Students with significant disabilities continue to be among the most segregated in schools. In this article, we argue that the principles of least restrictive environment and involvement and progress in the general curriculum have been interpreted in ways that perpetuate segregation, rather than increasing students' access to meaningful…

After decades of effort to create inclusive education, the authors assert that the time for full inclusion to manifest at scale may finally be at hand. This article first briefly considers the background and history of the inclusive education movement. The authors then reframe the discourse by defining inclusion through structures and…

This study examined the rate at which applicants to Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) were denied services because their disabilities were "too severe." It found that, from 2002 to 2012, 1.7% of all VR applicants throughout the United States were denied services because of the nature of their impairments. In addition, over this period, the…

A review of the literature on academic learning in general education settings for students with moderate and severe intellectual disability was conducted. A total of 17 experimental studies was identified and evaluated using quality indicators for single-case design research. Studies that met or met with reservation the criteria established for…

Romer and Walker's "Appreciative Inquiry," which obtained input from 16 capable personal assistants, challenges some influential assumptions about personal assistance and opens a way to think about the demanding work of developing capable and committed personal assistants. Attempts to depersonalize the relationship between people…

Language used in the field of special education is important; it can serve to influence both curriculum and placement decisions for students with intellectual disability. Historically, "Functional Curriculum" was used to describe curriculum adaptations necessary for students to access their environment (school and community). However,…

Over the past decade, inclusive postsecondary opportunities have become more available to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities than ever before. With greater demand for such opportunities as well as greater awareness of the possibilities for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities, developing new programs on…

Identifying methods to increase the independent functioning of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is vital in enhancing their quality of life; teaching students with ASD daily living skills can foster independent functioning. This review examines interventions that implement video modeling and/or prompting to teach individuals with…

The purpose of this study was to determine how the needs of students with disabilities are addressed by state coordinators of school-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) during professional development activities on positive behavioral strategies, school-wide systems, and school-wide commitment to the PBIS approach.…

There has been a gradual shift from a deficit to a support model for understanding disability over the last two decades. Although more attention is focused on supports at the individual level, policy has provided for the provision of family support. Despite this policy, families' needs for support are on the rise; and research suggests that…

The academic field of disability studies has expanded rapidly over the last two decades or so. With that expansion has also come some growing ambiguity about exactly what is meant by the term "disability studies." This article reviews the history and evolution of disability studies as an interdisciplinary approach to research and scholarship.…

People with extensive needs for support represent the last group of people routinely denied opportunities for literacy instruction. One of the major reasons for this lack of opportunity can be related to limited definitions of what constitutes literacy as a whole and reading and writing in particular. This article will explore the way in which…

This study reviewed published literature to determine the level of evidence for using shared story reading to promote literacy. Shared story reading was defined as a practice used to access age-appropriate literature through reader-listener interaction in which a story is read aloud and student interaction with the reader and the story is…

A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted for articles published between 1985 and May 2009 to (a) examine the degree to which science content was taught to students with severe developmental disabilities and (b) and evaluate instructional procedures in science as evidence-based practices. The review was organized by a conceptual model…

It has been about 9 years since the last special issue on diversity in "Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities" ("RPSD"). The obvious question people ask: What progress has been made to awareness, respect, and inclusion of people from diverse backgrounds in their society? Specifically, has any progress been made for individuals…