ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the delivery of special education supports from the perspective of public school-based special education professionals on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. During interviews with school professionals and a review of related data, four clear themes emerged providing insights into contemporary special education practices in Mexico. First, in response to inadequate support from state and federal education authorities, local special education professionals utilize personal and local resources to meet student needs. Next, these professionals work with parents in a manner defined by complexity and conflict, and in which parents retain ultimate authority over educational decision-making. Thirdly, post-schooling transition outcomes and resources are generally weak and are mediated by disability type and parental resources. Finally, community size emerged as significant variable influencing teaching and learning resources, with particular impacts on Indigenous learners. The implementation of community-level supports for students with special education needs, although imperfect stands as an admirable example of communal benevolence in the comparative analysis.
