The SALAMANCA Statement (UNESCO, 1994), and the Namibian constitution (1990) commit the government to offering education to children with disabilities. The primary focus of this study was to examine the attitudes of the population of primary school principals' with regard to the inclusive education practice of placing and educating students with disabilities in the regular classrooms. In addition, the researcher sought to ascertain principals' perceived barriers and needs with regard to facilitating and implementing inclusive education practices. The survey instruments used to collect data consisted of: a) demographic section, b) Attitude Toward Inclusive Education Scale, c) Opinions Relative to the Integration of Students with Disabilities scale, and d) openended questions. The results suggest that Namibian primary school principals hold positive attitudes toward students with disabilities in general, though they have preferences of the type of disabilities to be accommodated in the regular classrooms. Students with social difficulties were more favored for inclusion than students with sensory and physical disabilities. Principals favored inclusion of students with behavioral challenges slightly more than students with academic difficulties. Principals' perceptions were that inclusive education has potential benefits for students with and without disabilities and that it presents opportunity for academic growth for students with disabilities. Yet, special school or classroom placement was perceived as the most stable environment for educating students with disabilities, especially when considering their social and emotional development. Furthermore, principals were of the opinion that due to pre-service training, which did not include courses on special education and disabilities, educators lack the needed knowledge, skills, and abilities to educate thesestudents, hence the need for comprehensive in-service. In addition to lack of training in special education as a major barrier, other reported barriers were lack of proper educational facilities and equipment, lack of parent involvement and students' characteristics. The multivariate analysis revealed that younger school principals held more favorable attitudes toward placement of students with disabilities in the regular classrooms. Principals with graduate degrees and BA/BS perceived themselves as not having the ability to educate these students in comparison to those with lesser qualifications. The demographic variables of years of experience as a principal and teaching location had no significant effect on the attitudes of principals with regard to placement or educating students with disabilities in the regular classrooms. / Department of Special Education

Public policy and current educational reforms have challenged schools to close the achievement gap for all students, including those with disabilities as required under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) of 2001. As schools seek to implement sound instructional practices for students, technology has become a dominant force in schools and society. The focus of improving instruction and meeting the needs of diverse learners has not yet blended with the technology capabilities that are more readily available in schools. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) seeks to build an inherent flexibility into the curriculum and to utilize technology to accommodate diverse learners. The purpose of this study was to analyze how UDL training impacted school personnel’s perceptions of inclusion, instruction, student engagement, and the use of technology to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of diverse learners. The sample consisted of faculty from 50 Indiana schools, and analysis was completed based on respondents’ level of UDL training. Significant differences were found in perceptions that the primary responsibility for accommodating classroom activities for students with disabilities lies with the special education teacher, as well as whether accommodations designed for students with disabilities create increased opportunities for all learners. Significant differences were also found in how technology is used to provide choice and flexibility to students and differentiate instruction. There were significant differences in faculty perceptions that choice and technology impacted students’ levels of engagement. Significant differences were found among variables based on respondents’ categorization as general education or special education, as well as categorization as administrators or teachers. / Department of Special Education

This thesis examines the potential of housing co-operatives to provide adequate housing for women, focusing on the context of Nairobi, Kenya. The limitations of the current approaches to housing provision in Kenya are discussed, along with their gendered implications. A review of the potential benefits which housing co-operatives provide for women is conducted. As part of this examination, a multi-scalar analysis of the housing co-operative sector in Kenya illuminates the role of gender mainstreaming policies and their role in addressing discrimination and inequality in the housing sector in Kenya. A case study of Rooftops Canada’s gender mainstreaming work in Kenya is used to provide examples of gender mainstreaming work being undertaken in the housing co-operative sector. This case study also provides insight into the role of international donors in gender equality work in Kenya’s housing co-operative sector.

