River of Ideology, Islands of Evidence

Who “Owns” Dis/ability? The Cultural Work of Critical Special Educators as Insider–Outsiders

“…Scholarly exchanges in journals have ranged from enlightening to acrimonious, from expansive to rigid (e.g., Danforth & Rhodes, 1997;Gallagher, 2006;Heshusius, 1989;Iano, 1986;Kauffman et al, 1998;Kauffman & Sasso, 2006a, 2006bKavale & Mostert, 2003;Skrtic, 1991).…”

In Pursuit of Excellence: The Past as Prologue to a Brighter Future for Special Education

“…In the past forecasting literature, numerous authors have identified this issue as highly problematic (Brigham, Gustashaw, & Brigham, 2004;Kauffman, 1994;Kavale & Mostert, 2003;McGrath, Johns, & Mathur, 2004;Mostert & Crockett, 2000;Zigmond, 2001). The unanimous conclusion was that, more often than not, special education professionals employ methodology that lacks a sound scientific underfooting.…”

Fad, Pseudoscientific, and Controversial Interventions

“…Criticism is a fundamental to the scientifi c method, but healthy criticism is starkly different from anti-science (Schiebinger, 2001 ). Wholesale rejection of science (Gross & Leavitt, 1997 ;Kavale & Mostert, 2003 ;Kozloff, 2005 ;Sasso, 2001 ) relies on poorly informed individuals who often confuse free speech with a right to be heard and respected. Treating all ideas with equal respect is intellectually dishonest and a dangerous proposition.…”