Welcome to AERA’s Special and Inclusive Education Research SIG! 

We are a collaborative and welcoming community of researchers dedicated to promoting positive outcomes for the diverse population of students receiving special education services. Specifically, our focus includes studying and sharing knowledge on access, equity, and progress for individuals with disabilities. We promote the study and dissemination of topics, research-based practices, theoretical frameworks, and research methodologies which advance inclusive opportunities, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency throughout the lifespan. 

Through the 2024-2025 academic year, we aim to think critically about what the 2025 annual meeting theme, Research, Remedy, and Repair: Toward Just Education Renewal, means for the field of special and inclusive education. We will do this through programming that helps our members consider how special and inclusive education researchers work toward their common goal of improving experiences and outcomes for all students and addressing societal challenges through interdisciplinary research. We hope to highlight the need to reflect on historical efforts to repair educational inequity by advocating for policies, practices, and pedagogies that promote inclusive education and address systemic barriers for students with disabilities. As a community, we will continue to engage in research efforts that center on equity, justice, and the empowerment of individuals with disabilities. 

In terms of SIG membership, we plan to continue expanding mentorship opportunities for graduate student members, and to use our committee space to build opportunities and networking. Our SIG presently has two committees: a graduate student committee and the Neurodiversity and Autism Research in Education Committee (NAREC). Members are encouraged to reach out to SIG leadership to get involved and/or to suggest additional committee formation. In the upcoming years, our goal is to continue our work around increasing diversity reflected in the field of special education research and in our SIG leadership and active membership. We will continue to focus on highlighting and supporting the research of Black, Indigenous, and people of color in our field as well as the work of neurodivergent researchers and disability self-advocates. 

Thank you for all you do in the area of special and inclusive education research and please stay connected and informed through our listserv, webpage, and Facebook page.

Best regards, 

Katie McCabe, PhD

Chair, Special and Inclusive Education Research SIG