This reflective commentary by the author of EC 607 584 points out that discussion about inclusion of students with severe disabilities should focus on how it may address the contextually complex variables that support effective instruction for all students. Teachers should be given the flexibility to implement curricula that result in different…

Describes the importance of providing religious education to children with disabilities and the role which catechists must play in such education. Provides suggestions for catechist training, including disability simulation activities, multiple approaches to teaching a lesson plan, analysis of teaching/learning styles, and group interaction and…

This article reviews 30 years of experience with French immersion second-language instruction and concludes that most children with learning disabilities can benefit from the experience of a bilingual (immersion) education. For children with language handicaps who need to learn a second language, bilingual (immersion) instruction is better than…

Describes how a Red Flag Carry-Over Reclaiming Intervention is used with a 16-year-old mainstreamed male student. Removing the student from the situation, allowing him silent "drain-off" time, and helping him learn to identify his self-defeating behavior helped him to avoid an overwhelming life experience. (MKA)

Explores what educators can do to facilitate effective collaboration with aides who are providing one-to-one support for mainstreamed children with such disabilities as autism and pervasive developmental disability. Emphasis is on the importance of effective planning, careful identification of roles and skill areas, and supervision. (DB)

Under the 1973 Rehabilitation Act (Section 504) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, school districts must transport students with disabilities to a site providing a free, appropriate education in the least restrictive environment. This article discusses federal and state laws governing student transportation, including wheelchair…

Examined the extent to which preschool inclusion practices were evident in diverse communities, and identified the child, maternal, and service-provider characteristics that significantly related to such practices. Found that the paradigm shift away from intensive, segregated educational programs toward fully inclusive, community-based programs…

Encourages parents and educators to apply political pressure through advocacy to make policymakers aware of special education issues concerning the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Discusses the importance of being familiar with current law, knowing how to obtain services, and being an advocate on a global level. Reminds individuals…

KIDLINK is a grassroots organization aiming to improve worldwide relations by involving students ages 10 to 15 in electronic dialog. Using KIDLINK connections, a teacher of Internet telecommunications courses successfully involved three mainstreamed, neurologically impaired seventh graders in writing a book and teaching others the value of…

Argues that the assumption that including students with disabilities into regular classrooms will be possible with few problems is not supported by research. Discusses whether regular classroom teachers can meet the demands of the inclusionary movement. Focuses on teacher attitudes, skills, and competencies, as well as support necessary for…

This study examined effects of a child's diagnosis (autism vs. Down syndrome), age, and current educational placement on parental perceptions toward inclusion. Parents of Down Syndrome children tended to endorse full-time inclusion, whereas parents of children with autism endorsed part-time mainstreaming. Parents of younger children and parents of…

Argues that the "failure" of traditional writing instruction is actually its success, protecting the elite and maintaining inequality, which requires mass failure and illiteracy to preserve the unequal hierarchies now in place. Argues that bogus testing should be eliminated, basic writing mainstreamed into an expanded and untracked form of…

This article reports on a 1995 survey of students with visual impairments in Japan (4,537 in special schools and 233 in visual impairments units in mainstream schools). Although there appears to be a decrease in the number of students with visual impairments, the proportion of those with additional disabilities is increasing. (Contains…

Presents a sociocultural view of inclusion, highlighting a student with learning disabilities who was successfully included in a diverse classroom. The study analyzes segments of instructional discourse, illustrating how the general educator enacted interactional inclusion to build an inclusional culture that repositioned the student and her…

Summarizes the management and overall organization of special education within the national system in China and addresses the special needs provision in Chinese mainstream schools. Compares the Chinese system to British schools using the results from a case study on special and mainstream schools conducted in the Shaanxi province in China. (CMK)