Teaching Students with Disabilities Who Access the General Curriculum: A Historical Perspective

As the field celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), it is important to recognize the progress made in ensuring that students with disabilities have access to meaningful educational opportunities and improved outcomes. Effective instruction is at the heart of special education and meaningful access. In this article, we argue that effective instruction is complex and difficult, but much progress has been made. We trace the evolution of thinking about instruction for students with disabilities who access the general curriculum from the focus on psychological processes to evidence-based and high-leverage practices. We describe four themes around major advances and practice changing innovations: (1) specially designed instruction built on access to the general education curriculum, (2) a special education research base developing effective instructional components, (3) consensus around high-leverage practices, and (4) data collection acknowledged as a critical component of instruction. We conclude with implications and ideas for the future.