Life in Special Schools in South Africa: Voices of Former Students

We describe educational experiences of people with disabilities who attended special schools in South Africa. We found significant differences in education between White and Black participants in terms of teaching quality, access to therapy and assistive devices, class sizes, subjects, and grades offered. Additional differences were noted between participants with congenital and early-onset disabilities, and those with degenerative or acquired disabilities who moved from a mainstream school to a special school. Thirty-six percent of participants in this study completed their education after Education White Paper 6 (EWP6), South Africa’s inclusive education policy had been implemented. Despite this, findings suggest that all these participants experienced similar challenges as those who received their education during the apartheid era. This study highlights the important need to address the existing “special school” scenario, and effectively implement the principles of EWP6.     

Social participation of children and youth with disabilities in Canada,France and Germany

This article proposes a reflection on the issue of the terminology of inclusive education that has been dominating the national and international debates. Reviewing some of the relevant literature and drawing from observations in the education system, the author poses the question if the terms of inclusion and inclusive education represent the most operational terminology when it comes to education of children with disabilities and the different contexts in which their education and schooling occurs. Using examples from four different research studies in France, Germany and Canada, the author demonstrates that inclusion, under the lens of social participation, needs to be reconsidered by listening to people with disabilities, and also by accommodating the need for designated spaces that are offering a reprieve and safety from an ableist society.     

Inclusion – the heart of the matter: trainee teachers' perceptions of a parent's journey

The importance of parental choice, and parents' participation in educational processes, continue to be highlighted in strategies, acts and policies around the world. Partnership with parents is given an even higher profile in relation to educational opportunities for children with special needs. Yet many trainee teachers have only limited understandings of the impact on family life of a child with special needs; are uncertain how best to work with parents; and are not confident about the choices that parents may wish to make for their children.
In this article, Chris Forlin, Visiting Professor at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, and Treena Hopewell, MEd student at Edith Cowan University, Western Australia, report the responses of a group of fourth year trainee teachers after listening to the story of a mother of a child with high support needs. Their discussion focuses on three themes emerging from the reflective comments written by the trainee teachers after the session: empathy, understanding and personal growth. Chris Forlin and Treena Hopewell review the value of this approach as a means of establishing in trainee teachers a greater desire to work more collaboratively with parents and family members. They also provide excerpts from the mother's story to enable readers to experience the passionate spirit of the storyteller; to further appreciate the needs of parents; and to understand their desire for greater participation in decisions regarding their children.     

From numerical to comprehensive inclusion: utilizing experiences in the USA and South Africa to conceptualize a multicultural environment

This paper offers a critique of approaches to racial inclusion in the USA, and recommends that institutions of higher education adopt a more comprehensive approach. In particular, it argues that most approaches to racial inclusion in the USA focus on increasing the numbers of racially diverse students, or numerical inclusion. Despite the relative success of this approach, inequalities experienced by African American and other minority-group students attending predominantly white universities suggest that a more comprehensive approach to inclusion should be pursued. A comprehensive approach to inclusion would involve an examination of institutional characteristics to determine how policies, practices and programmes challenge African American and other minority-group students' success. For example, such an approach would involve a reconceptualization of the measures used to determine access, the nature and structure of curricula and teaching pedagogy.     

Photo-elicitation and visual semiotics: A unique methodology for studying inclusion for children with disabilities

The methodology in this paper discusses the use of photographs as an elicitation strategy that can reveal the thinking processes of participants in a qualitatively rich manner. Photo-elicitation techniques combined with a Piercian semiotic perspective offer a unique method for creating a frame of action for later participant analysis. Illustrative examples taken from a longitudinal research study of inclusion for children with disabilities demonstrate how participants used photographs to interpret the actions of students and how this ultimately affected their ideological beliefs in the process. This paper aims to contribute to understanding how visual semiotics can influence the construction and discovery of ideologies of inclusion for children with disabilities.     

