In this issue you will Find Topics On:
Accommodations
Classroom accommodations.
That’s the subject of the special focus section of our April 2010 eNews You Can Use. It’ll take you to excellent guidance on how to address the needs of students with disabilities through accommodations in the classroom. It also identifies resources on specific disabilities such as autism, AD/HD, learning disabilities, intellectual disabilities, and more.
https://nichcy.org/newsletters/april2010#special
Supports, modifications, and accommodations for students.
For many students with disabilities–and for many without–the key to success in the classroom lies in having appropriate adaptations, accommodations, and modifications made to the instruction and other classroom activities. This page is intended to help teachers and others find information that can guide them in making appropriate changes in the classroom based on what their students need.
https://nichcy.org/schoolage/accommodations
Assessment and accommodations.
This is one of NICHCY’s Evidence for Education briefs. It’s not limited to just discussing how to make accommodations in testing but also delves into classroom accommodations.
https://nichcy.org/research/ee/assessment-accommodations/
Accommodations in assessment.
Recognizing that disability has its impact, IDEA permits children with disabilities to participate in large-scale assessment programs with accommodations. It’s the responsibility of the IEP team to decide how the student with a disability will participate, and then to document that decision in the child’s IEP. So how do you decide what a student needs?
https://nichcy.org/schoolage/iep/iepcontents/assessment/
Speaking of accommodations.
The IDEA Partnership is dedicated to improving outcomes for students and youth with disabilities through shared work and learning. In keeping with that mission, you’ll find lots of useful resources posted on its Learning Port.
This month (given our focus), we point you to the Learning Port’s materials on accommodations.
https://www.learningport.info/topics/?topic_id=1303
Visit NCEO’s Accommodations pages-they’re fantastic!
You’d better bring a big bag to haul away the resources you find at NCEO (National Center on Educational Outcomes). Enter through the link below and find sections answering FAQs, publications, links to state websites posting their accommodations policies and information, and more.
https://www.cehd.umn.edu/NCEO/TopicAreas/Accommodations/Accomtopic.htm
A quick chart of accommodations for specific types of disabilities.
Instructional accommodations and great teacher tools.
From Special Connections, this series of webpages connects teachers, families, and IEP teams with tools related to instructional accommodations, including how to keep track of what works.
Accommodations and instructional practices for specific disabilities.
Accommodations need to be individualized to address the needs of each student. The nature of the student’s disability will affect the types of accommodations to be made. So let’s get specific!
Assistive Technology
Work, Assistive Technology, and Transition-Aged Youth
Updated Report
https://www.nls.org/natmain.htm
The website of the National Assistive Technology (AT) Advocacy Project provides a link to this updated manual (originally published as “Funding of Assistive Technology to Make Work a Reality” in 2001), which focuses on a case scenario involving a 17 year old with multiple needs for AT as she completes her special education program, attends college, and eventually moves on to her employment goal. In the process, she will access several different benefit programs as funding sources for AT, including the special education program, the state vocational rehabilitation agency, Medicaid, Medicare, and SSI’s Plan for Achieving Self Support. The National AT Advocacy Project of Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc., provides technical assistance, training, and other support services to attorneys and advocates who work at Protection and Advocacy programs and specialize in assistive technology issues.
Attention Deficit Disorders
Check out examples of accommodations that teachers can make to adapt to the needs of students with ADD in the areas of inattention, impulsivity, mood, academic skills, organization, motor activity, compliance, and socialization.
https://addwarehouse.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/article4.htm
Autism
Autism spectrum disorders.
Visit the online training modules for teachers on 24 evidence-based practices for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. From the National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorders.
https://autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu/content/autism-internet-modules-aim
Charter Schools
The Facts on Charter Schools and Students with Disabilities
Issue Brief
https://nichcy.org/premium-publications/charters
Charter schools are new in public education and have generated a lot of interest and inquiry. This new issue brief from NICHCY answers ten commonly asked questions that families and educators of students with disabilities have about charter schools, such as whether charter schools are required to serve students with disabilities, how charter schools are funded compared to other public schools, and what teacher certification requirements for charter schools are. Links to state-specific resources on charter schools work in individual states are also included.
