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Comparison of the use of the Internet by partially-sighted and blind pupils placed in a special school environment
- Author:
- JONES Rob
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Visual Impairment, 22(2), May 2004, pp.55-58.
- Publisher:
- Sage
Reports a questionnaire investigation at a special needs school into pupils' knowledge and use of the Internet following the general upgrading of ICT facilities, including the installation of a network providing high-speed Internet connection in every classroom, and prior to the development of a planned new and specific teaching programme. Describes the impact of the installation, including differences between those with functional vision and those without sight.
Integration versus segregation: the experiences of a group of disabled students moving from mainstream school into special needs further education
- Authors:
- PITT Victoria, CURTAIN M.
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Society, 19(4), June 2004, pp.387-401.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Although the latest education policy for disabled students is one of inclusion, some students are moving out of mainstream schools into specialist colleges for their further education. This research uses a combination of group and individual interviews to explore why this move away from mainstream education is made. Results show that these students' moved into specialist education because of the inadequate physical accessibility of their mainstream colleges, the quality of disability services available to them and their previous experiences whilst in mainstream school. These students were able to identify both strengths and weaknesses within mainstream and special education for disabled students, and believed that educational placement should therefore be a matter of choice depending on the physical, academic and emotional needs of the individual. It would appear, however, that for the students participating in this research, their local mainstream colleges were unable to cater for their needs, indicating that their decision to move into a special needs college was not based on a real choice. Mainstream colleges are challenged to create a truly inclusive environment so that disabled students are offered a real choice.
Safeguarding disabled children in residential special schools
- Authors:
- PAUL Alina, CAWSON Pat, PATON Joni
- Publisher:
- National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children
- Publication year:
- 2004
- Pagination:
- 140p., bibliog.
- Place of publication:
- London
This is a research initiative to promote the care and protection of disabled children living away from home. The project worked with residential special schools for children with severe and multiple physical and learning disabilities, to examine child protection policies and practice. It aimed at identifying and describing good practice models for child welfare and protection. These will be incorporated into practice guidelines to be available for management, staff training and practice development. Findings will also be used to prepare a guide to inform parents on standards of child protection safeguards they should be able to expect while their children are at residential school. Disabled children are among those most likely to spend time in residential institutions. The single largest category of disabled children living away from home - and therefore the primary focus of the proposed work - is children with a variety of complex physical and learning disabilities attending residential special schools. The issue of the protection from abuse of disabled children living in residential settings has received much less attention than the protection of children 'looked after' by local authorities. The paucity of research in this field reflects the low priority often given to the needs of disabled children, and the myth that disabled children are unlikely to be abused. Yet there is evidence, from accounts by disabled adults of their childhood, and from research and practice experience, to suggest that disabled children are at increased risk of abuse.
Balancing student mental health needs and discipline: a case study of the Implementation of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
- Author:
- PALLEY Elizabeth
- Journal article citation:
- Social Service Review, 78(20), June 2004, pp.243-266.
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
This research uses a case study approach to assess the implementation of the disciplinary procedures in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), a federal policy developed to ensure the inclusion of all children with disabilities in state public US education systems. The findings indicate that many factors influence the implementation of IDEA's disciplinary practices. Such factors include teacher and administrator knowledge of the law and policies, teacher and administrator discretion, school-based resources, and parental involvement. Many areas of noncompliance are apparent.
Post-adoption service needs of families with special needs children: use, helpfulness and unmet needs
- Authors:
- REILLY Thom, PLAZ Laurie
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Social Service Research, 4(30), 2004, pp.51-68.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
- Place of publication:
- Philadelphia, USA
This study was conducted to explore post-adoptive service needs of families adopting special needs children. In addition, the research examined the relationship of post-adoption service utilization to positive adoption outcomes. Two hundred forty-nine (N = 249) special needs adoptive families representing 373 children responded to a mailed survey as part of this study. Financial, medical, and dental supports, and subsidies emerged as the most frequently cited service needs. Reports of unmet needs included: counseling services and in-home supports (respite care, daycare and babysitting services). The receipt of financial supports, other supports such as social work coordination and legal services and informal supports (support groups for parents and children) were significantly associated with higher satisfaction with parenting. Unmet service needs in the form of counseling, informal supports, other supports, out of home placement needs, financial supports, and in-home supports were associated with a lower perceived quality of relationship between the adoptive parent and child and a more negative impact on the family and marriage. No differences were found between former foster parents to the adoptive child and new parents to the child or on primary caregiver's characteristics such as race/ethnicity, age, marital status, and religious practice. Implications for practice and policy are discussed. (Copies of this article are available from: Haworth Document Delivery Centre Haworth Press Inc., 10 Alice Street Binghamton, NY 13904-1580)
Why it's worth it: inclusive education in Scotland; a parents' perspective
- Author:
- MOLLARD Ceri
- Publisher:
- Scottish Human Services Trust
- Publication year:
- 2004
- Pagination:
- 156p.
