The concept of the "authorship of their own lives in people with disabilities" belongs to the trend which creates a positive, capable image of a person with disability in the society. The aim of this article is to relate contemporary theories which conceptualise disability in the categories of a universal human condition, natural human…

As of 2010, 19% of the US population lives with a disability, and with the average lifespan of persons with disability increasing, this number is expected to rise. This has prompted the identification of a need for disability-based education by the US Institute of Medicine, the Surgeon General of the United States, the Association of American…

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…

Purpose: In this article, I explore how the therapeutic alliance, along with culturally competent and adapted skill use can be positively correlated with treatment outcome when using the ecological validity model as the frame. The ecological validity model refers to the degree to which there is consistency between the environment as experienced by…

Much of the work in youth violence prevention has been based in a public health model and guided by a developmental-ecological perspective on risk and prevention (Bronfenbrenner, 1979, 1988). A central tenet of developmental-ecological theory is that individual development is influenced by the ongoing qualities of the social settings in which the…

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 emergence of the standards-based reform movement has raised a number of issues related to the design of educational programs for students with severe disabilities, and a debate has arisen that presents an "either/or" choice between the general education curriculum and an ecological curricular framework that has traditionally guided…

This longitudinal study uses an ecological framework to examine school and individual influences on academic achievement among African American and Latino students with and without disabilities who had recently transferred to more inclusive schools. The authors' ecological framework includes four domains: organizational policies and practices,…

This article reflects on the experience of one UK higher education institution in its efforts to develop more effective support mechanisms for the growing numbers of students with Asperger syndrome and autism, in collaboration with a specialist support organisation. Case studies are used to illustrate the complex needs of this group of students.…

A model of development for children and youth with learning disabilities (LD) is presented, including three cognitive/academic development variables, seven affective variables, three social development variables, and four behavior development variables. The model presents a holistic view of LD students and considers various issues that can impede…

Family-school partnerships are increasingly touted as a means of improving both student and school improvement. This recognition has led to an increase in policies and initiatives that offer the following benefits: improved communication between parents and educators; home and school goals that are mutually supportive and shared; better…

This article reviews the rise of Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) in Great Britain, exposes problems presented by the behavioral objectives model and its associated IEPs, introduces the process model as an alternative, and outlines the shift from a product approach to a holistic, process approach in curriculum planning. (Author/JDD)

With the increasing number of disabled students entering the higher education sector, much research work has focused on the support services arena and the elimination of barriers that the disabled students have encountered. While producing useful advice on meeting the needs of disabled students, this line of research has done little to locate…

Introduction: Ecological models which address educational phenomena assert that students are involved in multiple environments where they play different roles. In each environment they are expected to show certain behaviors; sometimes this can create conflicts, perhaps due to a discrepancy between the individual's skill in meeting the requirements…

The importance of accessibility to digital e-learning resources is widely acknowledged. The World Wide Web Consortium Web Accessibility Initiative has played a leading role in promoting the importance of accessibility and developing guidelines that can help when developing accessible web resources. The accessibility of e-learning resources…