The Facts on Charter Schools and Students with Disabilities.
Charter schools are fairly new in public education, and they’ve generated a lot of interest and inquiry. In this new issue brief, we answer 10 commonly asked questions that families and educators of students with disabilities have about charter schools. We also offer links to state-specific resources that can help you better understand how charter schools work in your individual state.
https://nichcy.org/premium-publications/charters
College and Career Preparation
American Association of School Administrators: Improving College-Going Toolkit
Toolkit
https://www.aasa.org/content.aspx?id=20650
The American Association of School Administrators’ (AASA) has released the “Improving College-Going Toolkit,” as part of its mission of advocating for high-quality public education for all students. Produced with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the toolkit has three goals: to provide school district leaders with a greater awareness and understanding of the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund reporting requirements for college enrollment and persistence; to provide tools and strategies for communicating these new data items to boards, teachers, families; and to provide levers of change to improve college-going and persistence rates, by ensuring that school system leaders are equipped to increase college-going rates.
How Rural High Schools are Preparing Students for College and Careers through Dual Enrollment and Career and Technical Education
Archived Webinar
https://www.aypf.org/Webinars/Wb072811.htm
This webinar, held July 28, 2011, described how rural schools are preparing students with the knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in college and in jobs by creating learning opportunities through dual enrollment and career and technical education, highlighting the challenges and successes of two small, rural high schools that are improving college and career readiness for all students by collaborating with community colleges and local businesses, Patton Springs School (Afton TX), and Loving High School (Loving, NM). Also addressed was how the U.S. Department of Education is supporting the college and career readiness efforts of rural schools.
Life After High School Transition Tool Kit: Strategies Tools and Resources
Tool Kit
https://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=10932&code=102411&id=1649
This guide has tools and resources for families of youth with disabilities to assist in creating successful transition plans.
NCWD/Youth New Publications
Articles
https://www.ncwd-youth.info/
The National Collaborative on Workforce and Disability for Youth (NCWD/Youth) has issued the October 2011 of its electronic newsletter “Intersection: Navigating the Road to Work.” The newsletter offers information to improve programs and services for all youth and especially youth with disabilities. The Web site also links to other recent publications from NCWD/Youth, including “Improving High School Outcomes for All Youth: Recommendations for Policy & Practice,” a Policy Brief, on the need to implement policies and practices to improve high school and post-school outcomes for all students, including those with diverse learning and support needs; and “Bullying and Disability Harassment in the Workplace: What Youth Should Know,” an InfoBrief to help youth, including youth with disabilities, recognize signs of bullying in the workplace and to recognize how bullying differs from disability harassment, with strategies to help address the issue.
The Power of Digital Inclusion: Technology’s Impact on Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities
Report
https://www.ncd.gov/premium-publications/2011/Oct042011
The National Council on Disability, an independent federal agency, released “The Power of Digital Inclusion: Technology’s Impact on Employment Opportunities for People with Disabilities,” which examines the importance of social media and other information technologies in connecting people to job opportunities, with recommendations for opening the doors to digital technologies that can lead to better jobs for more people with disabilities.
Down Syndrome
This guide, Supporting the Student with Down Syndrome in Your Classroom, comes from the Down Syndrome Association of West Michigan, but includes lots of useful information for teachers everywhere.
https://www.dsawm.org/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=EdUFKA910ek%3D&tabid=87
Early Intervention
Side-by-side comparison of the 2011 final Part C regulations to the 1999 regulations.
Yes! This side-by-side comparison of the new regulations with the previous ones for Part C has been developed by the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), its Division for Early Childhood (DEC), and the IDEA Infant Toddler Coordinators Association.
Companion slides with the side-by-side.
The IDEA Infant Toddler Coordinators Association also offers several companion slide sets that distill the side-by-side comparison by subject. At the link below, these resources include the word “slides.”
https://www.ideainfanttoddler.org/regulations.htm
Fragile X syndrome.
Early Developments devotes an entire issue to Fragile X Syndrome: a chronology of research discoveries about Fragile X, screening newborns for FXS, addressing behavior challenges, and speech-language development.
https://www.fpg.unc.edu/~ncedl/PDFs/ED8_2.pdf
Video | Child Outcomes Step by Step.
