Special and Inclusive Education

In recent years, the topics of special education and inclusive education for individuals with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) have become more contentious. The controversy has been heightened by attacks on special education suggesting that it is no longer needed and that its continuation perpetuates injustice. The promotion of the development of inclusive education alone, encompassing all students without exception (i.e., full inclusion, without any education outside the general education classroom), has been heightened by article 24 of the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). Article 24 of the CRPD, specific to education, does not define inclusion, and makes no mention at all of special education.

This section welcomes manuscripts on a variety of topics about special education and inclusive education. It recognizes the importance of inclusion of students with SEND to the maximum extent possible, so long as the special needs of students are met. It recognizes that the quality of instruction is more important than the place of instruction and does not assume that placement in any setting or environment necessarily ensures appropriate instruction. Thus, manuscripts describing successful inclusion are welcome, as well as those describing successful special education in alternative, non-general education environments.

• administration
• counseling
• early childhood
• intervention (strategies, programs, service delivery)
• legislation
• litigation
• measurement and evaluation
• mental health
• parents and families
• professional training and standards
• psychological development
• rehabilitation
• remediation
• theory