Inclusion is an oft-used buzzword in education. It is also a concept that the author highly values and wants to be a part of her teaching. She feels she would not be teaching to her potential if she was not able to reach all students. She truly wants a classroom in which all children have access. The author was a Sure Start teacher at a U.S.…

Anthea Asprey and Tricia Nash both belong to the Children's Hospice South West Research Group, based at the University of Exeter. In this article, they report one aspect of a research project designed to determine the adequacy of support for young people with life-limiting and life-threatening conditions in the education system. They describe here…

One of the challenges facing primary school language teachers is the adaptation of the language syllabus to suit the needs of all of their learners, including those with special educational needs. Research into inclusion of such learners in the regular classroom has shown that adequate support for both child and teacher is essential if a child is…

Traditionally, students with disabilities have been denied a voice in where or how they should receive their education. Much of the literature about education for adolescents focused on both non-disabled students' and teachers' perceptions of working with students with disabilities. Although there is limited research that examines the perceptions…

Students with vision impairments in Singapore are educated in segregated settings from an early age. On completing primary school these students continue their education in mainstream secondary school settings. This transition requires considerable adjustment on the part of students with vision impairments. The present research explored the social…

This article presents a study that examined the life experiences of ten disabled students enrolled in secondary school in a rural context in South Africa. The methodology used to understand their life experiences of schooling is the narrative. The student's authentic personal stories were used to explore their experiences. Through stories of the…

In a recently published research article in this journal, Avramidis & Skidmore (2004) argued that it is time we placed issues of disability provision more in the context of provision for the generic student. They presented a study based on the Learning for All Questionnaire (LfAQ), which investigated certain implied issues. Findings indicated…

Definitions of intelligence have traditionally been rooted in literacy competence. In this article, the authors examine two historical examples where societal prejudices and institutional forces worked to limit and regulate access to literacy. The first example illustrates how racism and denial of competence were so profoundly linked and…

The issue addressed in this small scale case study relates to whether teaching assistants (TA's) are being used effectively to support children with special educational needs (SEN) in mainstream primary schools. The term "teaching assistant" has become an umbrella term for a variety of support staff within schools. If the research was to…

The inclusion of disabled children in their local schools and communities is part of the universal struggle of disabled people to claim their basic human rights to equality and participation, and to insist on the necessary changes in society and its institutions to make this possible. Although this movement is still in its infancy, reports from…

Since the publication of the Salamanca statement (UNESCO 1994), inclusive schooling has formed a growing part of the deliberations of the special education community. Inclusive schooling research in Australia in the main continues to reproduce traditions of the special education field, emphasising the dominant psychological perspectives that have…

Seeking to strengthen preparation of preservice general educators for the realities of inclusive school settings, two special education teacher educators from different universities used content-based structured reflective log writing as an integral course requirement. Faced with teaching intensive course content within a limited time frame, the…

Parents of a child who has Down syndrome often feel that the school years are--to paraphrase Charles Dickens' famous words--"the best of times, the worst of times." They are the best of times because mothers and fathers can count on having 12-15 years of legally mandated, familiar, continuous, programming for their son or daughter. These same…

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the cornerstone of special education legislation and affects every teacher in the nation. Although regular classroom teachers learn about IDEA and how to educate students with disabilities in their preservice courses, many music teachers have had only a brief introduction to such training.…

On November 29, 1975 then President Ford signed the "Education of All Handicapped Children Act" (EAHCA) into law, mandating for the first time that children and youth with disabilities be afforded the right to a free and appropriate public education, individualized programming, parental participation in the decision making process,…