Inclusion is considered the least restrictive environment for most students with disabilities. The purpose of this study was to examine teachers’ and administrators’ perceptions of inclusion in general education classrooms for students with autism. This included an examination of how schools determined placement for students with autism, the academic and social influences of placement in the general classroom, perceptions of teachers and administrators about inclusion for students with autism, teaching strategies that worked for students with autism in the general classroom, and the influence other students in the classroom have on students with autism. Participants in the study were from one county school system in Tennessee. All data were collected through in-depth analysis of interviews with teachers of students with autism. Results from this study may provide information to teachers and administrators which assists in supporting teachers and educational assistants in the general classroom with students who have autism, as well as increasing the positive effects of inclusion for students with autism in the general education classroom.

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As long as the world continues to experience war, climate change, financial adversity,and persecution; the number of refugees will only continue to grow along with the needto develop more effective and innovative integration strategies. Currently, to address theongoing challenges that refugees face in Europe, the European Commission has publishedthe Action Plan on Integration and Inclusion 2021-2027, illustrating the criteria for theadequate inclusion of migrants and refugees in EU Member States. While focusing oneach of the key areas discussed in the Action Plan- education, employment, healthcare,and housing- the present study also turns its attention to the growing practice of CitizenScience (CS) as a potential means of contributing to the EU’s endeavours. As establishedin the literature covered in this paper, CS is understood as research practices relying onthe general public’s engagement in different research tasks that focus on matters ofcommon concern among researchers and different communities. Due to the potentialshown by this open, flexible, and participatory quality of these practices, this study hasproceeded to investigate which EU requirements for inclusion are met by CS initiativesbased on the correlations in CS principles and strategies with the EU Action Plan criteria.Following a qualitative research method based on comparative text analysis of EU andCS documents, as well as interviews with members of four CS case studies, this paperhas identified several principles and working areas that align with CS and Europeanintegration requirements for refugees. Nonetheless, the study results also show certainlimitations to the influence that CS projects can have for refugee’s integration which arebased on the short-term impacts of this practice and the lack of general acceptance anduse of CS research data among policy-makers in the EU and its Member States. Based onthese results, the usefulness and relevance of CS initiatives to integration efforts withinEurope can be said to exhibit certain potential although, limited and largely unexploredin policy-making and academia.

How do special educators work to include children with special needs in preschool? That was the question that our thesis proceeded from, and the purpose was to get an insight in the methods used by the special educators to achieve inclusion.Our questions were:• Is Swedish preschool a place for inclusion?• How are special educators work organized and focused?• Which experiences do special educators have working with children with specialneeds in preschool, and what role do they mean that inclusion plays in this work?Our procedure in this enquiry was to perform semi-structured interviews with 5 different special educators in two different cities.Interpretation and analyis proceeded from three different theories: Urie Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, John Bowlby’s theory of attachment and Karsten Hundeide’s sociocultural theory. The result showed support for the idea of the Swedish preeschool as a place with many opportunities for inclusion. We have also seen how both money and political decisions has an impact on which possibilities the preschools receive to work with inclusion. In addition it became apparent that the methods used by special educators differed depending on both cities and districts. One of the main purposes of the special educators consisted in finding different ways to include children in the everyday activities.

The purpose of the essay is to contribute with knowledge about inclusion on the IB Diploma Programme, at a Swedish Upper Secondary School. The posed questions are: What practices within the school are inclusive? What barriers to inclusion do students and teachers experience? Do students and teachers perceive a difference in inclusion between the IBDP and the national programmes in the school? There is a discussion about how the barriers to inclusion could be removed and about how the school could move on to the next level of inclusion. With a hermeneutic approach, through questionnaires directed to students and teachers, a clearer picture of inclusion at the studied school emerges. Teachers would like to gain more knowledge about how to adapt teaching to students’ different needs and students would like to receive more help in school. The school culture is an important factor for finding explanations to attitudes to inclusion. The importance of leaders is stressed here as vital for moving to the next level in the process of inclusion. Enabling extended knowledge in the field of inclusion lies in the hands of school leaders. The school needs to discuss and share core values and become committed to the development of an effective inclusive school. Student progress should be monitored in a data system, and instruction can be improved in a system of learning-centered professional development. The difference in inclusion that students and teachers perceive between the IBDP and the national programmes could be worked upon in a process oriented way of regarding learning, not just aiming for exams. The IBDP could also be made more an integrated part of the school through participation in joint events such as sport competitions. The role of the inclusive arrangement teacher could also be worked upon. He or she could be used not only as a one-to-one resource for students, but also as a coach and help for teachers and leaders. Implications for inclusive arrangement teachers are to continue research on the independent schools – to investigate how the process of inclusion is implemented and let the different school forms learn from each other.

The purpose of the survey was to see what methods teachers use to include the physically disabled students in leisure education and the used methods meet the goals and requirements under the UNCRC, the Salamanca Statement and national law formulate.The study had two main questions: How do teachers describe their methods of including the physically disabled students at leisure centers? Does the leisure education meet the requirements of the UNCRC, the Salamanca Statement and national law? Followed by two sub-questions: What is the economic conditions of the leisure centers? In what extent are the leisure centers accessible for the physical disabled students? To answer the purpose and issues qualitative group interviews with 2-3 teachers at three separate leisure centers in a minor, and major municipality in Skåne was conducted. The survey shows that there is a commitment and an ongoing effort to include students with physical disabilities in activities. The survey also shows that there is a risk that these students are stigmatized and restricted in personal development. In order to achieve the goals contained in the declarations and national legislation governing the integration and inclusion of physically disabled students, the survey shows that more extensive changes are required in the way the school organization meets these students' needs at the leisure centers.