Conceptions of inclusion and inclusive education: a critical examination of the perspectives and practices of teachers in Poland

This small‐scale study details the development and execution of a system of inclusive education in 20th and 21st century in Poland. A detailed review of the literature and employment of in‐depth semi‐structured interviews aimed to establish how inclusion is defined and operationalised in Poland. In addition, the study sought to establish how the teachers' levels of professional development and personal attitudes towards inclusion were influencing the evolution of this important educational initiative. The data from the study detail that the concept of inclusion is not well known in Poland, and that integrative education still dominates educational thinking. The study provides data to suggest integration in Poland works well in the early stages of education, but that it struggles to provide for and integrate older children into the mainstream educational settings. The research concludes that Poland has taken an important but perhaps faltering step towards educating all children in the mainstream schools.     

The CEC Professional Standards: a Foucauldian genealogy of the re/construction of special education

If teachers are to play a positive educative role in addressing societal gender-related issues that impact on social justice and inclusiveness, teacher education institutions have to ensure that their graduating teachers are well equipped with the necessary understandings and skills to enact this role. This research draws on interviews with men primary school teachers in New Zealand, Sweden and the UK. It investigates their remembered experiences during teacher education relating to gender discourse and whether the education they received, if any, has influenced their classroom practices. Across the three countries, the men had varying levels of recall, ranging from comprehensive gender-related education to none whatsoever. In Sweden, a governmental emphasis on gender equality in society appeared to have influenced the teachers' attitudes and practices regardless of the amount of teacher education relating to gender that they remembered. The teachers' comments suggest that those of us engaged in teacher education need to address any apparent gaps in gender studies at pre-service level. Both men and women teacher education students require comprehensive gender studies if they are to recognise and realise their potential to deconstruct traditional stereotypes and contribute to social justice and inclusiveness.     

Inclusion of all in the neighbourhood school and student well-being in Senegal from the perspective of a practicing pedagogue

The education system in Senegal has become more democratic and has adopted international policies for inclusive education after decades of normative and selective practices. Advances are being made for recognising individual student needs in school facilities, pedagogy and teaching practices. This article draws on the first-hand knowledge of the context in Senegal by a current inspector and prior teacher in inclusive practices in Senegal, as well as a purposive review of relevant studies and reports. Current needs for development are identified and discussed, including the structuring of physical settings adapted to special needs learning, interaction with families, as well as communication about disabilities in local communities to reduce social stigma. Building on a review of the current context and needs, the article underscores that it is necessary to move away from superficial symptom identification. Instead, what is needed are changes in teaching and learning practices, as well as in socio-cultural and physical learning environments, to accommodate special needs students. Finally, necessary rethinking of the professional development of teaching staff in Senegal is called for. The inspiration for this development is closely tied to pedagogical responsibility, ethically based care, and the desire teachers have for succeeding in didactic action.     

Assessing social participation of pupils with special needs in inclusive education: the construction of a teacher questionnaire

This study addresses the development of a teacher questionnaire to assess the social participation of pupils with special needs in regular primary schools and is divided into 2 parts. In the 1st part, the construction of the questionnaire is described. The questionnaire consists of 30 statements related to 4 key themes of social participation: “friendships/relationships”, “contacts/interactions”, “perception of the pupil”, and “acceptance by classmates”, yielding 4 subscales.

The 2nd part of the study addresses an empirical study in which the questionnaire's quality was examined. The outcomes of a confirmatory factor analysis largely supported the division of social participation into 4 key themes. The analysis revealed that 22 out of 30 statements correlated strongest with the subscale they were assigned to. The questionnaire as a whole turned out to be reliable, whereas the reliability of the subscales varied. The construct validity was found to be mainly acceptable.     

