This article reports on ESRC‐funded research, ‘Including children with visual impairment in mainstream primary school classrooms’. The inquiry comprised a multiple case study of children with visual impairment in 17 mainstream primary schools. Classroom observation and interviews were the main methods used. Interviews were conducted with all those who had a direct impact on the quality of the children's inclusion in the classrooms, such as the teaching assistant, class teacher and specialist visiting teachers, as well as with others to provide a richer contextual understanding of the teaching and learning in the schools. Overcoming barriers to the participation and learning of children with visual impairment emerged as: the provision of an adequate additional support; inclusion in the main learning processes taking place in the classroom; and good communication between the teaching team. A discussion of the meaning of inclusion in the context of the classroom is provided.

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Currently, most deaf children in the UK are being educated in the mainstream. So far, there has been little research evaluating the linguistic experience of deaf children in mainstream classes. Support may be offered via signed or spoken language or both. In practice, it is not unusual for both the mainstream teacher and the support teacher and/or assistant to use only the spoken language. However, it is well‐known that the spoken language levels of deaf children may not be age‐appropriate. The aim of the current research is to examine the spoken language input that deaf children receive in the mainstream and to evaluate it in terms of its effects on fostering spoken language acquisition. The present paper is based on primarily descriptive data taken from a larger study. This case study is based on data collected in primary school classrooms which consist of 10 hours of audiotaped classroom interaction of one child over two days in five teaching situations. The language interaction was confined to spoken language but nevertheless showed wide variation. A preliminary analysis focusing on the ability of that child to participate and the language experienced suggests that some situations are more likely than others to foster the child's language acquisition. Copyright © 1999 Whurr Publishers Ltd.

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