Prospectus Catholic School Educators’ Perspectives Regarding Inclusive Practices for Students with Disabilities

Prospectus: Catholic School Educators’ Perspectives Regarding Inclusive Practices for Students with Disabilities Problem Statement In 1975, the United States government formulated laws that called for the inclusion of students with disabilities (SWD) in general education settings (Education, 2010, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA),2009). Current legislation mandates that all SWD have the right to free and appropriate education (IDEA, 2009). One problem facing Catholic schools in the United States is that little is known about teachers' perspectives on their perceived capability to implement inclusion practices for SWD. (Burke & Griffin, 2016, Garrett, et, al. 2017, Lalvanis (2015). All public schools have to adhere to these laws and regulations and comply; schools have developed inclusion practices that ensure that the needs of SWD are met. (Abbey-Bell, 2017; Burke & Griffin, 2016; Catholic Diocese, 2014). Some practices that public schools have implemented include the hiring of special education teachers and paraprofessionals, professional development and training of general education teachers, and provision of additional resources for accommodations and modifications of curriculum and instruction (Kurth, Lyon, & Shogren, 2015). The problem for elementary educators in Catholic schools is that since private and religious institutions are not required to adhere to the Americans with Disabilities Act ADA and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act IDEA laws that call for the inclusion of SWD students, the educators who have SWD in their classrooms often have limited access to professional development, support, and targeted disabilities resources necessary to implement inclusion