Basic Skills Agency
http://www.basic-skills.co.uk/
This is the website of the National Development Agency for Basic Skills. The Basic Skills Agency's aim is to promote continuing improvement in the basic skills of the population of England and Wales. This includes the ability to read, write, and speak in English (or Welsh) and have a sufficient knowledge of mathematics. The site contains information on innovatory demonstration projects funded by the Agency; a listing of resources provided by the Agency, including a list of publications and the full-text of a quarterly magazine; and also details of research into basic skills problems commissioned by the Agency. There are further links to information relating to primary schools, secondary schools, further and adult education, family literacy and numeracy.
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Bercow Review
http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/bercowreview/
The Bercow Review was an independent review of services for children and young people with speech, language and communication needs (SLCN). It was set-up in September 2007 and conducted by Conservative MP John Bercow. It concludes that communication is crucial; early identification and intervention are essential; a continuum of services designed around the family is needed; joint working is critical; and the current system is characterised by high variability and a lack of equity. The website includes the full and interim reports (with Executive Summaries), and a researchers report providing an academic analysis of the issues. The site also features details on the process of the review, its terms of reference, the Government response and links to some of the evidence gathering events commissioned by the review. Most of the documents are available as PDF files.
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British Association of Teachers of the Deaf (BATOD)
http://www.batod.org.uk/
The British Association of Teachers of the Deaf (BATOD) is the professional association representing the interests of teachers of deaf children and young people in the United Kingdom. Their website provides links to information about the Association, articles and publications, a calendar of upcoming events, situations vacant and contact information.
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British Journal of Special Education 
http://www.wiley.com/bw/journal.asp?ref=0952-3383
The British Journal of Special Education is a peer reviewed journal published on behalf of the National Association for Special Educational Needs (NASEN). The journal covers the whole range of Special Educational Needs and levels of education. It is aimed at practitioners, teachers, researchers and administrators in the UK and overseas. Full text articles are available via subscription only and users should check with their institutions to see if they have subscribed.
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Center for Applied Special Technology
http://www.cast.org/
CAST was founded in 1984 as an educational organization that uses technology to expand learning opportunities for all. CAST uses what it terms as a Universal Design for Learning. This involves making learning materials accessible by all through the use of computer technology. Original research on learning by members of CAST is available as full-text on line. Links to other educational resources are available. This is a very informative and well constructed site. All aspects of access to education are covered for the physically disabled and those who are blind, deaf, dyslexic, gifted etc.
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Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education (CSIE)
http://www.csie.org.uk/
The Centre for Studies on Inclusive Education (CSIE) was established in 1982 and is an independent charity that promotes inclusive education as a basic human right of every child. CSIE activities include lobbying and campaigning, research, training, consultancy and dissemination of information. The Centre produces a range of publications, many of which are free. A significant aspect of CSIE's work involves supporting the education
of all disabled children in their local mainstream school.
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Children and Adults with Attention- Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders
http://www.chadd.org/
CHADD is an American non-profit, parent-based organisation offering family support and advocacy, public and professional education and encouragement of scientific research into attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders (AD/HD). It also sponsors a national annual conference, offers information on teaching and treatment and organizes local chapters for immediate support.
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Council for Exceptional Children
http://www.cec.sped.org/
The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) is an international professional organization dedicated to improving educational outcomes for individuals with exceptionalities, students with disabilities, and/or the gifted. CEC advocates for appropriate governmental policies, sets professional standards, provides continual professional development, advocates for newly and historically underserved individuals with exceptionalities, and helps professionals obtain conditions and resources necessary for effective professional practice. The official website features; the CEC mission statement and beliefs, details of their award schemes and recent recipients, their membership and history, the make up of executive and non-executive committees, how to join now, CEC job bank, publications and projects, ERIC clearinghouse on disabilities and gifted education, discussion forums, professional standards for educators and how to gain accreditation for achieving them, a fully updated summary of all public policy and legislation relating to the education and welfare of exceptional and gifted children, a link to the IDEA practices website, details of the Foundation for Special Children and a list of their recent award winners and a calendar of CEC training programs and events.
