Globally, education of children with disabilities increasingly occurs in inclusive school settings, requiring specialised teacher education. Scholars emphasise relational and instrumental skills, to overcome prejudice and exclusion. Visual impairment (VI) is emotionally evocative, presenting particular challenges to inclusion. Using data from…

This exploratory study provides an overview of prominent themes pertaining to portrayals of sign languages (SLs) and Deaf people in the South African press (2011-2019), as well as an analysis of a subset of articles to illustrate the discursive constructions of each of the prominent ideological framings. The findings of the paper suggest that many…

Despite there being much research on the needs of students with more visible disabilities, this is not the case with students with invisible disabilities such as psychosocial disabilities -- especially in university settings. The unique needs of students with psychosocial disabilities have received less attention with not much research in this…

Could a transformative, inclusive and emancipatory educational framework like the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) advance academic success for all? Could racism and dis/ableism be dismantled through such an emerging educational trend that offers a redefinition of dis/ability abolishing oppressive pedagogical practices that perpetuate…

Distance education celebrates its humanitarian mission of providing opportunities for disadvantaged and marginalized individuals who do not have access to traditional campus-based higher education. Large enrolments of students necessitate an industrialized approach in planning, design, and delivery informed by a normative assumption of ableism. In…

Society's inadequate response to disability impacts people's physical health, social relationships and lives in general which can be perceived in the realms of family, friends, neighbours, psychological state and level of independence. The consequences of a disability can have an impact on multiple levels, the personal, interpersonal, family and…

In response to the call for papers for this special issue and the questions it poses, the authors show how the ontological posthumanist shift of agential realism does not erase but keeps the child human of colour in play, despite the inclusion of the other-than-(Adult)human in its methodologies. Through a montaging technique, the authors explore…

This study investigates South African teachers' attitudes in schools for learners with special educational needs specifically learners with severe intellectual disability (SID) using a quantitative and descriptive online survey. The questionnaire includes the Modified Teachers' Attitudes Scale. The theory of planned behaviour is used as an…

Learners with disabilities are faced with unprecedented challenges in their pursuit of integration in the institutionalized higher education system in South Africa. The aim of this paper is to explore the recruitment and integration of students with disabilities (SWDs) at selected rural universities in South Africa in terms of facilities for…

The transformation of higher education, in line with the South African Constitution, has led to increased enrolments of students with disabilities. However, limited research has been conducted on teaching and learning support these students receive. Access of students with disabilities in higher education is a human rights issue yet research shows…

Functional outcomes in autism spectrum disorder can be highly variable given the heterogeneous nature of autism spectrum disorder and its interaction with environmental factors. We set out to compare parent/caregiver perceptions of functioning in two divergent countries that participated in the International Classification of Functioning…

In line with global non-discrimination legislative changes and inclusive education policies, the number of disabled students in higher education institutions are increasing. Previously, disabled students were excluded from higher education. Currently, however, higher education institutions are expected to have disability statements and policies,…

There have been significant recent developments in the policy arena in South Africa in respect of disability and of early childhood development viz. the "White Paper on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the National Integrated Early Childhood Development Policy." Using Bacchi's analytical framework encapsulated in the question,…

Since the inception of inclusive education (IE) much energy has focused on educators and learners. This study addresses a gap in literature by analysing an important component of the transformation process in the South African educational landscape--Department of Education (DoE) district-based officials. This descriptive research project conducted…

This research sought to examine South African teachers' attitudes toward the inclusion of learners with different abilities in their hypothetical mainstream classrooms. Participants were 93 South African teachers who responded to the Teachers' Attitudes and Expectations Scale, a measure developed for this study, regarding four vignettes depicting…