Advancing Inclusive Education: Policies, Practices and Cultural Shifts

Dear Colleagues,

Inclusive education scholars have long documented the barriers faced by students with disabilities. These barriers manifest in exclusionary policies, inaccessible curricula, segregated educational placements, and institutional ableism, which limit opportunities for students with disabilities to engage in educational experiences fully. Despite progress in awareness and advocacy, many educational systems struggle to implement truly inclusive practices that address structural and cultural challenges.

Recently, the focus has shifted from identifying barriers to examining strategies promoting meaningful inclusion. In this Special Issue, we seek to highlight research that explores the intersection of policy, practice, and cultural change in fostering inclusive education. Under what conditions do educational policies support meaningful inclusion? How are educators and institutions adapting curricula and learning environments to support students with disabilities? What role does societal and cultural change play in sustaining inclusive practices?

This Special Issue of Social Sciences invites manuscripts on, but not limited to, the following topics:

• The impact of policy changes on disability inclusion in education.
• Innovative curricular approaches that support disabilities and diverse learning needs.
• Strategies for addressing ableism and fostering systemic change in schools.
• The role of educators and institutions in promoting inclusive practices.
• Comparative studies of inclusive education across different educational systems.

We welcome manuscripts from across education and social sciences, using a variety of methodological approaches.

Dr. Jessica McQueston
Dr. Joseph A. Hogan
Dr. James C. Coviello
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Social Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.