This video describes and illustrates the three child outcomes adopted by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) and reported on by all state early intervention (Part C) and preschool special education (Part B/619) programs as part of their Annual Performance Report (APR). The video explains functioning necessary for each child to be an active and successful participant at home, in the community, and in other places like a child care program or preschool. It can be used to provide an overview to the three outcomes for professional development and training, orienting families, and introducing the outcomes to other constituents such as policymakers or funders. Now that’s a resource!
https://www.fpg.unc.edu/~eco/pages/videos.cfm
Early identification of autism spectrum disorders | Learning module.
This module describes the early characteristics of ASD and a recommended set of practices that will lead to early identification of ASD. This includes a description of surveillance, screening, and diagnostic assessment practices along with the tools and processes that will assist professionals in communicating with families about their young child’s status relative to ASD.
https://autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu/content/early-identification-asd-module
“Little Kids, Big Questions” podcast series.
Everyone seems to have an opinion about how to handle parenting challenges. This podcast series empowers listeners to find their own way through, using research as their guide. Little Kids, Big Questions is a series of 12 podcasts with leading experts that translates the research of early childhood development into practices that mothers, fathers, and other caregivers can tailor to the needs of their own child and family. From Zero to Three.
https://www.zerotothree.org/parentingpodcasts
NECTAC’s eNotes is a treasure trove of resources.
Again, we must say that NECTAC keeps the field up to date on new resources for early intervention systems, providers, and families. Rather than just repeat NECTAC’s news (too much like stealing their thunder), we enthusiastically suggest having a look at eNotes from October, easily viewed at:https://www.nectac.org/enotes/enotes.asp
What works in early childhood education?
Visit the What Works Clearinghouse’s review of early childhood education interventions (for preschoolers, aged 3-5) for evidence of their effectiveness in promiting children’s school readiness.
https://ies.ed.gov/ncee/wwc/topic.aspx?sid=4
Educational Reform
A Question of Delivery
Report
https://www.publiceducation.org/newsblast_current.asp
Research from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and its partners in the Campaign for High School Equity, reported in “A Question of Delivery,” finds that African-American and Latino parents and caregivers perceive high dropout rates and low college attendance as problems in their communities. These parents individually are committed to ensuring the educational success of their children, but are unaware of the larger public school reform movement, and face many barriers to achieving a strong education and college degrees for their children. Reform organizations and education leaders should work with the parents on the parents’ terms to engage them in a collective, coordinated effort that would empower them to hold the educational system accountable for more effective and inclusive reforms and innovations and increase their children’s chances to be ready for college and complete a degree.
Federal Grant Opportunities
Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs Web Tool
https://www.findyouthinfo.gov/GrantsSearch.aspx
The Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs has created an online Web tool that allows users to search for federal grant opportunities by youth topic or federal agency on Grants.gov. The tool uses a filter to search for grants that are likely to fund youth programs. Grants.gov is a Web site that allows users to search and apply for thousands of federal grants.
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Fetal alcohol syndrome.
Reach to Teach is a valuable resource for parents and teachers to use in educating elementary and middle school children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). The booklet provides a basic introduction to FASD, and provides tools to enhance communication between parents and teachers.
https://www.fasdcenter.samhsa.gov/documents/Reach_To_Teach_Final_011107.pdf
Hearing Impairments
Here’s an IEP checklist for teams working on behalf of a student with hearing loss.
https://www.handsandvoices.org/pdf/IEP_Checklist.pdf
Homeless Education
The National Center for Homeless Education
https://center.serve.org/nche/index.php
The National Center for Homeless Education (NCHE) at the SERVE Center is a Web site supporting the education of children and youth experiencing homelessness. NCHE is the U.S. Department of Education’s technical assistance and information center in the area of homeless education, and covers such areas as products and resources (national, state, and local), legislation, and best practices.
IEP Team
https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-09-28/html/2011-22784.htm
The IEP Team: The law, the reality and the dream.
