{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,21]],"date-time":"2026-09-21T14:00:20Z","timestamp":1789999220102,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":11,"publisher":"Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health)","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,1]],"date-time":"2026-09-01T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788220800000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-nc-nd\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["lww.com","ovid.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":[],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2026,9]]},"abstract":"\n Introduction:<\/jats:title>\n Special educators play a crucial role in supporting children with disabilities, yet social, institutional, and policy-related challenges shape their professional experiences. This study explored the lived experiences and perceived challenges of special educators in Tamil Nadu, India.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods:<\/jats:title>\n A qualitative descriptive phenomenological study was conducted between April and June 2024 among 32 special educators working in government, private, and non-governmental organization settings in Tamil Nadu. Participants were recruited using purposive snowball sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted in English or Tamil. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, translated where required, and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis with Atlas.ti. Trustworthiness was enhanced through member checking, peer debriefing, reflexive note-taking, and maintenance of an audit trail.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results:<\/jats:title>\n Five major themes emerged: community and parental involvement, societal knowledge and acceptance, professional development needs, policy and administrative support, and lack of resources and support. Educators reported delayed parental recognition of disability, inconsistent parental cooperation, societal stigma, gaps in practical training, uneven administrative support, and limited teaching resources. The themes were interconnected, indicating that challenges in special education arise from the interaction of family, societal, institutional, and policy-level factors.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusion:<\/jats:title>\n Special educators in Tamil Nadu face multidimensional challenges that extend beyond classroom teaching. Strengthening special education requires improved parental engagement, disability-sensitive community awareness, regular professional development, adequate resource allocation, and stronger implementation of supportive policies.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.4103\/ijcm.ijcm_50_26","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]],"date-time":"2026-09-18T17:02:48Z","timestamp":1789750968000},"page":"863-870","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1097\/lww.0000000000001000","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Exploring Challenges in Special Education: A Qualitative Analysis from the Perspectives of Special Educators in Tamil Nadu, India"],"prefix":"10.4103","volume":"51","author":[{"given":"Harishma","family":"Ramesh","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Community Medicine, Tagore Medical College and Hospital, Rathinamangalam, Melakkotaiyur, Tamil Nadu, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Pavan Kumar","family":"Gollapalli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Community Medicine, Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Kelambakkam, Tamil Nadu, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Rajeshkannan","family":"Sivakumar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Community Medicine, Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Kelambakkam, Tamil Nadu, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Vedapriya Dande","family":"Rajasekar","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Community Medicine, Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute, Chettinad Academy of Research and Education, Kelambakkam, Tamil Nadu, India"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"276","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"R5-20260921","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.23880\/aphot-16000250","article-title":"Current policies and gaps in programs for persons with disability in India: An exploratory study","volume":"6","author":"Ojha","year":"2023","journal-title":"Ann Physiother Occup Ther"},{"key":"R6-20260921","first-page":"1351","article-title":"Parental involvement in early intervention for children with disabilities: A systematic review","volume":"188","author":"Sapiets","year":"2018","journal-title":"Early Child Dev Care"},{"key":"R7-20260921","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"827","DOI":"10.1080\/13603116.2019.1624845","article-title":"Challenges and enablers of inclusive education in India","volume":"23","author":"Singal","year":"2019","journal-title":"Int J Incl 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Health"},{"key":"R12-20260921","first-page":"103389","article-title":"Teacher preparation for inclusive education: Gaps between theory and practice","volume":"104","author":"Crispel","year":"2021","journal-title":"Teach Educ"},{"key":"R13-20260921","first-page":"1","article-title":"Issues and challenges in special needs teacher training","volume":"34","author":"Allam","year":"2019","journal-title":"Int J Spec Educ"},{"key":"R14-20260921","first-page":"480","article-title":"Teachers\u2019 attitudes and concerns about inclusive education in low-income settings","volume":"67","author":"Kuyini","year":"2020","journal-title":"Int J Disabil Dev Educ"},{"key":"R15-20260921","first-page":"1029","article-title":"Burnout among special education teachers: a meta-analysis","volume":"32","author":"Park","year":"2020","journal-title":"Educ Psychol Rev"}],"container-title":["Indian Journal of Community 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