Overview of Special Education January January 15, 2009

Special Education…What Is It? “Special education is a service, not a place”

Beyond the Letter of the Law “Special education is more than a service…it is an attitude.”

Who Is Served by Special Education? The 13 categories (see page 6): Specific Learning Disabilities Speech/Communication Disorders Mental Retardation Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities Other Health Impairments Orthopedic Impairments Traumatic rain Injury Autism Severe/Multiple Disabilities Vision Impairments Hearing Impairments Deaf/Blind Developmental Delay

The Four Themes universal design for learning, inclusion, family–professional relationships, and being responsive to the multicultural diversity of students

Some Statistics on Teachers Females constitute 85 percent of the workforce. White teachers represent 86 percent of the workforce. Based on self–report, 14 percent of teachers have a disability. Their average age is 43 years. Fifty–nine percent of special education teachers have a master's degree. Teachers have an average of about 14 years of teaching experience. (Turnbull, p. 6)

The Benefit of the Doubt “In short, the benefit of the doubt benefits everyone.” (Turnbull, p. 30