International Journal of Disability Development and Education 

About: International Journal of Disability Development and Education is an academic journal published by Taylor & Francis. The journal publishes majorly in the area(s): Special education & Inclusion (education). It has an ISSN identifier of 1034-912X. Over the lifetime, 1359 publications have been published receiving 24081 citations.

A Survey of General and Special Education Teachers' Perceptions and Inservice Needs Concerning Inclusion

Abstract: To improve educational services to students with disabilities, the United States government has mandated that each state develop a Comprehensive System of Personnel Development. The following article highlights the results of a state-wide needs assessment conducted by one state's Department of Education in order to tailor their system of personnel development. Four percent of the state's general educators, and 6% of the state's special education teachers completed the surveys for a total of 289 surveys. Perceptions of ability to positively affect students, understanding of inclusion, self-efficacy in serving students in inclusive settings, the need for inservice training in various areas, and the availability of supports to promote inclusion were examined for both special and general education teachers. In every area assessed, special education teachers rated their efficacy, ability, understanding, and resources higher than general education teachers. These results are discussed in terms of meeting profes...

A meta-analysis of school-age children's attitudes towards persons with physical or intellectual disabilities.

Abstract: Factors associated with children's attitudes towards persons with physical and intellectual disabilities were examined in a meta-analysis spanning the years 1990 to 2000. A total of 20 studies met the inclusion criteria allowing for 65 comparisons across 2,240 participants. Factors of interest were attitudinal components, type of disability, age and gender of respondents, and role of inclusion. The majority of research findings revealed that children preferred target children without disabilities compared to targets with physical or intellectual disabilities. Three methods for calculating average effect sizes were used: (a) unweighted means, (b) weighted means, and (c) vote counting. It was concluded that biases in attitudes do exist but that summary results need to be interpreted with regard to individual study differences and the methods used to calculate mean effect sizes.

Evaluating Inclusion: An Examination of Parent Views and Factors Influencing Their Perspectives.

Abstract: The study examined perceptions of issues associated with inclusive education of 437 parents from a midwestern state in the United States who have a child with a mild, moderate, or severe disability. Parents responded to a modified form of the Opinions Related to Mainstreaming (ORM) Scale (Antonak & Larrivee, 1995) and provided additional written comments. Parents gave strong support to the inclusion concept from a legal and philosophical standpoint. They identified social and emotional outcomes as benefits of inclusion, yet were concerned about possible social isolation, negative attitudes, the quality of instruction, teacher training and skills, and support from teachers and from other parents. Several background variables were related to attitudes. Stronger support for inclusion was given by parents of younger children, children with mild disabilities, parents who reported not knowing their child's education placement, and those with college education. Implications for practices and future research are ...

Social Participation of Students with Special Needs in Regular Primary Education in the Netherlands

Abstract: This study addresses the social participation of young students (Grades One to Three) with special needs in regular Dutch primary schools. More specifically, the focus lies on four key themes related to social participation: friendships/relationships, contacts/interactions, students’ social self‐perception, and acceptance by classmates. The outcomes of the study revealed that the majority of students with special needs have a satisfactory degree of social participation. However, compared with students without special needs, a relatively large portion of the students with special needs experience difficulties in their social participation. In general, students with special needs have a significantly lower number of friends and are members of a cohesive subgroup less often than their typical peers. In addition, students with special needs have fewer interactions with classmates, have more interactions with the teacher, and are less accepted than students without special needs. The social self‐perception of ...

Equity and Advocacy Expectations of Culturally Diverse Families’ Participation in Special Education

Abstract: The authors contend that the equity and advocacy expectations imbedded in the legal mandate for parent participation in the special education decision-making process directly contradict the hierarchy of professional status and knowledge on which the positivist paradigm of professionalism is based, and are also in conflict with the values held by many families from culturally diverse backgrounds, contributing to low levels of participation and advocacy. They argue the need for professional education to incorporate opportunities for professionals to identify the cultural assumptions imbedded in the field of special education towards more balanced and effective collaboration.