Universal Design for Learning is a framework for developing inclusive instructional lesson plans. The effects of introducing Universal Design for Learning Principles and Guidelines in a university teacher education program with pre-service and practicing teachers were explored in a mixed methods approach. The results indicate that the study…

In this article, I summarise the primary content included in a keynote address I delivered via videoconferencing in July 2012 at the national conference of the "Australian Association of Special Education", held jointly with the annual conference of the "Tasmanian Principals Association" in Hobart, Tasmania. The address focused…

Acting as an entry marker into the adult world, the transition from compulsory schooling is inextricably linked with a change in career status. As such, transition is widely acknowledged to be a significant event in the lives of "all" young people regardless of their dis/abilities. However, many dis/abled students in New Zealand,…

This study investigated the attitudes of secondary teachers to inclusion in schools. Three hundred and ninety-one teaching and management-level staff from 19 mainstream and 6 special schools in one local authority in Scotland completed a survey. Overall, teaching staff were pro-inclusion, conditional on adequate support and resources. There was a…

The research questions of the article are: What takes place in the professional cooperative work of including children with special needs in kindergartens and in counteracting exclusive process? How are views on children and ethics expressed through practice and in reflections on practice among the staff in kindergarten? What constitutes…

This article provides teachers and administrators with a description of foundational principles and curricular approaches to create meaningful educational experiences for secondary students with intellectual disabilities in inclusive general education classes. The four principles provide: (a) the least dangerous assumption, (b) partial…

This article reports on the use of e-portfolios to assess aspects of a one year, post-graduate pre-service teacher education programme in Northern Ireland within the specific context of special needs education. The rationale for using an e-portfolio for programme assessment and the potential it offers in demonstrating a range of teaching…

Being victims of racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, disempowerment and language loss it could be expected that indigenous people would be supportive of the Inclusion Movement with its philosophy of valuing and acceptance of all people. This supposition is examined for Maori, the indigenous people of Aotearoa/New Zealand. In…

How can we ensure that students with autism spectrum disorders are provided access to the curriculum that is provided to all students? This article discusses the specific challenges presented by students with autism spectrum disorders that can impact their access to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts. Specific evidence-based…

Mathematics can be a difficult topic both to teach and to learn. Word problems specifically can be difficult for students with disabilities because they have to conceptualize what the problem is asking for, and they must perform the correct operation accurately. Current trends in mathematics instruction stem from the National Council of Teachers…

The purpose of this study was to identify the specific strategies that teachers believe are most effective in helping below-level students attain reading success. The scope of the study included seasoned first-grade teachers in the School District of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The methodology took the form of a qualitative approach with the use…

The purpose of this study was to determine if there was a difference in Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program Modified Academic Achievement Standards (TCAP MAAS) achievement test scores for special education students who receive their instruction in the resource classroom or in an inclusion classroom. The study involved third, fourth, and…

Autism spectrum disorder is characterized as a complex brain disorder that impacts the life of an individual (Autism Society, n.d.; Autism Speaks, 2013). The prevalence of autism is on the rise (Baio, 2012; CDC, 2012), impacting the stress of the family (Haimer, 2012; Hall & Graff) and the need for services (Haney, 2012). This capstone study…

A wide range of cultural studies research have explored the impact of deeply held cultural stereotypes on stakeholders' attitudes and dispositions towards race, gender and class, which has resulted in the development of culturally responsive teaching frameworks designed to address educational inequity for diverse groups of students. Research…

This paper builds on data from a project where iPads were used in a lower secondary school in Denmark to support school development and inclusive learning environments. The paper explores how iPads enter into and work as part of an ecology of learning in five classes in lower secondary school. The paper argues that we should disengage approaches…