As the population of English language learner (ELL) students continues to rise, so does the number of ELL students with disabilities. This unique group of students represents over 1.3 million students in the public school system in the U.S. This article focuses on a study, which utilized an exploratory qualitative approach using semistructured…

The mean age of identification for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) occurs during the months before children enter kindergarten. The incidence and prevalence of "autistic behaviors" in the general population are not fully understood, however, census-matched studies of these behaviors have yielded important new data. As children presenting…

Assessment has multiple purposes, one of which is to judge if students have met outcomes at the requisite level. Underperformance in assessment is frequently positioned as a problem of the student and attributed to student diversity and/or background characteristics. However, the assessment might also be inequitable and therefore exclude students…

The individualized education program (IEP) is often referred to as the most important plan designed to provide students with disabilities a free and appropriate public education that requires families and professionals to collaborate for student success. Using qualitative methodology, we examined four focus groups of 43 parents of students with…

Designing professional learning that meets the diverse needs of special education professionals is exciting, challenging, and critically important. The staff at the Children's Center for Communication/Beverly School for the Deaf in Massachusetts support deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing children from ages 3 to 22 with a range of communication and…

Disparities in postschool outcomes between student groups associated with intersecting historical marginalizations such as ableism, racism, classism, and linguicism remain stark. Critical research methods have contributed to the development of equity-focused research. In this conceptual paper, we examine intersectional research, one critical…

This article discusses historical system structures in education that have impeded on inclusion and present pertinent historical challenges, pedagogy and beliefs that are foundational in cultivating inclusive environments today. It explores Neurodiversity, an equity imperative, as critical to shifting the culture of teaching and learning by…

This correlation, quantitative, non-experimental, ex-post-facto study examined the relationship of the percentages of students that were identified as being from high poverty districts and the rate of students identified as eligible for services under Individual with Disability Act (IDEA). To do this, 188 randomized elementary public-school…

This mixed methods study was designed to investigate teachers' perceptions and attitudes regarding students with disabilities in the inclusive classroom. According to Hogan, Lohmann, and Champion (2013), inclusive classrooms are now the norm in many K-12 schools across the United States, which has made the job of general education teachers all the…

We provide a high-level overview of inclusive education developments in England, Australia, the United States, and Canada, the countries within which much of our research has been completed. For each country, we discuss the work that we have each done within that context, key policy initiatives, and identified levers of system change. Despite…

The central obligation under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act is to provide each eligible student with a free appropriate public education (FAPE). In "Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District RE-1" (2017), the U.S. Supreme Court revised the prior substantive standard for determining FAPE that the court had developed in…

Special education stands at a pivotal juncture, confronting both existential challenges and transformational opportunities. The U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) is not upholding its mandate of promoting the Individualized Education Program (IEP). I underscore the centrality of the IEP in the…

This study investigates the impact of per-pupil funding on inclusive placements in special education in New Jersey, focusing on factors influencing inclusive practices. Inclusion is a fundamental right for students with disabilities, requiring adequate funding to be effectively implemented. Using hierarchical linear modeling, this research…

Deaf education officially began in Portugal in 1823, with Pedro Aron Borg, at the invitation of D. João VI and his daughter, D. Isabel. In Brazil, it began in 1857, when Édouard Adolfo Huet Merlo founded the first institution, with the consent of D. Pedro II. The Royal Institute for the Deaf-Mute and the Blind in Lisbon and the Imperial Institute…

The neurodiversity paradigm arose from the autistic community as a part of a selfdefinition process and in direct opposition to medical models of disability which continue to dominate education policy, practice, and research. Drawing heavily from fields such as disability studies, critical (dis)ability, and feminist scholarship, neurodiversity…