Diversity in education is not about different races only; in the South African context it also refers, for instance, to types of schools or different learning styles. Inclusivity in education thus refers to all learners, regardless of their abilities, being noticed and encouraged to share and learn in the same space. However, the South African…

Paraeducators are ideal candidates for delivering communication interventions to children with developmental disabilities and delays (DD) because they spend a significant amount of time with these children. However, professional development is often inadequate and limited research supports best practices. Additionally, paraeducators work with…

The number of studies focused on the postsecondary experiences of students with disabilities has grown rapidly in recent years. This study reports the results of a qualitative content analysis of disability-focused articles appearing in 7 leading higher education and student affairs journals from January 2011 through December 2018. Findings…

The main aim of this study is to determine what factors affect the attitudes of teachers working in the special education school toward their occupations. In this study, effect of teachers was investigated in terms of gender, teaching domains, sports branches and age. It was carried out with the participations of totally 40 special education…

This study evaluated the effects of a pyramidal training approach that used an expert trainer who taught teachers how to train their paraeducators. Three special education teachers were taught to train four paraeducators to provide students with intellectual and developmental disabilities opportunities to initiate (OTI). A multiple baseline design…

Development of high-quality individualized education programmes (IEP) is vital for students with disabilities. Although legislations and literature provide guidelines for which components to be included in IEPs, there is limited research about whether these components are actually included in IEPs developed for students with disabilities served in…

This article reflects on how school-based professional learning communities (PLCs) can support the professional learning of educators from different school settings who share a common goal of ensuring quality teaching and learning opportunities for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). PLCs offer the opportunity to move…

Although reading and writing play equally important roles in the literacy development of deaf individuals, far more attention has been paid to reading than to writing in both research and practice. This is concerning as outcomes in writing have remained poor despite changes in communication philosophies (e.g., spoken and/or signed) and pedagogical…

When we consider disability and the curriculum, we usually mean preparing professionals to work with people with disabilities or including students with disabilities. Here, I provide a personal description of these ideas colliding. It's Fall 2017, and I'm taking a course on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). That means it's about…

Student engagement is recognised as being necessary for students to achieve well academically. Much student engagement research is centred on the perceptions of students via self-assessment or teacher questionnaires. For young students, particularly those with intellectual disability (ID), self-assessment can be problematic due to their…

Research suggests that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are at risk of exhibiting aggressive behaviors due to deficits in social communication and restricted and repetitive interests. Individuals with greater symptom severity and/or low cognitive abilities are at the greatest risk of developing aggressive behaviors that tend to be…

As educators and parents of children with disabilities, we recognize that students with significant disabilities benefit from research-based strategies to support the development of academic and social learning. We regularly use systematic instruction and behavior supports to provide day-to-day instruction, yet this same detailed planning is not…

In 1977, Italy adopted a policy to fully include students with disabilities in mainstream classrooms. This study surveyed the attitudes of Italian teachers towards inclusive education 40 years after this reform. The data were collected from 153 basic school teachers using the Teachers' Attitudes towards Inclusion Scale (TAIS). The results indicate…

A key metaphor used to describe the complexity of what teachers do is that of professional knowledge landscapes. This conveys the idea that effective practice should be explored in relation to how teachers perceive pupils, but also to how teachers see themselves and questions of professional identity. The research reported here was part of a…

Since Zimbabwe adopted inclusion in 1994 in alignment with the world, the number of children with disabilities educated in regular schools has significantly increased. Teachers experience diverse challenges when including children with disabilities in physical education (PE) in regular classrooms. This qualitative study carried out individual…