Defining Access to the General Curriculum for High School Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities

Abstract

The term “access to the general curriculum” is widely used in the field of special education, yet little is known about how practitioners are interpreting the term for high school students with significant cognitive disabilities (SCD). In this study, general and special educators in one high school were interviewed to determine their definition of access for students with SCD. General educators most frequently defined access as receiving the same curriculum and materials as students without disabilities in the general education classroom with support from a special educator or paraprofessional. In contrast, most special educators defined access as access to an adapted curriculum that is relevant to the student's life and meets the student's individual needs.