This article compares the inclusive schools movement and the Regular Education Initiative in terms of advocates, goals, tactics, and understanding of and links to general education. The article finds that the inclusive schools movement has become increasingly strident, and its perspective has become increasingly insular and disassociated from…

Examines integration of refugee Ethiopian children into Israeli schools, and contrasts their circumstances with those of Afro-Caribbean children in British schools. Discusses racism, racial stereotypes, beliefs about intellectual capacity and intelligence quotient, student self-esteem, culture conflict and acculturation, language difficulties,…

Attitudinal data concerning integration of students with disabilities into regular classrooms were gathered from six groups of Australian educators (principals, regular teachers, resource teachers, school psychologists/counselors, and two groups of preschool directors). Considerable attitudinal differences were found both within and among…

This article describes strategies to assist toddlers with special needs in inclusive settings to acquire social interaction skills. Strategies include: (1) arranging the environment; (2) group affection activities; (3) imitation of peers; (4) teacher prompts; (5) teacher reinforcement; (6) correspondence training; and (7) peer-mediated…

Inclusion of students with disabilities in regular education in the United Kingdom calls for matching diversity of learning need with diversity of educational approach for all students. A three-dimensional matrix relating varied teaching approaches, types and levels of expertise, and grouping of pupils is proposed. (DB)

This article describes a dialog writing project which has involved hundreds of deaf students exchanging journals with hearing peers. A class of hearing-impaired students is paired with students from a general classroom, and dialog journals are physically exchanged. Practical pointers for developing and implementing the program are given. (DB)

This article presents a literature survey and conceptual model of the perceptual-motor performance of children with visual impairment, in relation to their social development. The relationships between visual impairment and orientation, visual impairment and mobility, and motor performance and social integration are examined. (Author/SW)

Evidence supporting the use of a revision of the Opinions Relative to Mainstreaming scale, called Opinions Relative to Integration of Students with Disabilities, is presented. Scale testing with 376 professionals revealed satisfactory item characteristics, adequate reliability and homogeneity, and initial support for construct validity. The scale…

This article examines the challenges and successes experienced over four years by three academically gifted students with deaf-blindness in inclusive educational programs, and presents recommendations about placement of students with similar needs in inclusive programs. (Author/DB)

Compares three models positing differing roles for values in predicting fairness judgments and support of affirmative action: Tetlock's (1986) value pluralism models, Lind's (1992) fairness heuristic hypothesis, and Jackman's (1978) model involving no role for values. Results support the fairness heuristic hypothesis, indicating that values play a…

This study of societal attitudes in Tanzania, based on interviews and examination of a collection of proverbs, riddles, and poems, determined that persons with disabilities are not marginalized and that principles of normalization and integration underlie traditional community living. (SW)

Perceived quality of life was compared among 10 individuals with disabilities in supported community employment, 10 individuals in sheltered workshops, and 9 individuals without disabilities. Supported community employment was positively related to number of leisure activities, self-esteem, use of leisure time, involvement in activities, mobility,…

This paper describes two alternative strategies for fostering communication skills in preschool children with disabilities: one that teaches normally developing peers to use specific communication strategies when interacting with their less skilled classmates and one that teaches both normal and disabled preschoolers to enact sociodramatic play…

This paper describes Gordon Allport's contact theory (which contrasts effects of casual contact and contact leading to acquaintanceship) and the findings of social integration research. Theories are applied to fostering true social integration of hearing-impaired students being educated in mainstream settings. Educators are urged to maximize…

Eight children with severe disabilities and eight nonhandicapped peers were observed in their regular elementary school classrooms. Results indicated that children's social acceptance and opportunity for interaction were not uniquely associated with their status as individuals with severe disabilities, and suggest that implicit standards and…