- Place of publication:
- Edinburgh
This book was written after speaking with 15 parents of children with special educational needs throughout Scotland about their child’s experiences of inclusive education in mainstream school. The families interviewed included children and young people at all stages of education from nursery right through to 18 year olds just about to leave school, and a range of experiences of education and inclusion from very positive to very negative. The experiences that are recounted in this book are real life illustrations of what it is like for families to include their children in mainstream schools in Scotland today. These accounts provide practical examples of what works and what doesn’t work to make pupils and their families feel like an included part of their chosen mainstream school. The book explores all aspects of school inclusion including the policy context, access to information, planning and support of inclusive placements, legal exclusions from mainstream school and the benefits of inclusion for everyone.
Needs must
- Author:
- LIGHTFOOT Liz
- Journal article citation:
- 0-19, May 2004, pp.14-15.
- Publisher:
- Reed Business
The government wants children with special needs to be taught in mainstream schools. Asks whether the schools have the resources and whether they are willing to teach these children.
Integration, integrity and effectiveness
- Author:
- SEWELL Geof
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Society, 19(2), March 2004, pp.171-178.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Until the mid-1990s, debates about integration tended to focus on the rights of disabled children to attend mainstream schools. However, more recent research has raised new concerns about the politics of integration from the 'standards' perspective. This Internet-based research project was designed to follow the 20 secondary schools in England, where more than 10% of the pupils had statements of special educational needs (SEN). Several of these schools are now being threatened with closure. This is either because they are failing to meet the Government's benchmark targets of 5+GCSEs at grades A-C, or because they are failing to attract sufficient numbers of mainstream pupils. However, these schools may well be seen as popular and successful by the parents of pupils with statements of special educational needs. Little appears to be known about how schools juggle these competing priorities successfully, and the author calls on readers of this journal to promote our understanding and their survival through a national conference.
Student attitudes toward peers with disabilities in inclusive and special education schools
- Authors:
- BUNCH G., VALEO A.
- Journal article citation:
- Disability and Society, 19(1), January 2004, pp.61-76.
- Publisher:
- Taylor and Francis
Attitudes of elementary and secondary students toward peers with disabilities are explored. Reference is made to friendship, abusive behaviour, advocacy, and acceptance of special education or inclusion, as supportive of education of students with disabilities. Thirty-one students from special education schools and 21 from inclusive schools were interviewed. Qualitative investigation of interview data was undertaken. Findings indicate development of friendships and lower degrees of abusive behaviour in inclusive schools. Though students in both systems advocated for peers with disabilities, advocacy was more routine in inclusive settings. Most believed the approach taken by their schools to be appropriate for education of peers with disabilities. Findings were related to structural aspects of the schools, to social learning and social referencing theory, and effects of special education and inclusive structures on school life.
Postcards from home: the experience of disabled children in the school holidays
- Authors:
- SHARMA Neera, DOWLING Rachel
- Publisher:
- Barnardo's
- Publication year:
- 2004
- Pagination:
- 17p.
- Place of publication:
- Ilford
For the majority of families with disabled children a holiday away from home is not possible. Of the families we interviewed, only three were going away from home for a summer holiday: one to a specially adapted caravan provided by a charity and another to a cottage which the family had used previously and knew was suitable. One family was going away for a week without their disabled son because it was the only way that the family could take a break. This finding means that access to summer playschemes is particularly important for disabled children, because it is often the only chance that the children and young people have to play and to be with their friends as well as providing a break for their parents. However, places in summer playschemes for disabled children are limited as they are costly to provide and need adequate staffing and funding. Summer playschemes require specialist qualified staff if they are to include disabled children: such staff are in short supply. Furthermore, meeting the needs of disabled children requires a higher staff ratio.