Cripping sex education: lessons learned from a programme aimed at young people with mobility impairments

This paper analyses sexuality and relationship education (SRE) in a Swedish college programme aimed at young people with mobility impairments. Interviews and focus groups were conducted to explore students’ experiences of the structure, content and usefulness of SRE, and college personnel’s SRE practices. Results show that, although many of the issues covered are pertinent for all young people, being disabled raises additional concerns: for example how to handle de-sexualising attitudes, possible sexual practices, and how reliance on assistance impacts upon privacy. Crip theory is used as an analytical framework to identify, challenge and politicise sexual norms and practices. Students’ experiences of living in a disablist, heteronormative society can be used as resources for developing cripistemologies, which challenge the private/public binary that often de-legitimises learners’ experiences and separates them from teachers’ ‘proper’ knowledge production. Crip SRE would likely hold benefits for non-disabled pupils as well, through its use of more inclusive pedagogy and in work to expand sexual possibilities. Crip SRE has the potential to disrupt taken-for-granted dis/ability and sexuality divides as well as to politicise issues that many young people presently experience as ‘personal shortcomings’.     

Beyond the far too incessant schism: special education and the social model of disability

Special education critics' vigorous appraisals of the social model of disability, along with their analysis of its implications for special education, provide a valuable forum for meaningful dialogue about how educators are to understand the nature of disability. In this article, we offer our response to their recent articles. As advocates of the social model, we find their critiques intriguing, at moments a bit provocative, but more importantly we find in their work an opportunity to advance beyond the far too incessant schism between those who support the medical model of disability and those who endorse its alternatives.     

美国特教印象及其思考

本文是对美国特殊教育的介绍以及中国特殊教育的思考。作者认为 ,美国特殊教育的最大特点是高度融合。融合的实现在于有先进的理念、完备的法律、充足的经费、高质量的师资以及强大的科技辅助等作为支撑。中国特殊教育的进一步发展需要在完善法律法规、提高特教认识水平、增加投入、规范鉴定与评估、加强师资培养等方面作更多的努力     

An analysis of the different patterns of 1:1 interactions between educational professionals and their students with varying abilities in inclusive classrooms

The purpose of this study was to examine the different types and patterns of 1:1 interactions provided by general educators, special educators and paraprofessionals to children with mild disabilities (n?=?13), severe disabilities (n?=?13), and children without disabilities (n?=?13) in inclusive classrooms. General educators, special educators, and paraprofessionals' 1:1 interactions with students in three comparison groups were recorded in 17 elementary and middle school classrooms using a partial interval observation system. We found significant differences with respect to interaction frequency and content. Teachers and paraprofessionals had consistently more 1:1 interactions with students with severe disabilities, followed by children with mild disabilities, and then students without disabilities. In comparison to special education teachers and paraprofessionals, general educators interacted significantly more frequently with children without disabilities and children with mild disabilities. In contrast, paraprofessionals interacted significantly more often with students with severe disabilities and less frequently with children with mild disabilities and students without disabilities. Instructional interactions in social, behavioural, and functional domains were infrequent in these classrooms. We conclude with a brief discussion of the implications of these findings for future research and practice.     

The Diffusion of Disability Rights Policy: A Focus on Special Education in South Korea

This article examines the development of South Korean special education policy and suggests that different strategies of policy diffusion influenced the design of the policy at different times. Historically, South Korea relied on external pressures and influences, particularly US law and UN guidelines, to develop much of its human rights law, including special education. This article suggests that development of democratic infrastructure in South Korea led to improvements in the legislative development process in relation to current special education law, and this led to legislation that better identifies and addresses the needs of children with disabilities.     

Creating the continuum: J.E. Wallace Wallin and the role of clinical psychology in the emergence of public school special education in America

This paper reviews the history of the continuum of services in intellectual disability programmes. The emergence of public school special education in the USA in the first two decades of the twentieth century is used as a case study of this history by focusing on events and personalities connected to the St Louis Public Schools. Using Annual Reports from the era along with the abundant publications and personal papers of J.E. Wallace Wallin, the author explores how the growing class of specialists in clinical psychology and psychometrics gained a foothold in the schools as educational gatekeepers for student placements along an increasingly elaborate ‘continuum of care’. The paper interprets this quest for professional legitimacy as a three-sided conversation with Wallin (and his colleagues) in the middle between the medical officers of institutions for the feeble-minded on the one hand, and the educators of urban school systems on the other. Implications for the current discussions of inclusive approaches to education are discussed.     

