ABSTRACT
Since discrimination and segregation became issues in the 1960s during the civil rights movement in America, many cultures, countries and education systems have started to move towards a more inclusive approach as advocated by UNESCO (1994) in the Salamanca Statement. Governments and education systems, however, have interpreted and responded differently to inclusion. Countries such as Italy and some American states such as Vermont no longer have special education facilities, which were rejected as discriminatory relics of institutional segregation (Hallahan and Kauffman, 2005). In Australia, legislation gives parents of all children the right to choose regular class options, but most jurisdictions continue to offer a range of special education facilities (Foreman, 2001). Although the Australian experience demonstrates that legislation may be necessary to give inclusion impetus, the Asia-Pacific region is starting to develop more inclusive education policies (Forlin, 2007).
