Inclusion Resources

Reading on Education, Disability and Inclusive Education


Angharad Beckett, Associate Professor of Political Sociology, University of Leeds, has put together this handy reading list for education students and others interested in inclusive education

Reading on our website

As well as the below reading, you can find a three part series on current debates on inclusion on our website, written by academic and ALLFIE trustee Dr Miro Griffiths.

Leading journals which include research conducted from a ‘Disability Studies in Education’ perspective

  • Disability & Society. In this journal, enter the search term ‘education’ to find a large number of excellent articles from around the world. You will also find here articles which consider disabled people’s experiences of education (their narratives). Follow this journal on Twitter @JDisSoc

Other journals you might search within

  • British Journal of Special Education;
  • British Journal of Learning Disabilities. Key search terms include ‘teachers’, ‘pupils’, ‘students’, ‘education’, ‘disability’, ‘disabilities’, ‘inclusive’, ‘inclusion’.

There will soon be an important new journal in this field. The Journal of Disability Studies in Education (JDSE), Editor-in-Chief Professor Roger Slee, will be an interdisciplinary journal focusing upon the experiences and outcomes of people with disabilities in education. DSE will focuses upon the overt and covert barriers to access to, and presence, participation and success in education for disabled people. JDSE will therefore examine the architecture and cultures of education across all sectors: early childhood education; elementary education; secondary education; higher education; vocational training and informal and alternative education provision. Watch out for calls for articles and special editions and do consider submitting your work to this exciting new venture.

A note about paywalls: sadly, so much academic work is not open access. Readers have to have a subscription to a journal or pay to read individual articles. We encourage students and researchers based at universities to ask their libraries to subscribe to the key journals in this field. All other readers, we recommend that you contact the authors of articles that interest you. You can find their email address via the website of the journal (under author details for each article). You do not need to pay for access to find this information. Many journals allow authors to share pre-print versions of their work with interested parties, free. This means that you can ask them whether they would be willing to send their final draft to you – many will be willing to do this as paywalls are a source of frustration within the academic community as well!

The Disability Archive at the Centre for Disability Studies, University of Leeds contains many open access writings by researcher-activists and activist-researchers. At present this archive can be searched by author or key terms. Using the key term ‘education’ will result in a wealth of useful reading. Plans are afoot to renovate the Disability Archive at Leeds, improving its search facility and expanding its content. Please watch out for developments!

Key books

There are so many important books on Inclusive Education, it is impossible to list them all. Here are a selection, however, focusing on key authors, ‘classic’ texts, and important edited collections:

  • Anat Greenstein’s ‘Radical Inclusive Education. Disability, Inclusion and Struggles for Liberation’, published in 2015 by Routledge. ISBN-10: 0415709253
  • Felicity Armstrong, Derrick Armstrong and Len Barton’s Edited Collection ‘Inclusive Education: Policy, Contexts and Comparative Perspectives’, published 2016 by Routledge. ISBN-10: 1138148482
  • Fiona Hallett and Graham Hallett’s Edited Collection ‘Transforming The Role Of The Senco: Achieving The National Award For Sen Coordination’, published 2010 by Open University Press. ISBN-10: 0335242413
  • Gary Thomas and Andrew Loxley’s ‘Deconstructing special education and constructing inclusion’, 2nd edition, published in 2007 by Open University Press. ISBN-10: 0335223710
  • Gary Thomas and Mark Vaughan’s ‘Inclusive Education: readings and reflections’, published 2004 by Open University Press. ISBN-10: 0335207243
  • Julia Allan and Roger Slee’s ‘Doing Inclusive Education Research (Studies in Inclusive Education)’, published in 2008 by Sense Publishers. ISBN-10: 9087904177 *This is an important book with chapters by many leading authors in Disability Studies in Education, in which they reflect on some of the challenges associated with researching in the area of inclusive education.
  • Lani Florian and Margaret J. McLaughlin’s Edited Collection ‘Disability Classification in Education: Issues and Perspectives’, published in 2008 by Corwin. ISBN-10: 1412938775
  • Lani Florian, Kristine Black-Hawkins and Martyn Rouse’s ‘Achievement and Inclusion in Schools’, published 2016 by Routledge. ISBN-10: 1138809012
  • Len Barton and Felicity Armstrong’s Edited Collection ‘Policy, Experience and Change: Cross-Cultural Reflections on Inclusive Education’, published 2009 by Springer. ISBN-10: 1402087314
  • Len Barton’s Professorial Lecture
  • Peter Clough and Len Barton’s Edited Collection ‘Articulating with Difficulty: Research Voices in Inclusive Education’, published 1998 by Sage. ISBN-10: 1853964107
  • Roger Slee’s ‘The Irregular School. Exclusion, schooling and inclusive education’, published 2010 by Routledge. ISBN-10: 0415479908

