In recent years, more emphasize is placed on the issue educating disabled individuals in "least restricting environment" and both the governments regulating education policies and experts in the field favor this. "Least restricting environment" can usually be realized in regular education classes rather than self-contained classes. Mainstreaming disabled students in regular education classrooms, if necessary conditions are met, provides both long and short term benefits. It is observed that

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... bled students who are given education in "least restricting environment" created for them show similar development with their peers, make progress in all development areas, especially in social and personality development and by being included in the community disabled students, they become individuals taking more realistic and concrete steps towards self realization, with positive sense of self, higher self esteem. The purpose of this study is to determine the attitudes of the special education teachers and teachers mainstreaming education teachers working in Cyprus and the USA regarding mainstreaming education. The qualitative research technique is used in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data in this study. The reason of the use of qualitative research technique is to collect detailed and profound data, learn the experiences and point of views of the participants directly and understand and explain the present situations. The method of this study is a qualitative research model intended to determine the attitudes of the special education teachers and the teachers giving mainstreaming education in Cyprus and the USA towards mainstreaming education. Data were collected from the interviews with the special education teachers and teachers giving mainstreaming education in Cyprus and the USA during which semi-structured interview form was used. Before the interview form developed in the light of the suggestions by experts was used for the purpose of data-collection, it was tested on 5 teachers and the interview form was finalized in accordance with their responses and replies. The scope of the research consists of the guidance counselors and psychological counselors working in Cyprus in 2009. This study was carried out with the special education teachers and the teachers giving mainstreaming education in Cyprus and the USA with a view to determine their attitudes towards mainstreaming education with regard to their way of life, knowledge and equipment. Data in the study were acquired by means of interview with teachers. The coverage of the study is the special education teachers and teachers giving mainstreaming education working in Cyprus and the USA in 2009. Among purposive sample methods, criterion sample was selected and random samples were drawn from the teachers who meet the criterion. The basic point of this sampling method is to work with the persons selected randomly who meet certain pre-set criteria. In other words, the sample of the study consists of 60 teachers