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Down Syndrome Educational Trust
http://www.downsed.org/
The Down Syndrome Educational Trust is a UK based registered charity that undertakes research into the development and education of individuals with Down syndrome. The Trust builds on its work and disseminates the results of its research by publishing practical information about Down syndrome, organising conferences and workshops, and providing advice and consultancy services. The Trust's website has areas devoted to information about the organisation, news and events, past and present research activities, its services, and publications. The publishing pages include links to a variety of teaching materials, information packs, and journal articles, many of which are available in full online.
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Dyslexia Action
http://www.dyslexiaaction.org.uk/
The Dyslexia Action is an educational organisation which conducts research and provides information about dyslexia to parents, teachers and other education professionals working in the field of Special Educational Needs. Their website contains information about the key objectives of the organisation which are in the areas of assessment, teaching and teacher training. The website also contains full-text articles about the diagnosis and assessment of dyslexia in children, details of training programmes for teachers, information pages on support for dyslexic adults and contact details for their regional information centres in the UK.
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Early Childhood Research Institute on Measuring Growth and Development (ECRI-MGD)
http://cehd.umn.edu/ceed/projects/ecri/
This site provides background information on research and activities of the Early Childhood Research Institute on Measuring Growth and Development (ECRI-MGD)project launched by the Universities of Minnesota, Kansas and Oregon in October 1996. The project is designed to produce an individualized measurement system for children with disabilities from birth to eight years and their families. The system focuses on both the individual child's growth and development and the assessment of educational environments.
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Enabling Education Network (EENET)
http://www.eenet.org.uk/
"The Enabling Education Network (EENET) has been set up to establish an information-sharing network aimed at supporting and promoting the inclusion of marginalised groups in education world wide". It was initiated by Save the Children Fund (UK) and is based at the Centre for Educational Needs, University of Manchester. EENET is committed to the practice of integrated/ inclusive education and seeks to prioritise the needs of countries, organisations and individuals who lack access to basic information and resources. The website contains resources that focus on a number of 'key issues', several bibliographies, access to a range of original articles concerning theory and practice, and the Network's own newsletter, available in both HTML and PDF file formats.
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European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education
http://www.european-agency.org/
The European Agency for Development in Special Needs Education (EADSNE) is an independent, self-governing institution, established with support from the Ministries of Education in the participating EU countries. The main objective of the Agency is to work towards the creation of a coherent and permanent framework for extended European cooperation in the field of special needs education. Available on this website are: news, events information, brief standardised information on special needs education in each of the countries.
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Inclusive science and special educational needs
http://www.issen.org.uk/
These are the web pages of the Inclusive Science and Special Educational Needs project, a collaboration between the Association for Science Education (ASE) and the National Association for Special Educational Needs (NASEN), which is being funded by the DCSF. There are links to the project aims and policy statements, a resources database, published articles relevant to science and special needs (a selection are downloadable), web links (special needs and teaching science) and to details of a developing email group and other opportunities. Details of how to order a copy of the Social Inclusion edition of the School Science Review are also given.
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Inclusive Technology
http://www.inclusive.co.uk/
Inclusive Technology is a company that specialises in aids for learners with special educational needs, i.e., physical disability, sensory impairment or learning difficulty. The company develop and sell a range of software programs, computer access devices, simple communication aids and other assistive technology. The site includes access to an online catalogue, company reports, and a selection of special needs articles and information resources. As well as Inclusive Technology's own products the site also provides access to products from other similar companies.
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inclusive-education mailing list archive
http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/inclusive-education.html
The site for inclusive-education is a JISCmail mailing list that sims to be "a research colloquium in the field of inclusive education, integration / mainstreaming and special educational needs". Archives of messages are available back to 1998.
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Independent Panel for Special Education Advice (IPSEA)
http://www.ipsea.org.uk/
The Independent Panel for Special Education Advice (IPSEA), gives information on special educational needs legislation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. News bulletins on various UK Government initiatives to do with Special Educational Needs are available. A self-help guide and new publications are also found here.
