Research on bullying is an important avenue for understanding the social integration of students in special education. Focused on 3,305 students who self-reported victimization of two to three times per month or more, this study compared the pattern of verbal, relational, and physical bullying among students in general education and special…

This commentary on a paper by Douglas Fuchs and Lynn Fuchs identifies several rhetorical devices that the paper used to attack the proponents of inclusive education: "create the villain," academic sleight of hand, and "portray oneself as a pragmatist and portray the intellectual opponents as zealots." (JDD)

Described are efforts to integrate special and regular elementary-level students from two separate but adjacent facilities. Three years after the special school's opening, observational data and questionnaires revealed almost total segregation. Subsequently, an intensive intervention program generated promising, short-term movement toward…

Results of a survey of 92 nonhandicapped first and second graders (9 of whom had previously participated in a structured integration program and 52 of whom had had unstructured informal contact with the handicapped) suggested that contact with handicapped persons, regardless of type or timing, improved attitudes. (Author/JW)

Transition experts (n=149) ranked barriers to achieving social integration of individuals with disabilities and identified areas of consensus on social integration outcomes and interventions related to youths' transition from school to employment. Experts agreed that social integration is a multidimensional concept, indicating that varying…

Interviews with 19 general education teachers of grades K-9 found that, despite teachers' initial negative reactions to placement of a child with severe disabilities in their classrooms, 17 teachers described positive transforming experiences and identified benefits to the students with disabilities, their classmates, and the teachers themselves.…

The study compared social interaction behavior between eight nondisabled and eight disabled elementary students in either an individualistic goal-structured condition or a cooperative condition. For disabled students, the cooperative condition was associated with more social interaction during activity sessions, but not during free play sessions.…

This counterpoint to a critique of the authors' paper, which argued against full inclusion of students with disabilities, offers evidence of the effectiveness of special education and notes court litigation that has recognized that separate is not always unequal. (JDD)

This article compares the inclusive schools movement and the Regular Education Initiative in terms of advocates, goals, tactics, and understanding of and links to general education. The article finds that the inclusive schools movement has become increasingly strident, and its perspective has become increasingly insular and disassociated from…

Evidence supporting the use of a revision of the Opinions Relative to Mainstreaming scale, called Opinions Relative to Integration of Students with Disabilities, is presented. Scale testing with 376 professionals revealed satisfactory item characteristics, adequate reliability and homogeneity, and initial support for construct validity. The scale…

Examination of effects of students with disabilities (N=614) on group cooperation in 3,731 grade-five groups that were completing group science projects found that most integrated groups functioned like groups with all general education students but that groups with students having behavioral disorders or mental impairments had less participation…

This study compared the contextual classroom features of public school segregated classrooms and community-based integrated classrooms for 16 preschool children with disabilities, by examining the relations between classroom characteristics and child sociability. The two classroom contexts were found to be similar, with no differences in child…

This article reports results of a survey of general educators, special educators, and classmates involved in the integration of middle school students with severe disabilities into eight general education classes in two communities. Integration was perceived positively by all of the educators and by most of the students. (DB)

Analysis of responses to a new scale evaluating parent perceptions of inclusive educational placements for students with significant cognitive disabilities found that parents (N=460) of children currently in special day classrooms were positive regarding possible social benefits of inclusion but apprehensive regarding the quality of educational…

This paper examines the issue of individuals with disabilities being able to develop a positive self-identity within the integration/inclusion movement and outlines how the development of self-identity can be enhanced through formation of purposeful access groups, which involve planned opportunities for people who share common characteristics to…