SPECIAL EDUCATION Resources for Parents with Children in Special Education

EARLY LEARNING FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES  Jean Marc Gaspard Itard sought to teach those with mental challenges. He was a physician and an authority on diseases of the ear and education of the deaf.  Helen Keller was educated at the Perkins School. Her teacher was Anne Mansfield Sullivan.  The fame of this success helped to persuade parents and teachers that persons with disabilities could be educated.

LEGISLATION THAT LEAD TO SPECIAL EDUCATION  Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504  No otherwise qualified handicapped individual in the United States shall be excluded from the participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program or activity receiving federal money.  Section 504- A person is considered disabled if the individual has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of such person’s major life activities, Has a record of such impairments, Is regarded as having such an impairment.  Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990  Prohibits discrimination based on disability  Disability is defined by the ADA as "a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits a major life activity."

LEGISLATION THAT LEAD TO SPECIAL EDUCATION  Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975  All people ages 3-18 must be provided with a free education and the education must be appropriate for each individual. Free and appropriate public education (FAPE).  They must place the child in their least restrictive environment. Meaning the place that will benefit the child the most. This must be suited to their disability.  Individuals with Disabilities Education Act 1997 and 2004  Mandates that all children receive an education regardless of the severity of their disability.  Zero reject- The school system cannot exclude any child from the ages of 3-21, and the public school system is responsible for including these children in the education program, no matter their disability.

CATEGORIES OF DISABILITIES  Autism  Deafness  Deafness-blindness  Hearing impairment  Mental disabilities  Multiple disabilities  Tourette’s Syndrome  Emotional Disturbance  Specific learning disabilities  Speech or language impairment  Traumatic brain injury  Visual impairment  Partially sighted  Low vision  Legally blind  Totally blind  Pervasive developmental disorders  Video of Definitions Video of Definitions

THE SPECIAL EDUCATION PROCESS MY CHILD IN SPED  Parents rights Parents rights  The assessment process The assessment process  The IEP process The IEP process  Services that may be provided  Speech  Counseling  Tutoring  SD Department of Education- Special Education SD Department of Education- Special Education  Introduction to Special Education Introduction to Special Education IEP Assessment