Soc Just in SPED Resrch Policy

Catalog description

The purpose of this course is to provide foundational knowledge related to the history of educating individuals with disabilities, how that has led to current policies and practices, and current research methods used to examine the effectiveness of these policies and practices. Using a lens of disability studies, students will investigate how definitions and discourse around disability have changed over time, influencing the acceptance and inclusion of those identified as disabled, such as the Eugenics movement and histories of genocide and segregation. This understanding will lead to an investigation of the development of federal disability policies, including ADA, the Vocational Rehabilitation Act, and IDEA, and closer examination of the key frameworks included within IDEA and how they influence Individual Education Programs, disciplinary policies, and educational settings. Last, students will examine the emphasis in IDEA on research-based practices, to examine critically research language, methods, challenges, and ethics as it applies to the instruction of students with disabilities. An introduction to quantitative, qualitative, and single-subject methodology will be provided, with an emphasis on the indicators used to establish quality in research and the peer review process. Offered every semester.