The third of 16 booklets designed for use in an Open University course on special education in the United Kingdom, this guide introduces key issues in the course. The variety of handicapping conditions is examined, and age and sex factors in special education are considered. Effects of the environment and the special educational system are also explored. Major trends in the integration of handicapped children are identified, and issues involved in planning, financing, and forming policies related to integration are summarized. Contradictions and inconsistencies in special education are cited, and varying ideologies regarding integration are analyzed. Activity and reading suggestions are included throughout. Five appendices are provided, including an extract from the Warnock report, a list of categories of handicapped students, a list of questions designed to indicate a continuum of integration, the recommendations of the Snowden Working Party, and a report of the Joint Council for the Education of Handicapped Children. (CL)