What definitions and sources do you have for Special Education and Higher Education?

Shane Getler: Here is an exerpt from NICHCY (National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, formerly National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities):"What is special education?Special education is instruction that is specially designed to meet the unique needs of children who have disabilities......Over 5 million children ages 6 through 21 receive special education and related services each year in the United States. Each of these children receives instruction that is specially designed:to meet the child's unique needs (that result from having a disability); and to help the child learn the information and skills that other children are learning. This definition of special education comes from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).Who is eligible for special education?Certain children with disabilities are eligible for special education and related services. The IDEA provides a definition of a "child with a disability."! This law lists 13 different disability categories under which a child may be found eligible for special education and related services. These categories are:Autism Deafness Deaf-blindness Hearing impairment Mental retardation Multiple disabilities Orthopedic impairment Other health impairment Serious emotional disturbance Specific learning disability Speech or language impairment Traumatic brain injury Visual impairment, including blindness."Note that this answer summarizes the IDEA, which is United States federal law. That seems to be a pretty definitive answer to what Special Education means in the US. (And while it is true that many states include education of Gifted Children as a Special Education category, there is no federal mandate to provide special services to gifted students, so there is less of a case to include Gifted Education in the Special Education category.)I don't believe that there is a legal definition of "higher education" in the US, but the Britanni! ca Concise Encyclopedia defines higher education as:"Study bey! ond the level of secondary education. Institutions of higher education include not only colleges and universities but also professional schools in such fields as law, theology, medicine, business, music, and art. They also include teacher-training schools, community colleges, and institutes of technology. At the end of a prescribed course of study, a degree, diploma, or certificate is awarded. See also continuing education."I think that most of us in the US would agree with this definition.I suspect that most of the misplaced questions in the Yahoo Answers! Special Education category are due to the fact that people don't understand how Special Education is defined....Show more