Disputable Decisions in Special Education

Written by William M. Cruickshank, one of the pioneers in special education, this collection of thirteen separate essays approaches significant problems in the field from philosophical, administrative, and semiautobiographical points of view, provoking discussion of some seemingly irreconcilable issues and providing some hard-hitting solutions. Mainstreaming and noncategorical education are particular concerns of Cruickshank, as are such separate issues as human sexuality for the disabled, self-contained classes for the mentally retarded and for gifted children, and the role of the disciplines in special education, as well as the fears, the guilt feelings, and the rejection of the handicapped by "normal" society. The book is filled with issues that should form the basis of much discussion and argument and, hopefully, solutions.