Increasingly in recent years, the involvement of disabled people as co-researchers has been regarded as "good practice." This has been informed by growing participatory and emancipatory research paradigms as well as user-focused policy imperatives. The benefits of these shifts apply to the research itself (improved definition, direction,…

This article reports on part one of a three-part survey of provision for 3,084 pupils aged 14 and older in England and Wales who have profound learning difficulties. Results found the students have few opportunities to participate in community life as adults despite the overlapping legal responsibilities of multiple agencies. (Contains…

Discusses the application of Britain's National Literacy Strategy for pupils with special educational needs, especially the additional guidance recently published which suggests ways of including these students in the "literacy hour" or conducting "parallel" groups. Continuing questions raised by teachers of students with severe or profound and…

This article addresses curriculum development for students with severe, profound, and multiple learning difficulties in the context of British National Curriculum requirements. It suggests that practitioners have recognized the dangers of "complementary curricula" but are using the concept of "subjects as contexts of experience" to address…

This paper outlines the development of the topic approach to learning in Great Britain and the tradition of objectives-based teaching; presents integrated schemes of work which merge the two approaches for students with severe learning difficulties; and presents an example, using the topic of the school garden. (JDD)

This article summarizes and evaluates changes in the British national curriculum resulting from the Dearing review, with special emphasis on effects on students with special needs. Major issues and changes in each subject area are identified. The article sees increased accessibility for students with disabilities but remaining problems in some…