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The rapid integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into society is widely regarded as offering both unprecedented opportunities and significant challenges for education systems worldwide. Schools, entrusted with a vital compensatory mission, are now responsible for addressing educational inequities while equipping students with essential skills for an AI-driven world. This mission ensures that all students, regardless of socio-economic background, functional abilities, or ethnic origin, have equal opportunities to succeed. However, educational inequalities are widening due to factors such as residential segregation and school-choice reforms, which have led to increasing socio-economic disparities between schools. In Sweden, these challenges are evident in national statistics, with 16% of students failing to qualify for upper secondary education in 2023 (SNAE, 2024). As AI becomes more embedded in education, its potential role in promoting equity and inclusion must be critically examined.

This study explores the perceptions, experiences, and future visions of first-year special education teacher students regarding the integration of large language models (LLMs) into their professional practice. Using a mixed-methods approach, data were collected through a survey featuring 30 Likert-scale statements and seven open-ended questions. The quantitative data captured participants' familiarity with AI tools, their perceived opportunities and challenges, and their aspirations for AI integration in education. Qualitative responses provided deeper insights into specific applications, ethical considerations, and strategies for leveraging LLMs in special education. Hence, AI and digital tools are frequently presented as potential solutions for bridging educational divides, offering new ways to support communication, literacy, and self-regulation. However, findings from this study reveal that while participants recognize the potential of LLMs for supporting personalized learning and inclusive practices, they also express concerns regarding ethical dilemmas, data privacy, and the lack of professional training required for effective AI implementation.

In the Nordic educational context, where equity and inclusion are fundamental principles, AI presents both opportunities and risks. When applied thoughtfully, AI has the potential to reduce educational disparities, enhance literacy, communication, and self-regulation skills, and mitigate socio-economic and functional inequalities. However, without adequate support for students with limited technology skills, reading and writing difficulties, or intellectual challenges, AI may instead exacerbate educational inequality, disproportionately benefiting students who already possess strong digital competencies while leaving others further behind.

Background: People with intellectual disability participate in organised sports to a lesser extent than people in general. The aim of this study was to explore the motivation for engaging in sports among athletes using the theoretical framework of sense of belonging. Method: Semi-structured online interviews were carried out with athletes (N = 15, 8/7 women/men, 29.5 ± 9 years) with intellectual disabilities. Results: The main theme ‘Empower me to grow as an athlete—adapt the support to help me develop my sport skills and social aspects’ showed that motivation, competence, perception, and opportunities were important factors for engaging in sports. Support was an important factor for creating adapted opportunities. Conclusion: Athletes with intellectual disabilities have motivation, want to feel competent, and to be athletes who belong in sports and develop as such. They also appreciate coaches giving adapted support that enhances understanding and promotes inclusion in the sport community.

Introduction: Efforts to advance equity, diversity, and inclusion in sport aim to challenge systemic discrimination and promote equitable participation. In Sweden, Strategy 2030 represents a national initiative to integrate parasport into mainstream sport structures by embedding inclusive practices across all national sports organizations (NSOs). This study examines how key stakeholders within Swedish NSOs construct, interpret, and implement inclusion in this policy context. Guided by social identity theory (SIT), the study explores how processes of categorization, identification, and comparison influence ingroup/outgroup boundaries and shape inclusion practices.

Methods: The study draws on qualitative, semi-structured interviews with 12 stakeholders formally mandated to implement inclusion within Swedish NSOs. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns in how inclusion is understood, negotiated, and enacted within organizational settings.

Results: The analysis revealed persistent tensions between formal commitments to inclusion and structural conditions that reproduce hierarchies of ability and belonging. Participants expressed strong normative support for inclusive values but described challenges in translating these values into practice within entrenched organizational cultures marked by ableist norms and resource disparities. Stakeholders also negotiated identity boundaries beyond the abled/disabled binary, indicating that inclusion efforts are shaped by intersecting dimensions of identity.

Discussion: The findings illuminate how identity processes, power relations, and normative assumptions influence the implementation of inclusion policy at the organizational level. Despite policy ambitions, structural and cultural constraints limit transformative change. The study contributes to understanding the complexities of fostering inclusion in sport governance and underscores the need for more equitable, reflexive, and context-sensitive policy frameworks.

Women with disabilities are at increased risk of intimate partner violence (IPV), yet their experiences of using IPV services are rarely studied. This qualitative study explored the experiences of 11 women with disabilities. Three themes were identified: "violence and disability—the continuums of stigma" describing the forms of stigma that women experienced that impacted the use of IPV services; "the dual nature of social relationships" summarizing aspects of interpersonal relations that influenced the use of services; and "to fall between the cracks" detailing institutional gaps that led to hesitation in using IPV services. These findings point at a need for increased effort to reduce stigma, capacity strengthening on disability-related issues and targeted resources to improve access to IPV services among women with disabilities.

Research topic/aim: In the realm of special education, the advancement of technology has opened up new possibilities to provide suitable education for all students. Lately, one such technology that has gained significant attention is ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence large language model developed by OpenAI. ChatGPT offers a unique opportunity to facilitate communication, provide personalized assistance, and engage students in interactive learning experiences. However, it is crucial to understand how special education teacher students perceive the use of ChatGPT in their coming profession, as their insights are invaluable in shaping effective and inclusive educational practices. 

Theoretical framework: This study delves into the perceptions and experiences of special education teacher students regarding the integration of ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence (AI) large language model, into special education, all through the lens of the Visioning theoretical framework. This approach, which involves envisioning a desirable future and working backward to identify steps for its realization, is especially relevant when considering the transformative potential of technologies like ChatGPT in educational environments and the future of special education. 

