Integration of students with disabilities into regular schools: policy in use

ABSTRACT

In the state of Victoria, Australia, the right of all children to be educated in a regular school has been Ministerial policy since 1984. However, the issue of integration of students with disabilities into mainstream schools is problematical because of the ways that practitioners interpret this policy. This paper summarises research on the attitudes of 194 primary and secondary school teachers to integration and discusses how these are impacting on the implementation process. It is argued that it is difficult to develop policies which define ‘what will be’ without careful consideration of ‘what is’ in terms of history, beliefs and attitudes. The researchers found that ideas arising from the practices of ‘special’ education are being imposed on the integration process, limiting teachers' visions of educational opportunity for all.