The following thesis is an implementation study of an international non-governmental organization working in the field of inclusive education in Battambang, Cambodia. More specifically the study’s intent was to examine the political, economic and socio-cultural challenges experienced by the organization’s volunteers as they worked with local education partners in implementing inclusive education initiatives. Consideration was given to general education with emphasis on the implementation of gender mainstreaming initiatives at the primary level. Data was collected through participant interviews, formal observations, Follow-up questions completed by participants and various documents from the organization. The findings from the study revealed significant inconsistencies between the organization’s policy in gender equality and what was being implemented at the local level. Volunteers received little or no training in gender responsiveness, reported feelings of incapacity to engage in gender issues and failure to identify gender inequality in their development work. The volunteers and their working relationships with local education partners were a major theme in the findings; in particular the political challenges in navigating the agendas of various stakeholders. The organization’s support, information and expectations of volunteers were other issues raised by participants in the study. Among the economic challenges to implementation were working within the confines of international funding, the development of the organization’s budget, limited human resources, economic sustainability of programing and no funding for gender initiatives. Cultural challenges include volunteers’ perceptions of local views on education, the relationship between community and schools, gender equality embedded in the culture, school directors ‘losing face’ and awareness regarding gender issues.

Extant research describes the need for special education training in teacher training institutions. Research also states the importance of listening to the experiences of new teachers to inform best practice of teacher education training; however, there is a paucity of research examining the needs of new teachers to inform special education training for generalist preservice teachers. This phenomenologically informed study explores the experiences of new teachers in inclusive classrooms to gain an understanding of the knowledge and experiences new teachers need. The participants include seven new teachers who teach in inclusive classrooms across BC. All data was gathered through semi-structured interviews. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed according to phenomenological procedures with the goal of understanding the essence of experience for these new teachers in their inclusive classrooms. Based on the new teachers' experiences, initial recommendations are provided for teacher training institutions and directions for further research are also discussed.

The aim of this study was to establish whether there is a policy community for disability sport in England. Whilst structured competitive disability sport may traditionally have been organised and run by charitable bodies, segregated from mainstream non-disabled sport, contemporary policies stress a need for disability sport to be the responsibility of mainstream organisations. However, there is a dearth of literature that considers how disability sport policy has developed, which agencies have been powerful in the organisational network, and the significance of the values of key actors in the policy process and outcome. This study; a) establishes the key characteristics of disability sport policy in England, and b) establishes the interests, resources, power and relationships between organisations involved in disability sport and determines the ideologies of key actors involved in disability sport policy. Data is generated in three phases using an analysis of policy documents, a survey of 162 sports organisations and 21 interviews with key personnel. In Phase I semi-structured interviews with key personnel combined with documentary analysis were used to establish how disability sport emerged and developed. Informed by the data from Phase 1, in Phase 2a survey of governing bodies of sport and disability sport organisations was conducted to establish which national organisations are involved in the policy network, how disability sport policy is formed, the role organisations play and ideologies of key actors. In Phase 3, informed by the data from Phases I and 2 and using interviews and documentary analysis, two case studies were carried out to examine, 1) the formation and role of the English Federation of Disability Sport, and 2) the mainstreaming of disability sport. The analysis of data is informed by theories of disability, a history of disability policy and sports policy, and three prominent theories of policy analysis: Marsha and Rhodes' policy network model, Sabatier's advocacy coalition framework and Kingdon's policy streams approach. (Continues...).

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of an integrated adapted physical education setting on the motor performance of preschool children with developmental delays. Subjects in this study participated in segregated and integrated adapted physical education classes. During the integrated conditions, same-age peers without delays participated in activities as "proximity peers" (Jenkins, Speltz & Odom , 1985). Child-directed activities were presented in each class and subjects were observed practicing locomotor and object control skills. The quality of each performance was analyzed to determine the number of critical elements present in the performance and the level of teacher or peer prompt required to initiate and complete each performance. A single subject reversal design (A-B-A-B) was used in this investigation. Four children with developmental delays were filmed within an eight-week school schedule while practicing two fundamental gross motor skills during segregated and integrated conditions. The level and trend of the data was calculated to describe the quality of each child's motor performance within each condition, between conditions, and across segregated and integrated conditions. The results of this study provide evidence that children with developmental delays are able to maintain their level of gross motor skill and independence within an integrated adapted physical education setting. Although day-to- day variability was calculated for each subject, overall skill level remained stable and their level of independence was not compromised in the integrated setting. Recommendations for future research are made based upon the results of this investigation. / Graduation date: 1993

Thesis (M.A.)--Dept. of Psychology, University of Adelaide, 1991. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 101-119).

Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Western Sydney, 2001. / A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, College of Arts, Education & Social Science, School of Education & Early Childhood Studies, University of Western Sydney, 2001. Bibliography : leaves 252-278.