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…

The purpose of this paper is to critically analyse research about inclusive education. Prior reviews and the outcome of a recent search of databases are analysed with regard to (a) how inclusion is defined and (b) what empirical knowledge there is regarding factors that make schools and classrooms more inclusive. Our point of departure is that we…

While many policies, pieces of legislation and educational discourse focus on the concept of inclusion, or inclusive education, the field of education as a whole lacks a clear, precise and comprehensive definition that is both globally sensitive and based in social justice. Even international efforts including the UN Convention on the Rights of…

Social participation of students with special educational needs (SEN) is a key issue in the inclusion debate. However, the meaning of concepts like social integration, social inclusion and social participation used in current literature is often unclear. Recently, these concepts were clarified based on preschool and primary school literature. The…

Inclusive education is a practice of teaching handicapped children in regular classrooms with non-handicapped children to the fullest extent possible; such children may have orthopedic, intellectual, emotional, or visual difficulties or handicaps associated with hearing or learning. In India there are constitutional provisions for Inclusive…

This paper addresses the issues of molar versus molecular assessment of integration of people with disabilities, definitions of integration, and assessment in measuring integration. Measures for four integration components are presented: (1) physical integration, (2) social integration, (3) relationships, and (4) social networks. (Author/DB)

Lack of an agreed-upon definition for the Regular Education Initiative (REI) represents a significant obstacle to coherent debate. Three interpretations of the REI exist: merger of regular education and special education, partnership between regular and special education, and full integration of all children into regular classrooms. (JDD)

The paper is a product of the 3-year project, "Functional Mainstreaming for Success," designed to develop a model for instructional mainstreaming of handicapped children (3-6 years old) in community settings. The paper reviews the literature defining "mainstreaming," notes that mainstreaming is not the wholesale return of exceptional students from…

The policy interpretation paper was developed in cooperation with the National Inservice Network and involved an examination of all existing federal policy as well as background federal materials that directly or indirectly affect the issue of regular educator responsibilities for handicapped children as related to inservice education efforts…

Literature is reviewed indicating that programs serving handicapped and nonhandicapped preschool children have been labeled inconsistently, with few attempts to identify specific variables which discriminate program types. Suggested are the terms "integrated special education" (with a high proportion of handicapped) and "mainstreamed" (with a low…

The author states a definition of mainstreaming and lists 30 underlying principles of mainstreaming, then describes 17 models ranked as most successful (e.g., the resource plan--most commonly used) by special education directors who responded to a national survey. Noted is importance of ongoing inservice education and individualized teaching. (MC)

Similarities and differences between least restrictive environment (LRE) and collaboration are considered. It is suggested that both LRE and collaboration are essential to achieving appropriate education for students with disabilities, but the potential of LRE and collaboration has not yet been fully realized. (SW)

The annual report on the status of handicapped children in Head Start programs during 1985-86 provides background information, statistical data, and analysis. The mandate that 10% of enrollment be available for handicapped children was met by all states except Alaska and the District of Columbia, the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Migrant…

The third of 16 booklets designed for use in an Open University course on special education in the United Kingdom, this guide introduces key issues in the course. The variety of handicapping conditions is examined, and age and sex factors in special education are considered. Effects of the environment and the special educational system are also…

The paper defines the handicapped student, reviews legislation affecting the handicapped, points out funding for mainstreaming of students, and describes approaches to providing business education to the handicapped. Three broad categories of disability--physical, mental/emotional, and educational--are defined. The mandates of the Education for…