This volume is based on the present state of research concerning how to best implement inclusive practices in school situations. It emphasizes how to strengthen the existing competences of all involved - parents, children, educators and teachers.Unlike skills, competences are dependent on the acknowledgment of others if they are to be successful. It is particularly important to bear in mind where such competences may be found and what they indeed consist of. Implementing inclusion demands new competences that must first be discovered and acquired. It also demands new ways of approaching and imagining what a disability' exactly is. But above all it requires an open and honest attitude toward all children, adolescents and their families. This is a great challenge for all involved. In this volume the author sketches some of these challenges and shows how they can be overcome.'

Dr. Kerstin Ziemen ist Professorin für Pädagogik und Didaktik an der Universität zu Köln mit den Schwerpunkten geistige Behinderung, Inklusion, Didaktik, Schulentwicklung, soziale Situation von Eltern und Kindern mit Behinderungserfahrung, Kommunikation unter erschwerten Bedingungen. Sie ist Mitglied im Sachverständigenrat der Kinderhilfe, Gutachterin der Rosa-Luxemburg-Stiftung und Projektleiterin des Portals »INKLUNET«.