In 2007, Special Education Law for the Disabled was enacted. This study analyzed
the policy agenda setting process of the law according to the passage of time, based
on the Outside-initiative Model proposed by Cobb, Ross & Ross(1976). The period for
the analysis is from the formation of the Solidarity for the Education Rights of the
Disabled in 2003 until the enactment of Special Education Law for the Disabled in
2007. The study used the framework for the analysis including the four phases of the
Outside-initiative Model of policy agenda setting, i.e., initiation, specification,
expansion, and entrance. The results of the study are as follows: the agenda of Special
Education Law for the Disabled could be entered into the official policy-making
system and finally enacted by the critical role of the Solidarity for the Education
Rights of the Disabled, comprising of the disabled, parents of children with the
disability and special education teachers. This shows the policy agenda-setting process
in this case can be explained by the outside-initiative model, which is different from
the mobilization-driven policy agenda-setting cases so far. Also it should be noted that
“disability” substituted for “special” in the name of the law. This implies that there
will an increasing possibility for the educational rights for the disabled to be secured
in an extended manner.