Disability Studies and the Inclusive Classroom—Critical Practices for Creating Least Restrictive Attitudes

This book’s mission is to integrate knowledge and practice from the fields of disability studies and special education. Parts I & II focus on the broad, foundational topics that comprise disability studies (culture, language, and history) and Parts III & IV move into practical topics (curriculum, co-teaching, collaboration, classroom organization, disability-specific teaching strategies, etc.) associated with inclusive education. This organization conforms to the belief that least restrictive environments (the goal of inclusive education) necessarily emerges from least restrictive attitudes (the goal of disability studies). Discussions throughout the book attempt to illustrate the intersection of theory and practice.

Susan Baglieri is Assistant Professor at Long Island University’s Brooklyn, New York campus. She served as an assistant editor for Disability Studies Quarterly during 2005–2006 and served on the board of directors of the Society for Disability Studies (SDS) from 2008–2011. She is a member of the American Educational Research Association’s special interest group in Disability Studies in Education and received the Junior Scholar Award at the group’s Eighth Annual Second City Conference in 2008. Dr. Baglieri worked as a special educator in New Jersey public high schools, served as the coordinator of student teaching in Learning Disabilities and taught graduate courses at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Arthur Shapiro was a special educator on the local, county, and state levels for more than 40 years. He was Full Professor Emeritus at Kean University and an adjunct faculty member at Rutgers University. His book, Everybody Belongs: Changing Negative Attitudes toward Classmates with Disabilities (Routledge Falmer, 1999), received Choice’s Outstanding Academic Title Award from the Association of College and Research Librarians, and was selected for inclusion in Exceptional Parent Magazine’s library as well as a feature of the Network of Educators on the Americas’ Teaching for Change catalogue.