Methodological design: Through a qualitative analysis of survey data from 79 first-year special education teacher students, the study utilized Visioning to probe not only current perceptions but also future aspirations and apprehensions concerning the application of ChatGPT in special education. The research sought to reveal participants' opinions on the opportunities and challenges presented by ChatGPT in special education, with an emphasis on its ability to enhance personalized learning, accommodate diverse educational needs, and address ethical considerations in educational practices. 

Expected conclusions/findings: Initial findings indicate a nuanced perspective among participants. While recognizing ChatGPT's potential in special education through customized individual learning experiences and increased student engagement, participants also expressed concerns. These concerns primarily revolved around the technology's accuracy, ethical implications, and the competencies required for educators to implement this tool effectively in special education contexts. For instance, a vast majority of the special education teacher students indicated that they are not particularly familiar with, nor have they used, ChatGPT themselves. Consequently, they feel unprepared to integrate ChatGPT into their teaching or to support their students who use the application. This research provides insights into how the use of AI-based tools could shape the future of special education practices and contributes to the discourse on the ethical integration of AI in educational settings, highlighting the complexities involved in adopting emerging technologies in special education environments. 

Relevance to Nordic educational research: From a Nordic perspective, the countries place strong emphasis on equality and inclusivity in education. Understanding how AI tools like ChatGPT can be tailored to support students with diverse learning needs aligns with the region's commitment to providing high-quality education for all. The study stresses the necessity for future teachers to be proficient in digital tools. Within the Nordic context, this indicates a need for teacher education, and and perhaps more specifically, special teacher education programs to incorporate comprehensive training in technologies, such as AI, ensuring educators are prepared to meet the diverse needs of their students. 

With advances in communication technologies, remote special educational consultation has become a promising strategy for indirect special education provision aiming to support students with special educational needs as well as their teachers in remote and rural areas. This study explores how special educators in a rural municipality in Sweden offer remote special educational consultation to teachers and how the two teacher categories experience remote special educational consultation. The empirical data of the study consist of special educators’ and teachers’ responses to an online questionnaire (N=11). The analysis revealed themes reflecting experienced challenges as well as opportunities. The challenges relate to lack of professional commitment and consensus, lack of school leaders’ trust, knowledge and support, and barriers associated with distance and technology, while opportunities relate to increased access to special educational competence, increased structure in consultation and increased professional development and collaboration. The results of this study highlight the potential value of remote special educational consultation as an acceptable, cost-effective, and efficient way of increasing access to special educational expertise and providing special educational support to teachers working in rural and underserved schools.

With advances in communication technologies, remote special educational consultation has become a promising strategy for indirect special education provision aiming to support students with special educational needs as well as their teachers in remote and rural areas. This study explores how special educators in a rural municipality in Sweden offer remote special educational consultation to teachers and how the two teacher categories experience remote special educational consultation. The empirical data of the study consist of special educators’ and teachers’ responses to an online questionnaire (N=11). The analysis revealed themes reflecting experienced challenges as well as opportunities. The challenges relate to lack of professional commitment and consensus, lack of school leaders’ trust, knowledge and support, and barriers associated with distance and technology, while opportunities relate to increased access to special educational competence, increased structure in consultation and increased professional development and collaboration. The results of this study highlight the potential value of remote special educational consultation as an acceptable, cost-effective, and efficient way of increasing access to special educational expertise and providing special educational support to teachers working in rural and underserved schools.

Background: Current data suggests a high prevalence of intimate partner violence (IPV) among women withdisabilities (WWDs), yet there is still scanty research on the experiences of this population regarding access andutilization of IPV services.

Methods: Using qualitative in-depth data obtained from WWDs, our current study sought to identify factors thathinder WWDs from accessing and utilizing IPV services.

Results: This study showed that WWDs exposed to IPV encountered multilevel barriers nested at differentsocietal levels as they attempted to access violence-rated services. At the individual level, the identity category ofdisability, not knowing about certain forms of violence, and being better off silent were the main explanations fornot using IPV services. The role of personal connections was the main factor that influenced the utilization ofIPV services, at the interpersonal level while at the organizational level, a lack of effective communication, powerimbalances, inadequate resources, and failures to follow response standards were identified as the major barriers tousing IPV services. Societal incompetence, as exemplified by treating violence as a taboo and the lack ofregulations criminalizing psychological violence, was the main barrier at the societal level.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that regarding WWDs, improving their access and utilization of IPV servicesrequires interventions that address barriers at societal multiple levels including the individual, interpersonal,organizational, and societal levels. This should include early interventions and programs that not only targetWWDs but also include other key players such as service providers on violence recognition and improve thequality of services. There is a need to also review laws and regulations regarding psychological violence and thenature of interventions in place for this type of violence. 

In this chapter, we discuss the key structural and historical conditions of disability sport in Sweden and the knowledge gaps and unanswered questions that warrant further research and development. We provide a contextual description of how sport for persons with disabilities (PWD) is organised to contribute to an increased understanding of opportunities and limitations to inclusion and equal conditions for sports participation. This chapter draws on previous research and information based on statistics, national governing documents and Swedish legislation. Overall, this chapter informs policy and practice aimed at enhancing PWD’ access to sports and physical activity and provides the information necessary to begin to create sports environments supportive of the success of all their members. We believe that the information in this chapter will be helpful for scholars who are pursuing new and important areas for future sport and disability research. The insights presented could be used to inform existing and future sports-based programmes and interventions to strengthen their conceptual foundation, design, processes, equity and impact. This chapter could also be helpful for practitioners and decision-makers who work with inclusion in sport within and outside the sports movement, not least at the municipal level, where many important and crucial decisions are made regarding finances and accessibility.