Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education
Abstract
Welcome to the Fall/Winter 2013 Edition of The Electronic Journal For Inclusive Education. This edition promises an array of interesting research into inclusive education.
Dr. Madan and Dr. Sharma from Azim Prmji University and the University of Delhi discuss the newly accepted inclusive movement in India. Their focus is on individual elementary school efforts to implement inclusion at its very beginning efforts to include children with special needs.
Mr. MacKichan of the Strait Regional School and Dr. Mary Harkins of Mount Saint Vincent University in Nova Scotia, Canada provide insight into parent involvement in the development of individual educational plans in Canada. Using a guided interview format, they discuss four areas of concern for parents involved in IEP development.
Dr. Virginia Heslinga of Anna Maria College in Paxton, Massachutes shifts the focus of the journal to creating classroom environments that motivate students to remain in school and promote inclusive practice. Using the song Hero as a framework she explores the effect educators have on the environment of the classroom for students with special needs.
Dr. Nancy Turner of St. Mary’s College, Notre Dame, Indiana, investigates the use of bibliotherapy to prepare neurotypical peers to accept and work with students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. She emphasizes the use of this technique to implement Peer Mediated Instruction and Intervention within the inclusive classroom.
Continuing the discussion concerning serving students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Dr. Christopher B. Denning of the University of Massachusetts-Boston and Dr. Amelia K. Moody, of the University of North Carolina –Wilmington research the use of Universal Design for Learning as a framework for instructing student with ASD. This article provides some practical suggestions for instruction and promoting academic achievement for students with ASD.
Mr. Jeremy Ford from the University of Iowa discusses the mixed results regarding academic achievement for students with learning disabilities in inclusive classrooms. He suggests placement decisions should be made based on the skill levels of students and the resources available to the schools, thereby placing the student in the forefront of academic planning rather than in the forefront of an ideological belief.
Dr.’s Ewa McGrail and Alicja Rieger of Georgia State University and Valdosta State University discuss the recent scholarship on empathy, then link that to using comics literature to identify and change negative attitudes towards students with disabilities. The purpose of this article is to educate students concerning disability issues.
Each article provides an in-depth perspective concerning programming and instruction for students with disabilities in inclusive settings. I am delighted you are participating in the conversation concerning inclusive education as readers and hope you will join us as writers as you pursue your research agendas.
Dr. Patricia R. Renick, Ph. D.
Editor
Repository Citation
Renick, P. R.
(2013).
Welcome,
Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education, 3
(1).
