US school libraries are required to ensure that schoolchildren and school staff with disabilities have equal opportunity to use and benefit from library facilities and information services under federal law. However, evidence indicates teacher-librarians (TLs) often lack the training, knowledge and skills to provide programmes and services that…

As English increasingly becomes the international language, many ministerial and educational organisations have identified the need to improve the competence of Thai students in speaking English. While there is significant research devoted to developing software tools to support the teaching of English as a second language, they are mostly…

This paper examines the picture of disability portrayed within the electronic media presented to primary-aged pupils in England. The study employed proto-text analysis to examine 494 separate electronic resources which contained 4485 illustrations, 930 photographs and 59 video clips. The major finding of the research is that the media examined…

This paper outlines concerns for inclusive classrooms involving personal digital image modifications and selections, as well as avatar configurations. Classroom interactions incorporate various dimensions of personal appearance; however, educators try to make them primarily about knowledge and wisdom. Students in environments where they can…

To better understand the growing trend of 1:1 learning, researchers conducted an evaluation of a laptop initiative in 18 North Carolina high schools. The goal of the study was to provide information about the value of the initiative to enhance student learning, as well as to identify challenges to the successful implementation of 1:1 programs,…

The potential of technology to connect people and provide access to education, commerce, employment and entertainment has never been greater or more rapidly changing. Communication technologies and new media promise to "revolutionize our lives" by breaking down barriers and expanding access for disabled people. Yet, it is also true that technology…

This paper discusses issues arising from a national development and evaluation project, which (1) surveyed national primary and secondary postgraduate certificate programmes (PGCE) about how they prepare trainees to teach pupils with special educational needs; and (2) conducted a trial of a practical teaching task for preparing primary and…

The concept of social capital provided a helpful framework in which to describe the development of a pilot programme to promote inclusive education within Zanzibar. This had involved 20 schools and was supported by an international donor working through a local non-governmental organisation in partnership with the Ministry of Education. Evaluative…

Partnership between home and school is a key aspect of current educational policy. At the level of policy of the notion of partnership is constructed unproblematically as smooth consensus, but this may not be the way it plays out in school where deeply rooted assumptions surrounding parenthood--and in particular motherhood--may pertain. This paper…

The literature suggests that understandings of teaching and learning can be classified around two metaphors: acquisition and participation. It is further argued that neither metaphor is sufficient and that both are necessary. Drawing on material from a larger study related to the professional development of Special Educational Needs Coordinators,…

Since Leo Kanner first described it in 1943, autism has attracted a flurry of research. That research has transformed an esoteric condition into a better understood disorder. In addition to shifting conceptualisations, the new research seems to have influenced people's attitude towards the disorder. However, few studies have examined people's…

A case study design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of behavioural consultation as a method for improving the social skills of adolescents with Asperger's syndrome. Two case studies were conducted. In each study, two teachers implemented a social skills programme with two to three adolescents with Asperger's syndrome in a group setting with…

There is a developing research base to support the rationale underpinning augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for people with learning disabilities. However, there is a paucity of research examining the process involved in implementing AAC support for people who have profound disabilities. This paper seeks to explore the processes…

This paper is based upon the collaboration between two research groups from Stockholm University and the University of South Africa. The main objective is to compare attitudes between South African (SA) and Swedish teachers regarding inclusive education (IE). IE in this paper is examined as a distinct part of the Swedish welfare system. The method…

This paper describes the development of education of students with special needs in vocational education. The paper is based on a case study research conducted in 2001-2005 in Jyvaskyla Municipal Federation of Vocational Education in Central Finland. The study consisted of two parts: firstly of the historical analysis of special educational…