Australian Policies on Special Education: Towards a Sociological Account

ABSTRACT

The discussion analyses Australian national and four State policies from a sociological perspective. It examines these written policies (as distinct from stated and enacted policies, cf. Macdonald, 1981) along a number of dimensions, and theorises the various integrationist positions in these policies, using Demaine's (1981) and Culley & Demaine's (1983) framework. In addition, it comments on other aspects of these policies which have social and sociological significance, including their social control implications.