ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on a particular aspect of policy for special educational needs that has had a profound influence: the abandonment of categories of handicap. Throughout the history of special education, the idea of categorisation of handicaps has been associated with the increased segregation of children with disabilities and learning difficulties. There is disagreement about whether the abolition of categories of handicap has been helpful to children with special educational needs. The motives of those who devise policy are a product of complex social, economic and political considerations which may relate more to the 'needs' of the wider society, the whole education system and professionals working within the system. The potential for conflict continues between parents who want resources without stigma for their offspring, and education authorities whose priority is likely to be one of spreading those resources to achieve high quality educational experiences for all those with special needs.
