Although many nations advocate for the full inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities in all realms of life, these individuals are nevertheless still frequently excluded. One field of life that has rarely been considered central for inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities is military service. A unique programme was developed…

Mainstreaming and inclusion of students with special educational needs in regular education, challenge traditional concepts and common practices. Traditionally, special education has been a parallel yet separate educational system. Even though there is almost universal agreement on the goals of inclusion and mainstreaming, special education…

Transitioning to and from post-compulsory education often poses problems on students, especially students with disabilities. The fourth Ed-ICT symposium at the FernUniversität in Hagen aimed at discussing new practices, identifying problems and challenges during transition processes, and developing innovative solutions for both individuals and…

In this paper, we present a series of studies performed in the last decade that examined the contribution of e-books reading to the language and literacy of young Hebrew-speaking children. Children worked with two e-books designed by the researchers to achieve this aim. We present the effect of reading these e-books on the language and literacy of…

This chapter describes the current state of special education in Israel as well as what the future holds with possible solutions to improve services for individuals with disabilities. Israel is a very complex society and, as such, the educational system is very complex as well. The development of the special education system in Israel will be…

This article describes a group of Druze preschool and kindergarten teachers from Northern Israel who participated in an in-service course in their community. The focus of the training experience was to improve the social climate of the classroom by implementing a life-world approach. Analysis of their reports shows that the children's meaningful…

The purpose of this article is to present an overview of the special education sector of the Bedouin Arab community in southern Israel. The paper opens with the study rationale and the importance of the subject. The review is based on a thematic analysis of content taken from diverse sources. The analysis showed five principle themes: (a) numerous…

The article describes the foundations and uses of learning potential assessment, a method to assist in identifying low functioning students with capacity for greater achievement. Case studies of the use of the Learning Potential Assessment Device in Israel are presented. (Author/DB)

Inclusion of students with disabilities into regular classrooms has been practised on a voluntary basis in Israel for the past 30-40 years. Special education legislation passed in 1988 included as one of its touchstones the mandate to mainstream students with disabilities into regular classrooms to the maximum extent possible. The "Plan for…

This article describes changes taking place in Israeli special education. It discusses the goals of special education, diagnosis and placement, special education procedures, criticism of the special education law, and the current status of special education in Israel. The movement towards increased inclusion is highlighted. (Contains 7…

This report outlines a course designed to provide teacher educators and supervisors, mostly from developing nations, with information about the education of children with specific learning disabilities (dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and attention deficit disorder) in mainstream settings. The majority of the participants were teacher trainers,…

In the United States, the federal government supports educational services, but what happens with technology integration when a country with a population the size of Massachusetts uses its centralized educational system to help students with special needs? The goal of this article is to share information regarding Israel's educational technology…

Examines disproportionality in special education among Israeli Arabs. Arab children are more likely than Jewish children to be placed in special education. Negev bedouin Arab children, however, are underrepresented in special education. Discusses whether a culture of disability is being fostered among the Arab citizens of Israel and whether…

This article describes the Rehabilitation Teachers Division of Migdal Or, an Israeli rehabilitation agency. It discusses the division's history, structure, features, and adaptations from other programs to the needs and cultures of blind and visually impaired people in Israel. (Author/JDD)

Five articles address issues in family support systems for persons with disabilities. Peter Mittler, Hellie Mittler and Helen McConachie present a set of general principles designed to encourage the development of genuine partnerships between professionals and parents in "Working Together: Guidelines for Partnership between Professionals and…