Special Education Research Guide

1. Open Educational Resources (OER)

• OER Commons: A digital library offering a variety of open educational resources, including textbooks and course materials for special education.
• Open Textbook Library: Provides free access to a variety of textbooks on special education.

2. Online Courses and Lectures

• Coursera: Offers free courses on special education topics from top universities. Auditing courses is usually free.
• edX: Provides free courses on various special education topics from institutions like Harvard, MIT, and more.
• Alison: Offers free courses on special education and inclusive education.
• FutureLearn: Provides free courses on special education and related fields.

3. Textbooks and Reference Materials

• Project Gutenberg: Offers free access to many classic texts on education, including special education.
• Google Books: Provides previews and free access to a range of books on special education and related fields.

4. Research and Journals

• Google Scholar: A freely accessible web search engine that indexes scholarly articles across various disciplines, including special education.
• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ): Contains free, full-text, quality-controlled scientific and scholarly journals, including those focused on special education.
• ERIC (Education Resources Information Center): Provides free access to a vast database of education-related literature, including special education.

5. Professional Organizations and Resources

• Council for Exceptional Children (CEC): Offers a range of free resources, articles, and research updates for special education students and professionals.
• National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD): Provides resources and publications related to various fields of special education.
• International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE): Offers resources and publications on using technology in special education.

6. Podcasts and Webinars

• Special Education Inner Circle: A podcast that discusses various topics in special education.
• The Inclusive Class Podcast: Discusses issues and strategies for inclusive education.
• Edutopia Webinars: Offers webinars on various educational topics, including special education.

7. Interactive Learning Tools and Videos

• YouTube - Council for Exceptional Children (CEC): Offers videos and webinars on special education topics.
• TED Talks: Provides numerous talks on education, inclusion, and special education topics.

8. Online Communities and Forums

• Reddit - r/specialeducation: A community for discussing special education topics and sharing resources.
• Teacher Network: An online community for teachers to connect and share resources, including those related to special education.

9. Additional Educational Websites

• Understood: Offers resources and support for parents and educators of children with learning and attention issues.
• LD Online: Provides information and resources on learning disabilities and ADHD.
• Reading Rockets: Offers resources for teaching reading to students with disabilities.

10. Libraries and Archives

• Internet Archive: Provides access to a vast collection of free books, including many on special education.
• Library of Congress: Offers access to a vast collection of documents and resources, including many relevant to special education.