Culture in Special Education : Building Reciprocal Family-Professional Relationships

With personal anecdotes, case examples, and detailed theoretical discussions, this research-based book brings to light the potential impact of imbedded and often unrecognized cultural assumptions that influence family-professional interactions in special education.
Written by authors who grew up outside the United States of America, this text helps preservice and in-service professionals analyze the cultural assumptions that underlie special education policy and practice. Educators will come to understand the importance of developing education plans that will enhance children's learning and accommodate their cultural beliefs. This textbook also offers a framework - the posture of cultural reciprocity - for undergraduate and graduate students to identify the personal and professional values they bring to interactions with culturally diverse families of children with disabilities.

Maya Kalyanpur, Ph.D. is Assistant Professor, Department of Reading, Special Education and Technology, Towson University, Maryland.