Advocacy and the Young Person with Special Education Needs

Abstract

During the period following the enactment of the Education Act (1981) in England there has been a gradual, though notable, growth in self advocacy by those young people in schools who have Special Educational Needs. This has also been encouraged by international initiatives to promote the efficacy of listening to what students have to say about their educational experiences. This paper reports on a small-scale study which uses a qualitative approach to obtain the views of groups of students from three special schools in three countries. Opinions are expressed concerning the curriculum, the personal and professional demeanour of teachers, the students’ own problem behaviour and the organisation and ethos of the school. The opinions provided by the young people suggest that there may be important implications for both school organisation and for the way in which teachers are trained. © 1994, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.