Bridging two worlds: special education and curriculum policy

In a report to the Aotearoa New Zealand Ministry of Education entitled Curriculum Policy and Special Education Support (2004 Ministry of Education. 2004. Curriculum/Marautanga project, Wellington: Ministry of Education. Issue 1 [Google Scholar]), the team of writers noted the lack of collaboration between experts in these two fields. This paper explores the apparently separate worlds of special education and curriculum policy in order to develop an understanding of where are the intersections, near misses and black holes. The experiences of the present authors, as education professionals in the two fields, are used to illustrate these gradually merging worlds. Discourses in special education are explored along with the need for new directions in curriculum developments for children with disabilities that disrupt current boundaries. The authors see possibilities in policy aims and practices; they have found (and participated in) attempts to reach out across the divides.