The purpose of this study was to examine the inclusion of students worldwide. Because the language barrier would impede the gathering of the necessary research, this study was delimited to only those English-speaking countries such as the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States. The researcher examined many aspects of the education of students with disabilities in each country and how that attributed to the extent in which students with disabilities were being educated in the regular classroom. First, the researcher analyzed the legislation regarding students with disabilities, especially those directives that called for the Inclusion of them. Second, the researcher investigated the educational models used in each country to ascertain the placements available for the disabled, making special note of those that were more inclusive. Next, the researcher gathered data that examined the categorical system used to label, group, and educate the Special Education population. Finally, the researcher compared the extent to which the students with disabilities were educated in the regular classroom in each country by looking at the total proportion included as well as the percentage included in each disability category. To make a comparison of the educational attainments of each country, the researcher utilized a study by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development that incorporated the students with disabilities in their international assessments. Results revealed that the United States has a much more extensive legislation dedicated to the education of individuals with disabilities than does the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. As a result, the United States' placement models and categorical systems are just as complex. Data also confirmed that other countries are including their disabled population in a regular education classroom at a much higher rate than that of the United States. Finally, the international study found that the United States performed worse than all the other countries in the subject areas assessed: Reading, Math, and Science. Recommendations for further research included the examination of teacher education programs world wide, comparison of provincial and territorial regions in Canada and Australia, and a comparison of graduation rates for those students with disabilities in inclusive settings and those in segregated settings.

In much the same way as the racial integration movement, advocates for students with disabilities (SWD) have cultivated an active and vocal lobby seeking to establish and then implement legal mandates to integrate classrooms in the hope that social acceptance would follow. Through federal mandates such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), conceptually initiated in 1975 and revised in 2004 as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) along with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, these students have a voice to cry out for access to the experiences of work, conversation and play with their peers. This study explores the impact that classroom efforts to offer "inclusion" have on their nondisabled peers' intent to include their fellow SWD in their lives as students. Using survey research methods and guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior (Aizen, 1985), 593 responses were obtained from a convenience sample of 936 third, fourth and fifth grade students educated in 52 classrooms spread across 6 different schools in two counties (Seminole and Orange) in Central Florida. Survey results were also collected from the students' parents and their teachers and used to add a richer depth to the data analysis. The data was compiled and analyzed using mean comparison tests (T test and One & Two way ANOVA tests) and a multinomial logistic regression equation. SPSS 13.0 was used to compute the impact that independent variables (integration and interaction) had on the dependent variable (intent to include). The results suggest that the integration of SWD had a significant impact on nondisabled peers; yet efforts to promote peer interaction seemed to have a mixed result. Additionally, the students' gender (female), the students' prior exposure to SWD and a positive teacher attitude toward people with disabilities also had a significant impact on the response of students' intent to include SWD. The results of this analysis are presented along with a discussion of these findings in relation to public policy initiatives to promote the social inclusion of community members. Limitations and recommendations for future research are also indicated.

Using a single subject Multiple Baseline design, this study examined the efficacy of the Text Talk vocabulary acquisition strategy with regard to the use of new vocabulary by pre-kindergarten students in an inclusive classroom within a public charter school. Five pre-school students participated in the study. Students with varying exceptionalities as well as students with typical development were included in the study. Three classroom teachers implemented the Text Talk strategy utilizing eight books and vocabulary scenario models during an interactive story time that included the direct instruction of vocabulary in the study. During the baseline and intervention phases data collection occurred during story time and during a word chart activity. Data were collected as to whether the participants used the new vocabulary when prompted and demonstrated the meaning of new vocabulary during activities embedded in the direct instruction of vocabulary within the context of story time. A pre and post assessment was utilized during baseline and following the intervention. The data suggest that all participants exhibited an increase in the use of new vocabulary and demonstration of meaning of new words during story time. The increase in scores from the pre assessment to the post assessment may indicate that immersion in activities with new vocabulary and opportunities to represent the new words phonologically may have led to the acquisition of new vocabulary by all student participants. The teachers perceived the implementation to be effective and manageable within the classroom setting.

The primary purpose of this study was to (a) explore the global quality of early childhood programs within the Chinese socio-cultural context, and (b) examine the effects of teachers' years of experience, degree, major, and class size on teachers' perceptions of developmentally appropriate practices, inclusion, and training needs in order to provide services for children with disabilities in regular classrooms. The researcher completed observations in 40 early childhood classrooms using the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale- Revised (ECERS-R). Results from classroom observations revealed that the global quality of the early childhood learning environment was between minimum and good. Areas that were in need of improvement included materials, time for free play, and provisions for children with disabilities. In addition, 276 teachers from 12 inclusion pilot kindergartens in Beijing completed 3 surveys. Teachers' responses to the developmentally appropriate practices survey revealed a gap between teachers' self-reported developmentally appropriate beliefs and activities. Further, MANOVA results indicated that both class size and years of teaching experience contributed to the differences between teachers. In surveying teachers' inclusion perceptions, MANOVA results suggested that only class size contributed to the differences between teachers. A discriminant function analysis was performed as a follow-up procedure to determine which of the independent variables contributed most to group differences. Moreover, the researcher found that no variables made a difference to teachers' perceived training needs for inclusion. Implications of current study findings for teacher preparation, future research, and policy formation will be discussed.