Equity and Full Participation for Individuals with Severe Disabilities: A Vision for the Future

Martin Agran, Ph.D., is a Professor of Special Education at the University of Northern Iowa. Prior to this, he was a Professor of Special Education at Utah State University. Dr. Agran taught high school students with moderate to severe disabilities, was a Fulbright Scholar in the Czech Republic, and served as a consultant and visiting professor at Herzen University of St. Petersburg University, Russia. Dr. Agran's principal research interests include the education of students with severe disabilities, self-determination, transition, and the preparation of teachers of students with significant instructional needs. He has directed several federally funded grants in these areas. He is the associate editor of Research and Practice in Persons with Severe Disabilities (formerly JASH). He is also on the editorial board of several professional journals, and he is the co-editor, along with Dr. Michael L. Wehmeyer, of the American Association on Mental Retardation's research-to-practice publication, Innovations. He has published extensively in the professional literature and is the author of several books, including Teaching Self-Determination to Students with Disabilities: Basic Skills for Transition with Michael L. Wehmeyer and Carolyn Hughes (Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., 1998), Teaching Problem Solving to Students with Mental Retardation with Michael L. Wehmeyer (American Association on Mental Retardation, 1999), and Student-Directed Learning: Teaching Self-Determination Skills (Brooks/Cole, 1997). Linda M. Bambara, Ed.D., is a professor and program director of special education at Lehigh University where she also directed two university field-based programs serving adults and transition-age youth with developmental disabilities and autism to participate in inclusive community settings. She has been involved with individuals with disabilities for over 35 years as a teacher, teacher trainer, advocate, researcher, and director of research and training projects. As a productive author, she has published numerous books, chapters and articles, including three additional books on positive behavior support. She has served on national boards of professional organizations such as TASH, The Association for Positive Behavior Support, and the editorial boards of six journals. She is former Editor-In-Chief of "Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities. " Christine Bigby, B.A. (Hons), M.SocWk, PhD, is a Lecturer in the Department of Social Work and Social Policy at LaTrobe University in Melbourne, Australia. Matthew E. Brock, M.A. National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorder Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, North Carolina Diane M. Browder, Ph.D., is Snyder Distinguished Professor and doctoral coordinator of Special Education at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Dr. Browder has more than 2 decades of experience with research and writing on assessment and instruction of students with severe disabilities. Recently, she has focused on alternate assessment and linking assessment and instruction to the general curriculum. She is Principal Investigator for an Institute of Education Sciences--funded center with a focus on teaching students with moderate and severe disabilities to read. She is a partner in the National Center on Alternate Assessment and Principal Investigator for Office of Special Education Programs--funded projects on access to the general curriculum. Fredda Brown, Ph.D., is an affiliate of the Institute of Professional Practice in New Haven, Connecticut. Her work focuses on issues and practices for individuals with challenging behavior, with a specific focus on the relationship between challenging b