Ideally, your child’s IEP team will include all the right players. Who should be on that winning team? New from the National Center for Learning Disabilities.https://tinyurl.com/3pkbuv7
IDEA
Building the Legacy: IDEA 2004
Q&A Document
https://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root,dynamic,QaCorner,10,
This Questions and Answers document from the U.S. Department of Education gives information on the workings of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
Preguntas Comunes de los Padres sobre los Servicios de Educación Especial.
NICHCY has updated the Spanish version of their popular Questions Often Asked by Parents about Special Education Services to reflect the requirements of IDEA 2004. Good for Spanish-speaking parents new to special education!
https://nichcy.org/espanol/publicaciones/lg1sp
Independency
Becoming Independent
Film
https://www.qualitymall.org/products/prod1.asp?prodid=7524&code=102411&id=1649
This film is about three young adults with disabilities, and shows them at work and home. It explains their lives, hopes and dreams for the future.
Learning Disabilities
From the National Center for Learning Disabilities.
https://www.ncld.org/at-school/general-topics/accommodations
Mental Health
Family guide to systems of care for children with mental health needs.
Are you concerned that your child needs help getting along with others, controlling his or her behavior, or expressing emotions? Depending on your child’s needs and your family’s situation, you might look for help from schools, health clinics or hospitals, health insurance providers, community mental health centers, social service programs, and, possibly, the courts. This Family Guide informs caregivers and families about how to seek help for children with mental health problems.
https://store.samhsa.gov/shin/content/SMA05-4054/SMA05-4054.pdf
Participation Requests
2012 Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability and Diversity Seeks Presentation Proposals
https://www.pacrim.hawaii.edu/
The Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability and Diversity, sponsored by the Center on Disability Studies, will be in Honolulu, HI, March 26-27, 2012, and seeks proposals for poster presentations, interactive roundtables, 30-minute topical presentations, 60-minute breakout presentations, 90-minute seminar/colloquium, and 120-minute interactive workshops. Each proposal can be submitted under only ONE topic area and must include an abstract synopsis of 50 words or less. The application form is on the Web site. Deadline for applications: December 16, 2011.
Call For Papers On School-Justice Partnerships To Keep Kids in School
https://www.ncjfcj.org/images/stories/pdf/s-j%20call%20for%20papers10-26-11.pdf
The New York State Permanent Judicial Division on Justice for Children has issued a call for papers for its National Leadership Summit on School-Justice Partnerships, “Keeping Kids in School and Out of Court.” The Summit will take place from March 11–13, 2012, in New York, NY, and will highlight the importance of partnerships between the education and justice systems. Papers may be submitted on a variety of topics, including adolescent development, information sharing, courts and juvenile justice, multidisciplinary collaborations, federal and state policies and initiatives, and data, research, and evaluations. Abstracts are due by November 15 and may be submitted online (atwww.surveymonkey.com/s/AbstractSubmittalFormFor2012SchoolJusticeSummit). Available in pdf (61.9 KB, 2 pp).
Our World, Our Future National Service-Learning Conference Seeks Affiliates
https://www.nylc.org/events/2012-conference-affiliate-form
The 23rd Annual National Service-Learning Conference® and youthrive PeaceJam Leadership Conference will be in Minneapolis, MN, April 11-14, 2012. Conference participants will share on how youth passion, creativity, and innovation can address world issues and how to enlist young people in leadership roles to work in partnership with adults through service-learning. The conference seeks affiliates who will provide non-monetary support for the conference by: providing a link from the affiliate’s Web site to the conference Web site (https://nslc.nylc.org/); including conference announcements in the affiliate’s electronic and/or print publications; and sending two conference announcements to internal and/or external email lists between October 1, 2011, and April 1, 2012. Conference affiliates will receive recognition on the conference Web site and in the 2012 conference program guide, regular updates, and a link on the conference Web site to the affiliate’s Web site. Deadline to become an affiliate: December 15, 2011.
12th Annual Lights On Afterschool Celebration
https://www.afterschoolalliance.org/
Lights On Afterschool provides an opportunity for afterschool programs to promote the benefits of engaging in high quality learning beyond the classroom. Participants are encouraged to host their own events and invite parents and community members, or work with other programs in the community to host a larger event.
