Describes the work of legally blind gym teacher Steve Sloan, asserting that he sees and shares the big picture in teaching and molding his elementary school students. In his class, challenges are viewed as opportunities. (EV)

Standards define today's educational landscape. In physical education, standards at both the national and state levels have become a driving force that shapes curriculum and instruction. Although all students are expected to meet the learning standards, teachers are often challenged with offering instruction that allows students with disabilities…

In this article, Dr Emad M. Alghazo and Dr Eman El. Naggar Gaad, both assistant professors at the Department of Special Education in the United Arab Emirates University, report on their research into the attitudes of mainstream teachers towards the inclusion of students with disabilities. The research took place in the Emirate of Abu-Dhabi, the…

Group work has been identified as an important intervention to prepare children and adolescents for a variety of transitions. Students with disabilities can benefit from participation in psychoeducational groups as they prepare for their transition to postsecondary school. This article describes a psychoeducational group model designed to increase…

Currently, severe economic restraint is reshaping the educational policy scene in Canada. Among other consequences, this policy environment places vulnerable populations at risk of having their needs subordinated to budgetary priorities. First Nations students with disabilities constitute one such group that is doubly at risk. Once segregated in…

An instrument was constructed to assess faculty attitudes toward university students with disabilities and accommodations in the United States and Mexico. Faculty in the United States were more positive about their professional development and had more positive general assumptions about students with disabilities. Faculty in both countries were…

Distance education is based on providing learning "anytime, anywhere." The design of many distance education courses, however, may actually erect barriers to the full participation of some students with disabilities, particularly those with hearing impairments. Without careful consideration, distance education could become learning anytime,…

Online assessment promises a faster and more useful return of data about student performance in states accountability assessments. The prospect of gaining quick access to such information is alluring, and many states are creating new assessments for an online environment in order to obtain it. This period of retooling presents a significant…

This descriptive study examined the provision of special education services in faith-based schools, especially as compared to public schools. A survey was used to collect information about the special education services typically provided to students with mild disabilities in faith-based schools. Information was also gathered about teacher…

This investigation compared the attitudes of teachers toward integration of students with disabilities in Haiti and the United States. A sample of 152 high school teachers in Haiti and 216 high school teachers in the United States was asked to complete a background questionnaire and the Opinions Relative to the Integration of Students with…

The following study evaluated the knowledge, experience and attitudes, that faculty at a private four-year institution have towards students with disabilities. The 208 participants responded to a survey questionnaire. The findings of the study indicated that many of the faculty had little or no contact with this particular student population. Many…

The purpose of this study was to compare the perceptions of future educators on two dichotomous scales (i.e., hostility/receptivity and anxiety/calmness) regarding serving students with disabilities in general education settings. Graduate and undergraduate preservice teachers (n = 326) from three universities completed the Preservice Inclusion…

The XVII 2002 Commonwealth Games held in Manchester, England, was the first major international multi-sport event to include elite athletes with disabilities (EADs) in its main sports programme and medal table. In this exploratory article we seek to examine some of the complex issues surrounding the inclusion of EADs in the Manchester Games by…

"Harvard Education Letter" is published bimonthly at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. This issue of "Harvard Education Letter" contains the following articles: (1) The "Data Wise" Improvement Process: Eight Steps for Using Test Data to Improve Teaching and Learning (Kathryn Parker Boudett, Elizabeth A. City,…

This study examined how children's attitudes toward a peer who used augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) were influenced by type of AAC device accessed by the child for communication. Specifically, the influence of dynamic screens vs. static screens was investigated. Two videotapes were created. In one a child used a dynamic screen…