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Views of Inclusion

A Comparative Study of Parents' Perceptions in South Africa and the United States

Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, nyssel{at}bsu.edu

Petra Engelbrecht

Stellenbosch University in South Africa

Marietjie Magdalena Oswald

Stellenbosch University

Irma Eloff

University of Pretoria, South Africa

Estelle Swart

Stellenbosch University

A B S T R A C T Parent participation is considered to be a vital component in the education of students with disabilities. Parents' roles in pivotal changes in special education—specifically, inclusion—are acknowledged, and their rights are protected in special education law. However, their perspectives are not always understood or considered in the decision-making process. In this study, parents of children with disabilities in South Africa and in a midwestern state of the United States participated in focus group discussions regarding inclusive education. The results indicated that parent perceptions, experiences, and barriers to effective family—school partnerships and parent advocacy were remarkably similar on the two continents. Implications and recommendations for preservice teacher education are discussed.

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Remedial and Special Education, Vol. 28, No. 6, 356-365 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/07419325070280060501


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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Yssel, N. Articles by Swart, E. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?