Peer acceptance of included students with disabilities as a function of severity of disability and classroom composition

This preliminary study examined the effects of severity of disability and classroom composition on the peer acceptance of included students with disabilities. Two hundred eighty-five students, 44 of whom had disabilities, from 14 elementary classrooms in southern California constituted the sample. Twenty-nine students were rated by teachers as having no immediately noticeable, or mild. disabilities: 15 received ratings indicating immediately obvious, or severe, disabilities. Peer acceptance was measured by nominations from classmates regarding with whom they would most like to play and work, as well as with whom they actually played on a regular basis. Students were separated into heterogeneous and nonheterogeneous classroom composition groups based on proportion of classmates who were included students with disabilities, minority students, and students whose reading performance was at least 1 year below grade level. Predicted severity of disability-by-classroom composition interaction effects on peer acceptance were indicated by the results of multivariate analysis of variance (MANCOVA) and analysis of variance (ANCOVA) equations after controlling for effects of grade level. Results are discussed regarding implications for practice and theory.