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International Dyslexia Association (IDA)
http://interdys.org/
"IDA (formerly The Orton Dyslexia Society) is an international non-profit, scientific and educational organization dedicated to the study and treatment of dyslexia ... IDA works nationally and locally on issues such as legislation, public awareness, research, public information, and education." The site includes definitions and accounts of dyslexia, conferences, technology, lists of publications and research.
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International Special Education Congress (ISEC) 2000
http://www.isec2000.org.uk/
The International Special Education Congress (ISEC) 2000, was held in Manchester 24-28 July, 2000. Over 200 presentations from the conference are now online and the website includes background to ISEC, vision, speakers and keynote addresses, the conference programme and associated websites. The papers cover the full range of Special Education topics and contexts. About half of the entries contain the full text of papers, the remainder are abstracts, with a few summaries of panel sessions also included.
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Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs
http://www.wiley.com/bw/journal.asp?ref=1471-3802
Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs is a refereed online publication of NASEN, the United Kingdom's National Association for Special Educational Needs. It is an international forum for the dissemination of research on special educational needs, publishing papers from a wide range of disciplines by authors coming from many different countries. The journal has been published since 2001 and appears three times per year. Users will need to have access to an institution that subscribes to the journal.
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JP Das Developmental Disabilities Centre
http://www.ualberta.ca/~jpdasddc/INDEX.html
A research centre, based at the University of Alberta in Canada, whose activities include: research, student training, publication, and selected clinical services for children and adults with learning difficulties and other disorders that affect learning and originate in childhood. Research topics include: the nature of cognitive processes; assessment of cognitive abilities as an alternative to intelligence assessment; the nature and measurement of reading and writing disabilities; the decline in intellectual functions of individuals with Down syndrome due to ageing; and attention and attention-deficit disorders. The site contains abstracts of articles and papers; detailed listings of resources on inclusive education; and a section on ethical issues and people with disabilities.
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Lamb enquiry : special educational needs and parental confidence
http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/lambinquiry/
The Lamb Enquiry was set up to by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) to look at "the most effective ways of increasing parental confidence in the SEN assessment process". Brian Lamb is the Chair of the Special Educational Consortium and he has reported on areas such as, the quality and clarity of (SEN) statements; inspection, accountability and school improvement; and review of SEN and disability information. The consultation process included online surveys of parents, students, school staff and SEN professionals, that were analysed by the Institute of Education and the University of Warwick. The website includes details of the terms of reference of the Inquiry, the expert advisers group, related documents and updates about the progress of the Inquiry.
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Language needs or special needs? The assessment of learning difficulties in literacy among children learning English as an additional language: a literature review
http://publications.dcsf.gov.uk/default.aspx?PageFunction=productdetails&Pa
This report, written by Tony Cline and Tatheer Shamsi from the University of Luton provides information about recent research into literacy assessment for pupils learning English as an additional language (EAL). A central feature of the report is the identification of assessment strategies which distinguish between literacy problems which are due to EAL and those which are due to specific learning difficulties. Key issues addressed in the report include: the application of general principles of assessment to children learning English as an additional language; a consideration of the staffing requirements needed to address EAL literacy issues; the use of the home language in pupil assessment; ways to accommodate the needs of children learning EAL within the National Literacy Strategy.
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Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA)
http://www.ldaamerica.org/
Learning Disabilities Association of America (LDA) was formed in 1964 by a group of parents of children with learning difficulties. It is non-profit-making and is composed of individuals with learning difficulties, family members and concerned professionals. Its functions include education, research, legal assistance, dissemination of information, and promoting career opportunities. All these are represented on the website, as are an inventory of books and materials on the subject, and some articles from recent news updates.
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National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC)
http://www.nagc.org/
The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) is a not-for-profit organization of parents, educators, other professionals and community leaders whose mission is to "address the unique needs of children and youth with demonstrated gifts and talents as well as those children who may be able to develop their talent potential with appropriate educational experiences." Their website provides information about books, videos, research reports, quarterly magazines and newsletters published by the NAGC as well as and details of how to apply for membership of the organisation. Full membership includes discounted rates on NAGC journals such as the Gifted Child Quarterly and Parenting for High Potential.
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