How to Most Effectively Move Toward More Inclusive Classrooms for Students Learning Disabilities: A Meta-Synthesis

Abstract

Educating students with disabilities in the least restrictive environment possible has been part of federal law for educating students with disabilities since 1975. The most common term for implementing this mandate is inclusion. While this term and its practice have been used for years, there is still great diversity in how it is viewed, adopted, and implemented. This has led to varying degrees of success and the effective use of inclusion has proven elusive. This meta-synthesis looks at what the literature says about this controversial issue, and in particular what the barriers are to successful inclusion, what are the features of successful inclusion programs, and how to best set the stage for success in a school as it plans to move toward more inclusion than it currently practices.