Extended reading list

  • Allen, J. 1999: Actively Seeking Inclusion. Lewes: Taylor Francis Group.
  • Allen, J. 2007:  Rethinking Inclusive Education: The Philosophers of Difference in Practice, Dordrecht: Springer  
  • Alderson, P. and Goodey, C. 1998: Enabling Education: experiences in special and ordinary schools. London: The Tuffnel Press.
  • Armstrong, F and Moore, M. 2004: Action Research for Inclusive Education: Changing Places, Changing Practices, Changing Minds, London: Routledge/Farmer.
  • Barnes, C. 2007: Disability, Higher Education and the Inclusive Society, The British Journal of Sociology of Education, 28, (1): 135-145.
  • Barton, L. (ed.) 1988: The Politics of Special Educational Needs. Lewes: Falmer.
  • Barton, L. 2001: Disability, Education and Inclusion: Cross Cultural Issues and Dilemmas. In G. L. Albrecht et al. (eds) Handbook of Disability Studies. Thousand Oaks, CA.: Sage.
  • Barton, L. and Armstrong, F. 2007: (eds) Policy Experience and Change: Cross Cultural Reflections on Inclusive Education. Dordrecht, The Netherlands: Springer.
  • Beckett, A.E. 2009: Challenging disabling attitudes, building an inclusive society: considering the role of education in encouraging non-disabled children to develop positive attitudes towards disabled people, British Journal of Sociology of Education. 30 (3): 317-329.
  • Beckett, A.E. and Buckner, L. 2012: Promoting positive attitudes towards disabled people: definition of, rationale and prospects for anti-disablist education, British Journal of Sociology of Education. 33 (6): 873-891.
  • Beckett, A.E. 2013: Non-disabled children’s ideas about disability and disabled people, British Journal of Sociology of Education. 35 (6): 856-875.
  • Beckett, A.E. 2013: Anti-oppressive Pedagogy and Disability: Possibilities and Challenges, Scandinavian Journal of Disability Research. 17 (1): 76-94.
  • Bradley, J. et al. 1994: Students with Disabilities and/or Learning Difficulties in Further Education: A Review of the Research. Slough: National Federation for Educational Research.
  • Christensen, C. and Rizvi, F. (eds) 1996: Disability and the Dilemmas of Education and Justice. Buckingham: Open University Press.
  • Cook, T. et al. 2001: Voices from Segregated Schooling; towards an inclusive education system, Disability and Society, 16 (2): 293-310.
  • Corbett, J. 1996: Bad Mouthing: The Language of Special Needs. Lewes: Falmer.
  • Corbett, J. 1998: Special Educational Needs in the Twentieth Century: A Cultural Analysis. London: Cassell.
  • Corbett, J. 2001a: Supporting Inclusive Education – a connected pedagogy. London: Routledge.
  • Corbett, J. 2001b: Teaching approaches which support inclusive education: a connective pedagogy. British journal of special education. 28 (2): 55-59.
  • Dept. of Education & Dept. of Health. 2015: Special Educational Needs and Disability Code of Practice 0-25 years. [Accessed 17.1.17]
  • Dyson, A. 2001: Special needs in the twenty-first century: where we’ve been and where we’re going. British journal of special education. 28 (1): 27-28.
  • Florian, L. (ed.) 2007: The Sage Handbook of Special Education, London: Sage.
  • Florian, L. & Linklater, H. 2010: Preparing Teachers for Inclusive Education: Using Inclusive Pedagogy to Enhance Teaching and Learning for All. Cambridge Journal of Education. 40 (4): 369-386.
  • Frederickson, N, and Cline, T. 2002: Special Educational Needs, inclusion and Diversity: A Textbook, Buckingham: The Open University.
  • French, S. (ed) 2006:  An Oral History of the Education of Visually Impaired People, Lampeter: The Edwin Mellen Press.
  • Fulcher, G. 1989: Disabling Policies? A Comparative Approach to Education Policy and Disability. Lewes: Falmer.
