Self-Determination and the Third Generation of Inclusive Practices

This article proposes that the confluence of pressures brought about by school reform efforts worldwide, advances in research and practices pertaining to self-determination and student-directed learning, and new ways of thinking about and conceptualizing disability are requiring us, as educators, to reconsider our historical approaches and intervention models and to move from creating programs for students based upon their label to the design of truly individualized supports; from creating separate, congregate services to implementing inclusive practices; and from a focus on student incapacities and deficits to a focus on individual strengths. These influences have led to a third generation of inclusive practices. First generation inclusive practices focused on moving students from congregate settings to inclusive classrooms. Second generation inclusive practices focused on developing and validating strategies to support students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms. The third generation inclusive practices turn the focus from where a student is educated to what the student is taught. At the core of the third generation inclusive practices are a focus on promoting and enhancing the self-determination of all students, including students with disabilities and special educational needs; ensuring that the curriculum is universally designed and instruction is flexible for all students; implementing schoolwide interventions that benefit all students, such as positive behavior supports; and creating a vision for schools that include all students. Research suggests that implementing third generation inclusive practices enables students to achieve greater access to the general education curriculum and will lead to more positive educational and adult outcomes and empower students by enabling them to direct their own lives more effectively. Similarly, research shows that students who leave school as selfdetermined young people achieve more positive adult outcomes and attain a better quality of life and higher lifestyle satisfaction.