In this Collected Works, Professor Peter Mittler brings together twenty-one of his key writings in one essential volume, providing a distinctive commentary on some of the most important issues in education over the last thirty years.

This unique collection illustrates the development of Professor Mittler’s thinking over the course of a long and esteemed career, encompassing his work on the origins of under-achievement, the ways in which obstacles to learning can be understood and overcome and the importance of human rights for all marginalised minorities. It follows the thread of his growing awareness that human development depends on a series of complex interactions between the ‘double helix’ of nature and nurture.

One of the world’s most respected and eminent scholars of the field of special needs and inclusive education, Professor Mittler includes chapters from his best-selling books and selected articles from leading journals, providing the reader with a chronological and global perspective on his work and thinking, and the impact it had at and beyond the time of writing.

Peter Mittler CBE was appointed Professor of Special Needs Education at the University of Manchester in 1973, becoming Dean of the Faculty from 1991 until his retirement in 1994. Internationally, he has been involved in consultancy and advisory work in disability, inclusive education and staff development for the United Nations, UNESCO, UNICEF, WHO and ILO. Since retirement, he has been Distinguished Visiting Professor in the Department of Education at the University of Hong Kong (1997-8).