Reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils: what support do parents want for their child?

Porter, J., Georgeson, J., Daniels, H., Martin, S. and Feiler, A. (2013) Reasonable adjustments for disabled pupils: what support do parents want for their child? European Journal of Special Needs Education, 28 (1). pp. 1-18. ISSN 0885-6257 doi: 10.1080/08856257.2012.742747

Abstract/Summary

Schools in England (as elsewhere in Europe) have a duty to promote equality for disabled people and make reasonable adjustments for disabled children. There is, however, a degree of uncertainty about how well-placed parents are addressed to use the legislation to ensure their child’s needs. This paper presents data drawn from a national questionnaire designed for schools to use to identify their disabled pupils and examines, in detail, parental responses to a question on the kinds of support their child finds helpful in offsetting any difficulties they experience. It illustrates the complex and varied nature of the ‘reasonable adjustments’ that are required and an overriding sense that need to be underpinned by the values of a responsive child-centred approach, one that recognises that parents’ knowledge and understanding of their child are important. Schools need to have in place the two-way communication process that supports them in ‘knowing’ about the visible and invisible challenges that pupils with difficulties and disabilities face in participating in school life.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/47231
Item Type	Article
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Arts, Humanities and Social Science > Institute of Education > Improving Equity and Inclusion through Education Arts, Humanities and Social Science > Institute of Education > Language and Literacy in Education
Publisher	Taylor & Francis
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