PARENTAL ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE INCLUSION EDUCATION FOR THEIR DISABLED CHILDREN

The purpose of this study was to examine parents' attitudes toward inclusion for their children with disabilities in general education and to associate their perspectives with parent variables e.g. Sex, education and child variables e.g. age, gender and types of disability. The sample consisted of parents (51 mothers, 68 fathers) of children with disabilities, residing in Hyderabad region. Each parent completed the Attitude Toward Inclusion/ Mainstreaming'' scale (Leyser and Kirk, 2004), composed of 18 items selected and adapted for parent respondents that assess scores for the factors of benefits, satisfaction, teacher ability and inclusion support, and child rights. The results of the study revealed children's age and gender as the factors that mainly influence parents' views regarding inclusion. No differences were noted on the subscales of the questionnaire related to parents' sex, educational level and children's type of disability. Key words: Parents, Attitudes, Inclusion, Children with Disabilities