Welcome

Welcome to the Winter/Spring edition of The Electronic Journal for Inclusive Education. This particular edition has a very real international dialogue concerning the inclusion of students with special needs in general education classrooms. Dr. Tsafi Timor provide a thought provoking discussion and analysis of two approaches to classroom management. This article starts with a great quote from Dr. Harry Wong. Syed Salma Jameel provides a new perspective concerning students with special needs enrolled in colleges and universities. This article links employability with the need for higher education and highlights the issues of including students with special needs in higher education. I particularly liked the following quote: “Disability is both a global and human rights issue that has no racial, gender, socio economic and political boundaries.” Within the United States there is a growing awareness of the need for more Science, Technology, and Math (STEM) preparation in public and private schools. Dr. Ida Malian discusses a model of inclusive practices that engages all students and teachers. They state: “hands-on” real life problems to be addressed collaboratively with students and co-teachers. MVIP model levels the playing field for students with math disabilities to be engaged in integrated STEM activities. Dr. Denise Ousley, Dr. Chris O’Brien and Dr. Gloria D. Campbell-Whatley provide an interesting and vital perspective concerning what educators can learn from parents of students with disabilities. The clarify “that there are two worlds of education: school for the masses and school for the exceptions.” Woo Jung, Grace Cho, and Debra Ambrosetti research preservice teachers’ confidence level in working with students with special needs. This article addresses this concern from the preservice training perspective. The following quote highlights this article. “We often forget that students with special needs grow into adults with special needs; therefore, empathy, understanding, and adaptability in working with their disabilities is needed in all levels of development.” Jennifer Cassady researches attitudes about the inclusion of students with Autism and emotional behavior disorders. She surveyed general education teachers regarding their willingness to include children with autism and emotional disturbance. She found “the presence of typical characteristics of the two disabilities influence teachers’ willingness to have the populations in their classrooms.” Jennifer Jones, Emmet Belknap, Karrie Jones and Paul Vermette address the issues of Universal Design for learning (UDL). UDL is a critical approach to creating inclusive classrooms. The discussion of this model “helps teachers do more than simply create a ‘lesson plan’ (a list of maneuvers for the teacher). “ This is a thought provoking insight into the need for planning the use of three core principles of UDL. I hope you enjoy reading this edition of the journal. It addresses this issue of inclusion for students with special needs from an international standpoint and from the perspective of the classroom. Patricia R. Renick-Wood, Edito