Every learner and every teacher have a unique blend of personal characteristics and background factors that change with time and context, and affect the experience of living and developing. Traditionally, the education of learners with disabilities focused on the nature of specific conditions in an attempt to alleviate barriers to learning. The impairment, and not the impact thereof on participation at school or at home, was emphasised. A more contemporary view is to focus on the strengths, attitudes and abilities of children within meaningful contexts. Believe that all can achieve addresses inclusion as the foundation for education in an attempt to celebrate diversity in the classroom, to capitalise on the strengths each learner brings to the learning-teaching dyad, and to welcome every family member as part of the broader classroom community. Believe that all can achieve embraces the core values of the South African Constitution - freedom, dignity and equality. It shares best practice, evidence-based techniques and strategies in an effort to build a deeper understanding of the core challenges and possible solutions. Narratives, case studies, screening checklists, engaging illustrations and examples provided in the book enable the teacher to translate theory into actuality in the classroom. The chapters on challenging behaviours; intellectual, learning, physical and sensory disabilities; autistic spectrum disorders, and medical conditions add a wealth of information and a ready reference. Believe that all can achieve is aimed at students and teachers in the field of inclusive education. Seeing children with disabilities at work has taught me that there are many things they do that I thought they could not do. From this experience I now know that I would have no problem employing a person who is mentally or physically challenged. I ask God to help all of us have a better understanding and to see them as normal. I also ask that inclusion becomes part of many schools because I truly believe we can all benefit from inclusion.

Freedom, dignity and equality - the core values of the South African Constitution (1996) - provide the foundation for developing inclusive societies. "Inclusive education" is the term used to describe an education system in which all learners, including those with disabilities, are accepted and fully integrated not only educationally, but socially as well. Participation lies at the heart of inclusive education and cannot be restricted to one area of life. What is taught has to be reinforced in all the child's natural environments - the home, the school and the community. Believe that all can achieve explores how the incorporation of learning into real-life contexts forms the basis of meaningful education, and highlights the pivotal role of the teacher in this process. Believe that all can achieve pays specific attention to practical implementation. Photographs and line drawings are used to enhance understanding and application, and the narratives, case studies, screening checklists and examples of best practice in the home, the classroom and the community enable teachers to translate the theory into classroom practice. Believe that all can achieve looks at the child's participation patterns in terms of unique abilities, health status and environmental and personal factors, thus moving the focus from disability to ability; from the child in isolation to the child in the community; from the medical model of health care to the social model of health care. Believe that all can achieve is aimed at practising classroom-based teachers who want to improve their ability to support the increasingly diverse learners in their classrooms, schools and communities. Education students interested in special needs will also find this text particularly beneficial.

Early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) is the gold standard for any practising audiologist, and for families of infants and children with hearing impairment. EHDI programmes aim to identify, diagnose and provide intervention to children with hearing impairment from as early as six months old (as well as those at risk for hearing impairment) to ensure they develop and achieve to their potential. Yet EHDI remains a significant challenge for Africa, and various initiatives are in place to address this gap in transferring policy into practice within the southern African context. The diversity of factors in the southern African context presents unique challenges to teaching and research in this field, which has prompted this book project. The South African government's heightened focus on increasing access to health care which includes ongoing Early Childhood Development (ECD) programmes, make this an opportune time for establishing and documenting evidence-based research for current undergraduate and postgraduate students. Early Detection and Intervention in Audiology: An African Perspective aims to address this opportunity. Grounded in an African context with detailed case studies, this book provides rich content that pays careful attention to contextual relevance and contextual responsiveness to both identification and intervention in hearing impairment. With diverse contributions from experts in local and international contexts, but always with an African perspective, this is textbook will be an invaluable resource for students, researchers and practitioners.