Janet Sauer

Policy and the Impact on Placement, Involvement, and Progress in General Education: Critical Issues That Require Rectification.

Students with significant disabilities continue to be among the most segregated in schools. In this article, we argue that the principles of least restrictive environment and involvement and progress in the general curriculum have been interpreted in ways that perpetuate segregation, rather than increasing students’ access to meaningful curriculum in inclusive educational contexts. We examine this issue from three broad perspectives: federal policy related to least restrictive environment, interpretations of policies related to involvement and progress in the general curriculum, and the implementation of policies related to assessment of grade-level standards. We discuss implications of each of these issues for providing and increasing involvement and progress in general education contexts and content.

Inclusive education national research advocacy agenda: A call to action

The TASH Inclusive Education National Committee responded to Horner and Dunlap’s call to ensure that future research integrates inclusive values with strong science by developing an inclusive education national research advocacy agenda. Qualitative methods were implemented to answer three questions: (a) What is the state of inclusive education research? (b) What research still must be done? and (c) What are recommendations for a national inclusive education research advocacy agenda? The findings include 15 areas organized within three domains advocating for continued research across systems-level capacity building, building and classroom capacity, and student learning and development. Implications for research and policy reform are discussed.

Still Caught in the Continuum: A Critical Analysis of Least Restrictive Environment and Its Effect on Placement of Students With Intellectual Disability

Abstract The least restrictive environment (LRE) mandate of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act has long been questioned as to whether it has fulfilled the original intent of the law. T...

Access, Accountability, and Advocacy: Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families’ Participation in IEP Meetings

All parents of eligible students with disabilities have the right to collaborate as equal members of educational teams developing their children’s Individualized Education Programs (IEP). However, ...

The Power of Imagination in the Lives of Young People with Significant Disabilities

It was a late winter afternoon when I sat in the small town Dairy Queen cafe across from Katie while she ate a vanilla ice cream sundae. Katie, 17, was a high school senior student attending a special education program referred to as Life Skills. While researching the lived experiences of young people with significant disabilities, I sought to engage Katie in conversation about school and friends.