This timely book is about raising awareness of the rights of disabled people to full equality and participation in all areas. It aims to show that disability is an issue of concern to all of us. It is for university faculty staff teaching courses on education law and policy and serves as a resource for students conducting research, government officials, and professionals in these fields.

First published in 2005. The goal of Education For All, set by the United Nations at the 1990 Jomtien (Thailand) Conference and adopted by heads of state at the World Summit for Children in the same year, confronts all of us with the fundamental challenge of including children with disabilities in the education system of all nations. The aim of this book is to record, analyse and celebrate positive signs of growth and development in the field of special needs education but with particular reference to children with significant disabilities. The special education theme was selected for the 1993 edition of The World Yearbook of Education in synchrony with the ending of the UN Decade of Disabled Persons, 1983 to 1992.

This revised 2007 edition provides current information on Section 504, Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), Least Restrictive Environment (LRE), and the reauthorization of IDEA 2004.