In British Columbia the state was found liable for discrimination by refusing to fund therapy treatment for autistic children under its medicare system. Although the judges expressly disavowed the education context from their consideration, there will likely be attempts to apply the ruling to special education situations since therapy can be…

By requiring limited-English-proficient students and students with disabilities to meet the same targets at the same times as all other students, the NCLB imposes a one-size-fits-all approach that ignores the individual child. Challenges school leaders to take care not to blame the students and still hold themselves accountable for continual…

This article describes two major laws affecting special education--Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. It identifies the agencies charged with enforcement of these laws, and lists printed and organizational resources that address specific questions about these laws and their application in…

A review of the history of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 clearly shows that the legal standard for providing a free appropriate public education to handicapped students is set forth in the Education of the Handicapped Act and not Section 504. (39 references) (MLF)

Examined 326 nonhandicapped college students' (NHCS) impressions of social changes occurring as a result of legislation and special college programs for the physically handicapped. Results indicated NHCS perceived certain limited, positive changes on the personal level as well as on the part of the administration, faculty, and student body.…

Describes a program called Daughters with Disabilities which was created to address the fact that individuals with disabilities, especially girls, are widely under-served and under-educated in the areas of science, mathematics, engineering, and technology. Describes a program that breaks down barriers for girls with disabilities in special…

Reviews 100 lower court decisions since the 1982 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that mandated access to education for handicapped students. Concludes that the courts have remained willing to support parents in obtaining services for their handicapped children. (FMW)

This response to Maag and Howell (EC 602 677) reviews the problem of exclusion from special education of children with social maladjustment. The response considers the historical need to limit services to children or youth with emotional or behavioral disorders and the current underidentification of such pupils. Definitional issues are also…

A Japanese psychologist and educator describes special education in Japan and the Movement for the Coeducation of the Handicapped with the Nonhandicapped in Neighborhood Schools. Influenced by mainstreaming policies in western countries, the Coeducation Movement calls for an end to handicapped student segregation and advocates student…

The Special Education and Disability Act (SENDA) 2001 required post-16 institutions to have implemented the Disability Discrimination Act Part IV (DDA) 1995 by September 2005. In this paper a lecturer in Modern Foreign Languages (MFL) and a specialist teacher of the visually impaired from the Centre for Special and Inclusive Education at a…

This policy brief reports on an analysis of the legislation establishing charter schools in the 19 states that had such legislation as of December 1995. It identifies provisions in the state legislation which specify anti-discrimination policies and clauses, the inclusion of students at risk or students with disabilities, fiscal provisions,…

In this article, the practical aspects of clothing are compared to effective practices in special education. Actual competence is more important than the appearance, or cloak, of competence. It is argued that speaking openly about disability will do more to reduce its stigma than will euphemisms. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

This article addresses the controversy regarding the exclusion of youths labeled socially maladjusted from special education services for the seriously emotionally disturbed. The article reconceptualizes the issue from a cultural-organizational perspective, viewing such exclusion as resulting from a society that has little tolerance for "deviant"…

This response to Maag and Howell (EC 602 677) suggests that their perspective is oversimplistic and naive about (1) organizational structures and processes relating to inclusion of students with social maladjustment in special education, and (2) the problem of change in school organization. (DB)

"Special Education Law," by Laura F. Rothstein, is organized into three major segments: (1) conceptual background material about the history of special education law; (2) analysis of issues in identification, evaluation, programing, placement, provision of related services, and due process protection; and (3) more esoteric legal matters.…