Contributions from: Sana Awartani, An Najah University, Nablus, Palestine.
Abstract
The provision of special educational services for children with disabilities has undergone a series of significant changes throughout the world over the last two decades. In many countries these changes have been led by the concept of inclusion: a general term which describes models of service provision to the special needs child within the general education classroom and is based on the normalization movement in Northern Europe.
In Palestine, the Ministry of Education has a formal policy of making education available for all children, including those with disabilities. Despite official policy, Palestinian children with special needs often receive no special services in the general education schools they attend and their placement options are severely limited: there are few special education schools in Palestine and teacher-training appears to be inadequate with little training for special education. We conjecture that this lack of services is due to two basic and inter-related causes: a) a perception of social justice which, in a time of nation building, may allow for the exclusion of children with special education needs from the mainstream of educational opportunities; b) the lack of adequate funding for special services.
This study examined differences in perceptions of social justice and the provision of special services among different types of Israeli-Palestinian and Palestinian teachers. We used a questionnaire which examined attitudes towards disabilities, the need for developing an educated national leadership, and the rights of all children to a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment.
 |
 |