America’s Promise Launches Grad Nation Communities
https://www.americaspromise.org/gradnationcommunities
America’s Promise Alliance is drafting more communities into its campaign to boost high school graduation. The Alliance recently launched Grad Nation Communities, part of the Grad Nation Campaign, a 10-year initiative to mobilize all Americans to take action to end the high school dropout crisis and better prepare young people for college and the 21st century workforce. The Alliance invites communities to join this network of cities and towns that will work to improve high school graduation rates by focusing on the local schools that are most in need of improvement.
National Disability Employment Awareness Month
https://www.dol.gov/odep/topics/NDEAM.htm
National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is a national campaign held each October to raise awareness about disability employment issues and celebrate the many contributions of America’s workers with disabilities. NDEAM’s roots go back to 1945, when Congress enacted a law declaring the first week in October each year ”National Employ the Physically Handicapped Week.” In 1988, Congress expanded the week to a month and changed the name to “National Disability Employment Awareness Month.” When the Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) was established in 2001, it assumed responsibility for NDEAM, working to expand its reach and scope. But NDEAM’s true spirit lies in the creative observances held across the nation every year. ODEP offers a variety of resources to help employers, schools and organizations, and communities participate in NDEAM. Activities can be as simple as putting up NDEAM posters, or as comprehensive as implementing a disability education program. All are important in fostering a more inclusive America, where every person’s abilities are recognized all year round. The theme for NDEAM 2011 is “Profit by Investing in Workers with Disabilities,” which promotes the valuable of people with disabilities to America’s workplaces and economy.
National Disability Employment Awareness Month Presidential Proclamation
https://tinyurl.com/4yhqvny
The presidential proclamation of NDEAM 2011 recognizes the skills that people with disabilities bring to the workforce, and urges rededication to improving employment opportunities in both the public and private sectors for those living with disabilities. The full text is on the White House Press Office’s Web site.
Survey for Parents Will Assess Community Services for Children with Special Needs
https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/402046/MCHB
The newly founded National Center for Ease of Use of Community-Based Services is conducting a survey for parents of children with special needs on the effectiveness of community-based services. Results from the survey will be used to help the Center identify what’s working, what’s not, and how it can better help children receive the health care services they need.
IES Grant Competitions
https://ies.ed.gov/ncser/projects/11awards2.asp
Through the National Center for Special Education Research, the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) recently awarded 16 grants under the Special Education Research Grants Program, and one grant under the Special Education Research and Development Center Program. These applications were considered under the September 2010 deadline, and total spending for these new grants is $45.5 million. Descriptions and structured abstracts for these new grants are available on their Web site
Related Services
Related services: Common supports for students with disabilities.
This new module from the IRIS Center describes related services and offers an overview of the benefits they provide to students with disabilities in the general education classroom. It highlights 5 commonly used related services (physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, social work services, and psychological services) and briefly highlights many of the other related services identified in IDEA ’04.
https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/rs/chalcycle.htm
Research Based Instruction
Doing What Works
https://dww.ed.gov/
Doing What Works (DWW), sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education, contains an online library of resources that may help teachers, schools, districts, states and technical assistance providers implement research-based instructional practice. Much of the DWW content is based on information from the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) What Works Clearinghouse.
Spinal Cord Injury
When there’s a spinal cord injury.
FacingDisability.com connects families who suddenly have to deal with a spinal cord injury with people like them who have already “been there” and “done that.” The site collects life experiences surrounding spinal cord injuries and brings them to the web where you can see and hear the answers to the questions most often asked after a spinal cord injury. The site has over 1,000 videos.
https://www.facingdisability.com/
Traumatic Brain Injury
TBI Education offers evidence-based information and resources for people working with students who have a traumatic brain injury.
https://www.cbirt.org/tbi-education/
Visual Impairments
From the IRIS Center, here’s a training module called Accommodations to the Physical Environment: Setting up a Classroom for Students with Visual Disabilities. Its resources offer helpful tips on setting up the physical aspects of your classroom and introduce types of equipment used by students with visual disabilities.
https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/v01_clearview/chalcycle.htm
