Where are psychologists likely to be working with people with disability?
Research has demonstrated that children with disabilities do benefit from mainstream education (for a review, see Foreman 2004). Furthermore over 70 per cent of children with a severe, moderate or mild core activity restriction and 49 per cent of children with a profound core activity restriction attend ordinary classes in ordinary schools (AIHW, 2003). Of course success at school, both educationally and socially, can be significantly mediated by the supports provided and, importantly, the knowledge and skills of teachers and classroom aids. While in the past special educators were provided with substantial training in the needs of students with disability and how to adapt curriculum to best meet the needs of these students, this has not necessarily been the case for all teachers being prepared for mainstream classes. Psychologists, more than ever, will be relied upon to assist teachers to better understand the needs of students with disability (in terms of cognitive learning processes
