Teaching Students with Special Needs in Inclusive Settings

Tom E. C. Smith is currently Dean of the College of Education and Health Professions, and University Professor of Special Education at the University of Arkansas. He has been on the faculties of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, University of Alabama at Birmingham, and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Prior to receiving his Ed. D. from Texas Tech University, he taught children with intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, and autism at the elementary and secondary levels. President Clinton appointed him to three terms on the President's Committee on Mental Retardation. He has served as the Executive Director of the Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities of the Council for Exceptional Children since 1996. His current professional interests focus on teacher education and legal issues and special education. Edward A. Polloway is the Rosel H. Schewel Professor of Education and Human Development at Lynchburg College in Virginia, where he has taught since 1976. He also serves as Vice President for Community Advancement and Dean of Graduate Studies. He received his doctoral degree from the University of Virginia and his undergraduate degree from Dickinson College in Pennsylvania. He has served twice as president of the Division on Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities  of the Council for Exceptional Children and also on the board of directors of the Council for Learning Disabilities. He also served on the committee that developed the 1992 definition of mental retardation for the American Association on Intellectual Disabilities. He is the author of 20 books and over 100 articles n the field of special education with primary interests in the areas of learning disabilities and intellectual disabilities.  James R. Patton is an Educational Consultant and Adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Austin. He received his Ed. D. from the University of Virginia. He is a former high school biology teacher and elementary-level special education resource teacher. He has also taught students who were gifted and those who were gifted/learning disabled. His professional interests include transition, life skills instruction, adult issues related to individuals with special needs, behavior intervention planning, and classroom accommodations. He has served on national boards of the Division on Developmental Disabilities, the Council for Learning Disabilities, and the National Joint Committee on Learning Disabilities.  Carol A. Dowdy is Professor Emerita of Special Education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she has taught since receiving her Ed. D. degree from the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. She has written eight books on special education and published 34 articles on learning disabilities. She has served on the national board of the Council for Learning Disabilities and the Professional Advisory Board for the Learning Disabilities Association of America, and she has worked closely with the federal department of Vocational Rehabilitation to assist in their efforts to better serve adults with learning disabilities.