The voices of autistic young people are frequently excluded from transition planning and decision-making, especially when they have more complex needs and may not use speech to communicate. The aim of this research, based at a residential special school in England, was to extend and evaluate the use of the 'I am' Digital Stories methodology. 'I…

Although inclusion is the declared goal, the transition from a system based on special schools to an inclusive school system has only been progressing very slowly in individual countries. In an evolving school system, the existing special schools keep struggling to justify their existence. This study investigates the regional distribution effects…

A key objective of inclusive education is to provide learners with special educational needs with an environment that fosters a sense of belonging. They lose the sense of belonging when they feel being separated from the rest of society. Segregation is, however, a logically necessary method and means of the pursuit of inclusion. The focus of this…

Mainstreaming and inclusion of students with special educational needs in regular education, challenge traditional concepts and common practices. Traditionally, special education has been a parallel yet separate educational system. Even though there is almost universal agreement on the goals of inclusion and mainstreaming, special education…

This research examines how British-Pakistani mothers of children with special education needs and/or disability (SEND) experience the placement decision-making process and the relationship between their notions of inclusion and different placement settings. This paper reports on the author's Doctoral research and explores how professional…

The literature dealing with the inclusion of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in mainstream schools has increased over recent years, propelled by the argument that it will improve the quality of life, educational performance and social development of "included" children. This area of research is currently an important one for…

A recent study reveals that average distance from home to special school for children with disabilities in Punjab is about 11 km. A huge and free transport system is established to overcome the distance barrier. Moreover, the incentives such as free uniform, books, assistive devices and hostel facility along with subsistence allowance of Rs.800…

The present paper contains a research into the issue of employment and legal safeguarding of social protection of young individuals suffering from cognitive disorders in Ukraine. The importance of legislative guarantees of equal rights and possibilities for such category of individuals, in comparison with all other members of the society, in…

Over the last 30 years, controversy has reigned over the rights of children with learning disabilities to be educated alongside their peers in a mainstream classroom. Whether this is called integration or inclusion has been another hotly debated discussion among professionals. There have been calls for the abolition of special schools. This paper…

The research experience is based on outputs from the international project ["Human resources in poverty and disability: family perspective" (Moldova and Ukraine): 348-2011-7346 [2012-2014], funded by the Vetenskapsrådet, Sweden. During the last 20 years, Moldavian and Ukrainian societies have been developing inclusive infrastructures,…

Since ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2009, joint "same goal" and "different goal" education of pupils with and without disabilities has become a key concern of any changes in German educational policy. The lively public discourse and the controversial debate among experts have…

In Pakistan, 96% children with disabilities are out of school and are unreached for any educational services. According to UNESCO (2010), the unreached are those children and youth who are of school age but not attending school for some reasons. Some of these children may have never been to school; others may have attended school but eventually…

As more students with special educational needs attend mainstream schools, it is critical that the role and operation of special schools be examined. This article reports on two case studies, one special school in England and one in Ireland, which formed part of a national review of the role of special schools and special classes in Ireland. Two…

In November 2003, the Scottish Executive Education Department (SEED) commissioned the SCRE Centre at the University of Glasgow to evaluate the impact of Section 15 of the "Standards in Scotland's Schools etc Act 2000". The evaluation took place between January 2004 and August 2005. A major strand of the research was the impact of the…

Behavioural and emotional problems occur more frequently in children with learning problems than in a cross-section of the general population, both at home and at school. While behaviour problems reportedly are a key obstructive factor impeding inclusive education, children with both behavioural and learning disabilities carry a high risk of…