ERIC Number: EJ1085551
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016-Feb
Pages: 10
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0022-4669
EISSN: N/A
The Path to Academic Access for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities
Timberlake, Maria T.
Journal of Special Education, v49 n4 p199-208 Feb 2016
Federal special education law (Individuals With Disabilities Education Act) guarantees, but does not define, access to the general education curriculum for all students with disabilities. In-depth qualitative telephone interviews were conducted with special educators (n = 33) about their academic decision making for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Findings revealed a distinct path to decision making about academic access, including a context of aloneness, the influence of professionalism, and perceived barriers. As traditional ways of educating students with significant cognitive disabilities are challenged by new expectations, this research provides a glimpse of how teachers struggle to interpret policy and enact access. Understanding access as a conceptual path enables policy, research, and professional development aimed at increasing access to focus on specific points in the decision-making process.
Descriptors: Federal Legislation, Educational Legislation, Disabilities, Equal Education, Special Education, Special Education Teachers, Qualitative Research, Telephone Surveys, Decision Making, Cognitive Ability, Mental Disorders, Intellectual Disability, Access to Education, Educational Policy, Professionalism, Barriers, Alienation, Semi Structured Interviews, Credibility
SAGE Publications and Hammill Institute on Disabilities. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-mail: journals@sagepub.com; Web site: http://sagepub.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A