THE IDEA OF COLLABORATION IN SPECIAL-EDUCATION - AN INTROSPECTIVE EXAMINATION OF PARADIGMS AND PROMISE

The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA; Public Law 105- 17) outlines how special educators should provide a free appropriate p ublic education to students with disabilities. The idea and practice o f collaboration is inherent throughout IDEA. In this article I explore to what extent special educators are expected to collaborate with oth er colleagues and families using the tenets of IDEA as a context. Curr ent practices involving both direct and indirect forms of service deli very are described, coupled with a discussion of challenges associated with collaboration. I conclude the article with a discussion of futur e directions to promote greater collaboration in serving students and in interacting with colleagues from related disciplines.