastering specific teaching techniques. Students' writing success depends on reducing how much attention and…

This paper is a call to Adapted Physical Activity (APA) professionals to increase the reflexive nature of their practice. Drawing upon Foucault's concept of governmentality (1977) APA action may work against its own publicized goals of empowerment and self-determination. To highlight these inconsistencies, we will draw upon historical and social…

A 7-year-old boy with special educational needs said "I want the wood for my boat, because I saw crocodiles at the zoo and they had logs floating in their home." This was his response to a small group "sinking and floating" investigation in which they were exploring a range of materials and were asked to select one they would like to use in the…

Spirituality is of acknowledged and profound importance to children from mainstream school populations, but has been overlooked in respect of children with special needs. This article explores the issues related to spirituality and disabilities, and the relationship between spirituality and education for students with special needs. The following…

Joachim Dattke describes a holistic approach to supporting the needs of the family when a child has a disability. The parent and child benefit from a two-pronged approach: working with doctors, psychologists, and therapists in clinic-based settings, and working with educators in schools and parent-child groups. He defines the importance of…

Recent discussions suggest that career counsellors need to be trained in more holistic frameworks in order to deal with the career and psychological issues of their clients. In particular, research shows a strong connection between employment and suicidality, including changes in socioeconomic status, disruption in employment, sudden unemployment,…

This article describes a framework for how to provide more accessible, relevant, and effective instruction in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education to all students. The STEM for All initiative asserts that all students, including those with disabilities and other diverse learning needs, should be included in meaningful…

The future of our society depends on our gifted children--the population in which we'll find our next Isaac Newton, Albert Einstein, or Virginia Woolf. Yet the gifts and talents of some of our most brilliant kids may never be recognized because these children fall into a group known as twice exceptional, or "2e." Twice exceptional kids are both…