Research on disproportionate representation in special education has potential to influence policy in ways that rectify educational inequities. In this study, we investigated how disproportionality researchers have operationalized dis-ability, identified key themes and theories used in disproportionality research, and evaluated the coherence…

Considering the needs of children with diverse needs, current legislation emphasizes the allocation of a special budget to address the needs of children with disabilities in Pakistan. However, Pakistan is one of the countries that is not investing a reasonable budget to accommodate the needs of children with disabilities like many other developing…

This article provides information and resources to help special education teacher educators improve preservice teachers' competence for working with disabled students and addressing ableism in their classrooms, by incorporating young adult (YA) literature into special education teacher preparation experiences. Embedding YA literature with…

The history of the denial of equal education opportunities to Black children is a long one, whether through racial segregation or overrepresentation in special education. No other group is as overreferred, overidentified, and overrepresented in special education as Black students, specifically Black males. The authors present an historical and…

In the province of Manitoba, Canada, there is a gap between the rhetoric of inclusive education and its practical implementation. In the absence of inclusive educational policies and guidelines, deficit-based approaches such as categorical labels for students who are deemed to have a severe emotional and behavioural disorder, segregated…

Turkey regulates the special education of students with disabilities and, particularly, those who have intellectual disabilities (ID) based on international and national legal texts. However, the gap between law and practice cannot be denied. The existence of obstacles to special education for students with disabilities or ID continues in Turkey.…

This study explores four instances where parental choice has been employed as a legal "circuit breaker": (a) First Amendment Establishment Clause cases related to public funding, (b) Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection cases regarding race-conscious student assignment, (c) Title IX regulations concerning single-sex education, and (d) a…

The disproportionate representation of minority students in special education has long been recognised as a problem in the United States. It is, however, only with the 2004 authorisation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) that Congress has tried to prescribe a remedy for this. Beginning with a deconstruction of…

Reviews the first decade of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act and evaluates the process of providing education to handicapped students. Examines changes in the place of the disabled in American society. Argues that a single educational system, special for all students, is needed. (Author/CH)

This article discusses the laws that protect individuals with disabilities and the laws that protect individuals from racial and language discrimination. It explains the important difference between the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504. It also describes practical application of the laws and provides two examples…

In South Africa, the policy of separate development means that there are four educational systems (for Whites, Blacks, Asians, and "Coloureds"). The disparities among these systems clearly favour the dominant minority group. Reflecting the same disparities and inequalities, special education is a matter of separating rather than…

A review of 10 studies on the rates of referral for intervention or assessment of students from three racial groups (Caucasian, African American, and Hispanic), found the mean risk ratios comparing the referral rates between African American and Caucasian students were significantly different from zero. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Research indicates that a disproportionate number of minority students are assigned to special education programs in urban school districts. Oftentimes, these programs are inadequate and they deny minority students with special needs a free appropriate public education. These concerns are not only applicable to urban public schools; research also…

Discusses the legal history of special education. The exclusion of students with disabilities and the early efforts to ensure a free appropriate education for students with disabilities are examined up to and including the enactment of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997. (Author/CR)

The first part of this article critiques categorical approaches to special education, overrepresentation of minority children in special education, inclusion and exclusion, and white privilege. The second part of the article describes the potential of multicultural education, transformation, and participatory leadership approaches to address the…