Introduction to the Special Issue: Changing Conceptions of Special Education (Editorial)

After a long history of exclusion, litigation and legislation now ensure access to a free, appropriate education for students with disabilities. The legal safeguards and processes that have been used to identify and place students in special education were designed to provide access, but they do not guarantee excellence of educational services and outcomes for students with disabilities. As a result, the alignment of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) and the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) now mandates the inclusion of students with disabilities in high-stakes assessments of academic achievement and meaningful participation in the general education curriculum. These changes in policy, which were meant to address persistent problems of educational equity, have profound practical implications for the delivery of educational services to all students. Meanwhile, scholarly inquiry into the education of students with disabilities continues to raise exciting possibilities as well as practical challenges for both general and special educators. The University of Delaware's (UD) School of Education invited nationally prominent scholars-six speakers and five policy experts--to present and discuss their perspectives on changing conceptions of special education. The 2-day symposium attracted over 100 practitioners, scholars, and policy makers. Speakers presented papers that explored the theoretical, policy, and/or practice perspectives that shape the experience and structure of education for students with disabilities; lines of inquiry that inform current thinking about special education; challenging areas for future inquiry into the education of students with disabilities; and the future relationship between general and special education. These papers are featured in this special issue.