Balancing academic and professional pedagogies: a comparative study of two accounting departments in South Africa and the UK

The paper adds to extant professional education literature by reflecting on apparent differences in pedagogy of similar professional programmes of study, allowing deeper insight into the unique strand of higher education influenced by the professions. A comparative international case study approach is adopted of an interpretive qualitative nature regarding curricular, teaching and learning and assessment strategies of an accounting department in South Africa (SA) and one in the UK. Findings point to significant differences in curriculum and assessment but less so in teaching and learning approaches. One department endeavoured to find a balance between vocational and academic activities, whilst the other favoured the former being inconsistent with both its governmental and institutional governing bodies. Explanations offered include differing strengths of coercive, competitive, mimetic and normative influence     

Expectations of the unemployed in South Africa: An education system perspective

Abstract

South Africa re-entered the world economy after 1994 with several disadvantages, of which an exceptionally high unemployment rate and a low-skilled labour force were the most challenging. Each year over the past decade increasing numbers of jobs have been destroyed in South Africa. The challenge facing South Africa in addressing the problem of job creation is aggravated by the fact that its labour force is predominantly low skilled. Various innovative measures for enhancing the skills base in South Africa have been introduced since the first democratic elections in 1994. The new policies are designed to deal with the country's lack of international competitiveness and the low rates of investment in the development of human capital. Since 1994, several policies and strategies have been put in place with the aim of creating jobs in various sectors of the South African economy. This states that an integrated approach to the implementation of the different innovative policy frameworks by the responsible public service departments is needed. A model for prioritisation in skills formation is given.     

Perspectives of Students with Disabilities Toward Physical Education: A Qualitative Inquiry Review

The purpose of this article is to review published qualitative inquiries that examine the perspective of students with disabilities toward experiences in physical education. Keyword searches were used to identify articles from electronic databases published from 1995 to 2014. Thirteen articles met all inclusion criteria, and findings were extracted. The 13 located qualitative articles were subject to a narrative analysis, and study characteristics were tabulated. The findings of targeted studies were explored and 3 thematic clusters emerged: (a) perspectives toward typically developing peers, (b) perspectives toward physical educators, and (c) perspectives toward inclusion and exclusion. Findings from this review support the notion that positive attitudes of physical educators may be a critical feature in ensuring meaningful learning experiences for students with disabilities. Meaningful learning experiences can be constructed through modifications and accommodations during activities, creating a welcoming physical education environment and providing a choice between inclusive and segregated learning environments. Directions for future research in this area are discussed.     

A collaborative,collegial and more cohesive approach to supporting educational reform for inclusion in Hong Kong

Together with the many advantages incurred by educational reform there are concomitantly a number of challenges that have to be addressed. In the field of special education there have probably been more changes in the past decade than in any other area of education. In 2006, Hong Kong is undoubtedly at the cusp of major changes which continue to reflect the paradigm shifts occurring internationally. One area of concern for all is the issue of support for learners with special needs. It is clear that as more learners with disabilities are included in regular classes support services are moving relatively quickly from a withdrawal one-on-one intervention model that is no longer viable, to increasingly providing support in class by co-teaching, or even redesigning support so that it is aimed at the teacher rather than the child. Additionally, support services are becoming more sophisticated as parents demand greater attention to the specific needs of their child and as they expect educational systems to provide the most up to date practices. For every child with a special need there are many stakeholders who seek to provide some form of support. This can become quite overwhelming, staccato in its implementation, and demanding in the extreme, thus resulting in a disjointed unworkable approach. This paper will consider how support can be redesigned to provide a more collaborative, collegial and cohesive approach that is manageable within the current transformations that are occurring in Hong Kong.     

Special education in Jordan

The purpose of this article is to provide a brief background about special education system in Jordan and particularly describes the present types of programmes and legislation provided within the country to students with special needs, as well as integration movement. Jordan has historically provided a limited number of educational opportunities for individuals with disabilities, but has recently demonstrated a movement toward a more comprehensive educational system that includes students with disabilities in general education classrooms. Nevertheless, special education in Jordan still faces many problems and challenges. Barriers to implementation, as well as recommendations to improve special education services in Jordan are also discussed.