  • Fuller, M. et al. (eds) 2009: Improving Disabled Students’ Learning: Experiences and Outcomes, London: Routledge.
  • Greenstein, A. 2013: Is this inclusion? Lessons from a very ‘special’ unit. International Journal of Inclusive Education.  18 (4): 379-391.
  • Goodley, D. 2007: Towards socially just pedagogies: Deleuzoguattarian critical disability studies. International Journal of Inclusive Education. 11 (3): 317-334.
  • Haines, S. and Ruebain, D. (eds) 2011: Education, Disability and Social Policy, Bristol: Policy Press.
  • Hart, S. 1996: Beyond Special Needs: Enhancing Children’s Learning Through Innovative Thinking. London: Paul Chapman.
  • Hodkinson, A. & Vickerman, P. 2009: Key issues in special educational needs and inclusion. London: Sage.
  • Hornby, G. 2015: Inclusive education: development of a new theory for the education of children with special educational needs and disabilities. British Journal of Special Education. 42 (3): 234-256.
  • Jassi, A. 2013: Can I tell you about OCD?: a guide for friends, family, and professionals. London: Jessica Kingsley. (Part of a series about specific impairments, presented from the child’s perspective – other titles deal with dyslexia, stammering, ADHD, Asperger syndrome etc).
  • Jenkinson, J. 1997: Mainstream or Special? Educating students with disabilities. London: Routledge.
  • Jones, P. 2005: Inclusion: lessons from the children. British journal of special education. 32 (2): 60-65.
  • Jones, P. 2014: Bringing insider perspectives into inclusive teacher learning: potentials and challenges for educational professionals. London: Routledge.
  • Jordan, L. and Goodey, C. 1996: Human Rights and Social Change. Bristol: Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education.
  • Lindsay, G. 2003: Inclusive education: a critical perspective. British Journal of Special Education. 30 (1): 3-12.
  • Louchlan, F. & Grieg, S. 2015: Education inclusion in England: origins, perspectives and current directions. Support for Learning. 30 (1): 2-84.
  • Madriaga, M., Goodley, D., Hodge, N. and Martin, N. 2008: Enabling transition into higher education for students with Asperger Syndrome. Project Report. Higher Education Academy. Available online (02/12.17)
  • Mitchell, D. 2004: Special Educational Needs and inclusive Education: major themes in education. London: Routledge
  • Mitchell, D. 2014: What really works in special and inclusive education: using evidence-based teaching strategies. 2nd ed. London: Routledge.
  • Moore, M. and Slee, R. 2012: Disability studies, inclusive education and exclusion, in: Watson, N., Roulstone, A. and Thomas, C. (eds) Routledge Handbook of Disability Studies. London: Routledge.
  • Nind, M. et al, 2008: Inclusive Education: Diverse perspectives, London: David Fulton in association with the Open University.
  • Norwich, B. 1994: Segregation and Inclusion: English LEA Statistics 1988-92. Bristol: Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education.
  • Nutbrown, C. & Clough, P. 2006: Inclusion in the early years: critical analyses and enabling narratives. London: Sage.
  • Oliver, M. 2000: Decoupling Education from the Economy in a Capitalist Society. (Available at: http://www.disability-archive.leeds.ac.uk/)
  • OFSTED. 2004: Special educational needs and disability: towards inclusive schools. London: Ofsted.
  • Parker, V. and Myers, L. 1996: The Disabled Student in Higher Education: funding matters, Critical Social Policy/ 44/45, Autumn, 193-201.
  • Pantić, N. & Florian, L. 2015: Developing teachers as agents of inclusion and social justice. Education Inquiry. 6(3): 333-351.
  • Power, E. 2010: Guerrilla Mum: surviving the special educational needs jungle. London: Jessica Kingsley.
