ABSTRACT
Similar to what has been happening internationally, special education in the AsiaPacific region is undergoing a major reform, resulting in paradigm shifts in the way schools operate and children are educated. Educational opportunities for students with disabilities have in many countries altered dramatically since the introduction of the normalization principle in the early 1970s, the initiation of the first World Conference on Education for All in Jomtein in 1990 [United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), 1990], the development of the influential Salamanca Statement in 1994 (UNESCO, 1994), and the opening of the World Education Forum at Dakar in April 2000. All of these have led to an increased awareness of governments to reconsider inclusive education opportunities for children with special or diverse learning needs who, in many instances, have been educated previously in segregated facilities.
