Teachers’ Views on the Right to Participate of Children with Special Needs at School

This study aims to determine teachers' views on the participation of children with special needs at school. The study group for this research, which employed a case study as one of the qualitative research methods, consisted of 20 teachers working in special education and rehabilitation centres in a city centre in the inner Aegean region of Turkey. The semi-structured “Teacher Interview Form” developed by the researcher was used as a data collection tool. Content analysis was used to analyze the data obtained from the study. As a result of the current study, teachers stated that children with special needs should have equal rights with typically developing children. Teachers noted that factors such as attitude, social environment, and teachers themselves strongly support the participation of children with special needs the most. In contrast, factors such as insufficient family knowledge, insufficient family support, family rejection, and high expectations hinder participation. Some of the teachers stated that they found children’s participation in classroom activities at high and medium levels. Furthermore, it was concluded that teachers used methods such as child-centered practices, reinforcers, organization in the learning environment, providing options, family education, and communication to support the participation of children with special needs.