The Salamanca Statement (UNESCO, 1994) is a political document that defends principles of an inclusive education (Clark, Dyson, Millward, & Skidmore, 1997). According to it, every student has the right to develop according to his/her potentialities and to develop the competencies that will allow him/her to participate in society. To achieve this goal, the school system has the responsibility of offering a quality education to all its students, one adapted to the unique needs of each. Although its importance is widely acknowledged, the inclusion principle is not an uncontroversial theme (Clark et al., 1997; Dyson & Millward, 2000; Feiler & Gibson, 1999; Hornby, 1999; Thomas & Loxley, 2001). Many who oppose it point out the difficulty of offering the same quality education to diverse students presenting a wide variety of learning needs and characteristics (Feiler & Gibson, 1999; Hornby, 1999). Those who defend the inclusion principle stress that in order for the school system to care for the needs of a heterogeneous population, it has to undergo huge transformations, notably by becoming more flexible in its structures, organization, and curriculum and also by diversifying strategies, methods, and materials (Ainscow, 1999; Clark et al., 1997; Dyson & Millward, 2000; Thomas & Loxley, 2001). In regard to education of deaf students, inclusion is especially controversial (Corker, 1994; Giorcelli, 2004; Lynas, 2002; Marschark, Young, & Lukomski, 2002; Powers, 1996, 2002). Inevitably, language and identity issues emerge as central points needing extensive consideration. Many who oppose deaf inclusion note the difficulty of developing a sign language and a positive identity for these students within a dominant hearing context. Further hurdles include the lack of fully sign bilingual teachers and the inadequate training of regular schoolteachers for teaching deaf students, as well as the social integration problems and difficulties the deaf students have trying to keep up with the same classroom rhythm as their hearing peers (Cohen, 1994; Corker, 1994; Garretson, 2001; Johnson, Liddell, & Erting, 1989; National Association of the Deaf, 2002; Stinson & Lang, 1994). However, the debate about inclusion has evolved, and it is now acknowledged that issues of physical placement must be distinguished from issues related to the social and emotional environment (Powers, 1996, 2002). More important than physical school placement issues, the educational system as a whole has to find solutions adapted to the characteristics of deaf students that will allow them to develop not only linguistically but also emotionally, socially, and academically (Antia, Stinson, & Gaustad, 2002; Giorcelli, 2004; Lynas, 2002; Powers, 2002). These issues are important to attend to when planning for the education of deaf students, and they become even more important if we take into consideration the Deaf community’s overall educational situation. No conflicts of interest were reported. Correspondence should be sent to Sofia Freire, Centro de Investigac xao em Educac xao, Faculdade de Ciencias da Universidade de Lisboa, Edificio C6—Piso 1, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisboa, Portugal (e-mail: sofia_freire@netcabo.pt).