A Review of Literature in Relation to Special Education

A Review of Literature in Relation to Special Education

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A Review of Literature in Relation to Special Education

Special education entails offering education to students with learning disabilities or special needs by addressing their differences and needs while including them in the normal educational environment like other students. Educators should measure the special education students’ success through their ability to contribute positively to the community in the future and their academic achievement and self-sufficiency in life. It is necessary to meet the needs of special education students in the same learning environment where other students learn. This paper reviews the literature regarding special education while discussing international commitments, key issues, research about some issues, and Hong Kong’s perspectives regarding international issues related to special education.

International Commitments

International legislations, legal frameworks, and organizations, such as the CRPD (Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) and the World Declaration on Education for All, have significantly committed their programs and policies to enhance inclusive education for special needs students. In addition, different countries internationally are transitioning from a segregated education system to a more inclusive system due to their commitments towards inclusive education for special needs learners. Benitez Ojeda and Carugno (2021) highlighted that special needs in education are the conditions that negatively impact optimal education, such as cognitive impairments, learning disabilities, sensory impairments like hearing loss, speech and language impairments, physical disabilities, behavioral and emotional disorders, and autism spectrum disorders. Nevertheless, Hayes and Bulat (2019) explained that 173 countries globally have sanctioned the UN’s CRPD of viewing disability as a basic human right and, thus, the need to fulfill the developmental goals of individuals with disabilities to enhance satisfying the overall worldwide developmental goals. The Convention offers legal guidelines for challenges affecting the lives of people with disabilities, and it states that learners with special needs must receive education with the appropriate support, without discrimination, and in an inclusive learning environment to enhance their success (Hayes & Bulat, 2019). Furthermore, schools should address each student’s academic and life needs and offer reasonable accommodation and alternative learning techniques like communication devices when needed.

Moreover, the UN’s CRC (Convention on the Rights of the Child) stipulates that learners with disabilities should get education in a conducive way to ensure that they get the fullest individual development and social integration (Hayes & Bulat, 2019). Consequently, nations are increasingly being committed to developing new educational reforms and policies to promote an inclusive education for people with disabilities. For instance, many middle- and low-income countries are accepting the global shift from separating special needs students in segregated classes or schools towards an inclusive environment for both disabled and non-disabled students (Hayes & Bulat, 2019). Developed countries like Germany have also enacted special education laws to protect students with disabilities and to ensure inclusive education in schools (Agrawal et al., 2019). Consequently, nations are implementing inclusive education models, systems, and policies that promote inclusive