NDHU Special Education

1. Established in 1997, our department aims at cultivating excellent teachers and academic research talents of special education. 
    
2. We concern mainly on the issues related to psychological and physical disability, gifted education and so on. We cultivate and train our students to be special-education teachers, professionals for early intervention and correction institutions and talents of assistive technology and application via various learning activities and services.
    
3. In 2003, we established “The Institution of Psychological and Physical Disability and Assistive Technology”. In 2000, we merged with the Department of Special Education and became “The MA Program for Psychological and Physical Disability and Assistive Technology” to mainly cultivate talents who promote the researches and practices of psychological and physical disability and assistive technology (including excellent researches) for our country.
    
4. Most of our faculties are young and energetic. They expert broadly in all kinds of psychological and physical disability, gifted education and assistive technology and have the experience of practical teaching and local special education counseling. They get along well with our students, which allows them to learn and grow with the immersing in the atmosphere of training for special-education and concerning about the social vulnerable groups.

1. Concern about the issues relevant to the living, education and welfare for social vulnerable disabilities.
    
2. Concern about the development of potential and education for social gifted talents.
    
3. Concern about the cultivation of excellent teachers for special and gifted education.
    
4. Concern about the cultivation of excellent instructors for disable-welfare organizations, foundation and early intervention institutes.
    
5. Concern about the living for psychological and physical disability and the design and application of assistive technology.
    
6. Concern about the further studies on special and other relevant education and cultivate high-qualified academic researchers in the future. 

(1) Teaching

(a) Focus on special education professional courses learning, e-learning, and foreign language learning. Using varieties of assessment methods, include exams, performance assessment, tour, paper, internship and creation etc.

(b) Master program enhance research method training, writing theses and present research papers.
 

   (2) Research

(a) Research Focus

(i) Special education department: Research focus on elementary and secondary (include early childhood) special education (include disabilities and gifted) related questions. To promote using assistive technology to enhance people with disabilities quality of life.

(ii) Institute of Individuals with Special Needs and Assistive Technology master program studies in early childhood special education, special education and career rehabilitation. Research areas include medical, welfare, education and apply assistive technology in those areas.

(b) Research Features

(i) Focus on aboriginal people special education research.

(ii)Focus on assistive technology research and apply research.
 

(3) Research Activities

(a) Host national and international conferences: “2007 International Assistive Technology Conference”, “2008 International Music Theory Workshops”, “ 2006, 2007, 2008 Aboriginal People Special Education Conference” “ Annual “East Taiwan Special Education Journal and Conference” Annual “Special Education Department Faculty and Students Conference”.

(b) Overseas visitation: Organized a special education visit group to Mainland China in 2007 and 2008.

1. “The 1^st approach: the cultivation of excellent teachers”: to train excellent  teachers for elementary students of psychological and physical disability and gifted. 
 

2. “The 2^nd approach: the cultivation of researchers”: train students who may continue their MA on special or other related education or study abroad at their own expense.  
 

3. “The 3^rd approach”: multi-employment opportunities”: train excellent education-protection staff who can work for organizations of psychological and physical disability and early intervention or cultivate excellent talents for education-related or other organizations.