In 1991 the Education Department of South Australia, now named the Department for Education and Children's Services, released the Students with Disabilities policy in response to state and federal anti- discrimination legislation and community pressure regarding educational provisions for students with disabilities. The policy aimed to improve the educational outcomes for this group of students through focussing on access to and participation in a broad balanced curriculum. One of the most significant aspects of the policy was the requirement that schools develop negotiated curriculum plans for students who required special education support. Parents were invited to participate in this planning and to be supported to do so by an advocate of their choice. Teacher responsibilities as outlined in the policy included participation in the curriculum planning and the provision of a supportive learning environment in the classroom. This study had a two pronged approach - an analysis of the formal policy document and an investigation of the policy implementation at the school level. Analysis of the written policy revealed inconsistencies, ambiguities and omissions, the effect of which became evident during the school based study. Uncertainty regarding criteria to obtain special education support, absence of systematic monitoring and accountability and lack of teacher support and training, were most obvious. Teachers who participated in the research indicated that they had not changed their teaching as a result of the negotiated curriculum planning process. In most cases the process was not assisting them to develop learning goals or become acquainted with new teaching strategies. The most significant outcomes of the policy, as evident in this research study, were improved communication between parents and teachers and the increased documentation of special measures for individual students.