Search

This paper argues that it is very possible, even in times of monetary austerity, to decrease the perceived costs of inclusion by resurrecting the vocabulary of belonging, friendship and love. Qualitative research was conducted with special educators' (n = 33) regarding curricular access decisions for students with significant cognitive disabilities in the northeastern US. Results about academic access were published previously but participants' use of capitalist economic language remained troubling, and while achievement was described as a necessity, inclusion was a seeming luxury. Intuitive inquiry and principles of economic theory including orthodoxy: the reverence given to economic explanations, and veto economics: words that can stop a discussion or plan from moving ahead offer a different interpretation of austerity and abundance. Healthy economies depend on frequent reciprocal exchanges and problems occur when there is excessive frugality or spending. A disproportionate focus on independence and discreet skill achievement is being too 'frugal' with students' time. Becoming alert to economic orthodoxy and veto words, i.e. 'individualised' and 'independent' enables educators to challenge the false rationality of exclusion. Rather than being a luxury item, inclusion is a necessity. The cost-benefit trade-off for inclusion must be re-conceptualised to weigh friendship, acceptance and community more heavily.

Federal special education law (Individuals With Disabilities Education Act) guarantees, but does not define, access to the general education curriculum for all students with disabilities. In-depth qualitative telephone interviews were conducted with special educators (n = 33) about their academic decision making for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Findings revealed a distinct path to decision making about academic access, including a context of aloneness, the influence of professionalism, and perceived barriers. As traditional ways of educating students with significant cognitive disabilities are challenged by new expectations, this research provides a glimpse of how teachers struggle to interpret policy and enact access. Understanding access as a conceptual path enables policy, research, and professional development aimed at increasing access to focus on specific points in the decision-making process.

This study investigated families' experience of choice within a participant-directed Medicaid waiver program for young children with autism. Fourteen parents or grandparents participated in in-depth interviews about their experience of choosing personnel, directing in-home services, and managing the $25,000 annual allocation. Key findings included families' preference to hire providers with whom they have a prior relationship, parent empowerment and differences of opinion about parents as teachers. Professionals implementing participant directed service models could benefit from understanding the strong value parents' placed on the personalities and interpersonal skills of providers. Parents' descriptions of directing rather than merely accepting autism services revealed increased confidence in their ability to choose and manage the multiple components of their children's HCBS autism waiver program.