ABSTRACT
Since 1988, the HELIOS programme of the then European Community, in association with the European Association for Special Education (EASE), has supported an international study of the quality of life of disabled students and those who experience difficulties in learning. The role of parents in decisions which affect the education of their children is discussed in the context of securing the best possible quality of life. But the values and traditions of different countries have led to very different approaches. In Denmark the emphasis is on parental involvement at every stage of decision-making, and the aim is for the inclusion of all students into a single educational mainstream. In Germany, there is a highly specialised education system and a minimal role for parents in the structures of decision-making. Harry Daniels discusses what the possibilities are for the implementation of the principle of subsidiarity in these circumstances and argues that a shift from a ‘free’ to a ‘social’ market is the way to guarantee the rights of all parents.
