Student teachers' perceptions of some moral and social issues in special education

Abstract

One important aspect of special education or rehabilitation of disabled people is the question of ethical or moral issues. Ethics in special education touches on such controversial issues as abortion of disabled or high risk foetuses, euthanasia of a severely disabled person, celibacy or even sterilisation of severely mentally handicapped people, integration or institutionalization and job quota system for the disabled. Although a special teacher's responsibility is not to impose her own moral standards on her students, it will be illuminating if one can identify the expressed moral stand of special educators on some of the ethical issues raised.