  • Rae, A. 1997: Bolton Data for Inclusion; survivors from the special school system. (Available at: http://www.disability-archive.leeds.ac.uk/)
  • Review of Disability Studies 2005: Forum ‘Disability Studies Meets Special Education, Review of Disability Studies, 1 (3): 3-53. (Available at: http://www.rds.hawaii.edu/downloads/)
  • Riddell, S. 1996: Theorising Special Educational Needs in a Changing Political Climate. In L. Barton (ed.) Disability and Society: emerging issues and insights. London: Longman.
  • Riddell, S. and Brown, S. (eds) 1994: Special Educational Needs Policy in the 1990s: Warnock in the Market Place. London: Routledge.
  • Riddell, S. et al. 2005: Disabled Students in Higher Education: Perspectives on widening access and changing policy. London: Routledge.
  • Rieser, R. 2008: Implementing Inclusive Education: A Commonwealth Guide to Implementing Article 24 of the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities. London: Commonwealth Secretariat.
  • Runswick-Cole, K. and Hodge, N. 2009: Needs or rights? A challenge to the discourse of special education. British Journal of Special Education. 36 (4): 198–203.
  • Rustemier, S. and Vaughan, M. 2005: Segregation Trends – LEAs in England 2002-2004. Placement of pupils with statements in special schools and other segregated settings. Bristol: Centre for Studies in Inclusive Education.
  • Sandow, S. 1995: Whose Special Need: Some Perspectives of Special Educational Needs. London: Paul Chapman.
  • Skrtic, T. (ed) 1995: Disability and Democracy: Reconstructing (Special) Education for Post Modernity. London: Teachers College Press.
  • Thacker, J., Strudwick, D. and Babbedge, E. 2002: Educating children with emotional and behavioural difficulties: inclusive practice in mainstream schools. London: Routledge.
  • Tomlinson, S. 1982: A Sociology of Special Education. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul.
  • Tomlinson, S. (ed.) 1994: Education Reform and its Consequences. London: IPPR.
  • Tomlinson, S 1995: Machine and Professional Bureaucracies: barriers to inclusive education. (Available at: http://www.disability-archive.leeds.ac.uk/)
  • Tomlinson, S. 1996: Conflicts and Dilemmas for Professionals in Special Education. In C. Christensen and F. Rizvi (eds) Disability and the Dilemmas of Education and Justice. Buckingham: Open University Press.
  • Tomlinson, S. 2001: Education in a Post Welfare Society. Buckingham: Open University Press.
  • Thrupp, M. and Tomlinson, S. (eds) 2005: Education Policy and Social Justice, London: Routledge.
  • Visser, J. and Upton, G. (eds) 1993: Special Education in Britain after Warnock. London: David Fulton.
  • Vlachou, A. D. 1997: Struggles for Inclusive Education. Milton Keynes: Open University Press.
  • Wade, B. and Moore, M. 1993: Experiencing Special Education: What Young People with Special Education Needs Can Tell Us. Buckingham: Open University Press.
  • Warnock, M. 2005: Special Educational Needs: a new look. London: Philosophy of Education Society of Great Britain.
  • Whittaker, J. 2001: Segregated Special Schools Must Close. (Available at: http://www.disability-archive.leeds.ac.uk/)
  • World Health Organisation/World Bank 2011: Education, chapter 7 in: World Report on Disability, Geneva: World Health Organisation. Chapter 7.
  • UNESCO 1994: The Salamanca Statement and Framework for Action on Special Education, Spain: The United Nations Education Scientific and Cultural Organisation.
  • UNESCO 2005: Guidelines for Inclusion: Ensuring Access to Education for All, Paris: UNESCO.
  • UNESCO 2007: Education for all by 2015: Will we make it? Paris: UNESCO/Oxford University Press.