Following the inaugural meeting of the Australian Association of Special Education in 1975, the initial constitution was adopted in September 1976 at the first national conference, held in Brisbane. This federation of state special education teacher groups was a response to a wide range of social, economic, political and philosophical issues which had been evident from the early seventies.

The formation of a national special education association was in fact a fairly slow reaction to a growing need for a national perspective. As early as 1971 a Senate Standing Committee had asserted the right of all children to an education program irrespective of degree of handicap. In 1973 the Karmel Committee had again raised the issues relating to a national perspective on special education, including importing philosophical perspectives which were then picked up by a number of Schools Commission working parties which were the result of the Karmel Report. It was from these sorts of national activities, and in some instances from individuals involved in such activities, that the impetus to form a national special education association emerged. It is interesting, and pertinent to today’s analysis, that philosophical issues were the key to those early national meetings.

The dilemma for any group or individual attempting to find or adopt a national viewpoint for special education in Australia is to unravel the confusion and diversity which arises from the manner in which education is provided in this country.