Education for Adolescents with Disabilities: Curriculum and Placement Issues

The seminal works by Dunn (1968) and Deno (1970) have had a significant effect on the field of special education. Although the emphasis of these two papers was by no means limited to issues concerning placement, nevertheless, much of their influence has been in regard to the issue of where students with disabilities should be educated. The literature in the field for the quarter century since publication of these two articles has been replete with papers advocating for various placement options. This emphasis on placement has often resulted in somewhat diminished attention to important questions concerning the content of educational programs. In particular, curricular concerns warrant paramount attention for adolescents who have disabilities. This concern is reinforced by the literature on adult outcomes, which paints a rather pessimistic picture of adult adjustment for students exiting from special education programs. Therefore, we contend that issues of educational service delivery should be secondary to an emphasis on outcomes and the nature of the curriculum. In particular, the curriculum for all students in the secondary schools should provide multiple pathways that emphasize the development of skills and opportunities to become productive citizens with a reasonable opportunity to enjoy a positive quality of life. The paper also discusses current and emerging curricular models for students with mild disabilities, which are related to our concern for successful adult adjustment.