PARALLEL PATHS: INCLUSIVE SPECIAL EDUCATION AND RACIAL DESEGREGATION

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to research the evolution of policy of integrating children with disabilities into the general education settings in the U.S., keystone events that shaped the fates of disabled children and outcomes of policy decisions.According to the direction that these purposes provide, this paper tries to answer these questions: (1) Is integration process of children with disabilities parallel to the racial integration? (2) Is the process perceived as separate from or similar to the racial desegregation by public and legislation? I first discuss vital policy decisions and court actions that pave the way for inclusive special education and racial desegregation. I then draw inferences from them to claim that the two paths, inclusive education and racial desegregation, have actually been parallel.

Keywords: Inclusive special education, special education, racial desegregation, racial integration

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