Education and Disability in Cross-Cultural Perspective

A radical departure from previous chronicles of education for people with disabilities this book views special education from a broader perspective. Its central thesis is that cultural values and expectations play a dominant role in understanding the structure and function of special education. While theories of the social construction of disability have been written about in a growing body of research since the 1960s no attempt has been made to create a cross-cultural framework. This work offers such a framework. Eight chapters written by educators in each country's educational system cover the following nations: China Great Britain Hungary Japan Iran Pakistan United States and Zimbabwe. Historical discussions in each chapter provide a context for current practice. An index and illustrations are also included.