1. Students with Low Incidence Disabilities

2. A Focus on Incidence
When the issue at hand for students with disabilities centers on the provision of services in local schools, the availability of qualified personnel and the technical sophistication of necessary resources must be carefully considered. In order to provide students with disabilities with a free and appropriate public education, it is useful to classify learners in terms of incidence, or how many students with any particular disability or combination of disabilities reside in a community. Under such a system, students with the most commonly-seen disabilities may be more appropriately served by local public schools while students with relatively rare disabilities may not find adequate resources or highly qualified personnel.
High-incidence disabilities include—
communication disorders (speech and language impairments)
specific learning disabilities (including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder [ADHD])
mild/moderate mental retardation
emotional or behavioral disorders

3. Low Incidence Disabilities
Low-incidence disabilities include—
Blindness
low vision
deafness
hard-of-hearing
deaf-blindness
serious physical impairment
Complex health issues
Multiple disability
Autism
Significant developmental delay
None of the disabilities listed under low-incidence disabilities generally exceed 1% of the school-aged population at any given time. The relative rarity of students with these disabilities in public schools often poses significant challenges for local schools struggling to meet their needs. Since they encounter these students so infrequently, most local schools have little if any knowledge of how to best educate these students, of what technologies are available to assist them, and of how to obtain needed and appropriate
support services from outside agencies. All students with low-incidence disabilities thus experience a commonality: they are difficult to serve in current local public school programs.
National Center on Assessable Instructional Materials

4. Percent of Children with Disabilities Ages 3-21
Disability
Category
CWDs(IDEA),
Ages 3-5
State (%)
CWDs (IDEA)
Nation (%)
Ages 6-21
All Disabilities
100
Autism
4.8
6.9
6.6
7.2
Specific Learning Disability
0.3
1.2
44.3
41.5
Speech or Language Impairment
46.9
45.9
18.2
18.9
Hearing Impairment
1.3
1.4
Orthopedic
Impairment
0.8
1.0
0.6
Visual Impairment
0.5
0.4
(Data Source:

5. Levels of Service IEP/ 504 plans Residential placement: ISD/ISVI
Resource
Itinerant

6. What is an Itinerant Teacher?
Certified teacher
Travels to the students
Can serve multiple districts
Ages 3-22
Multi-needs to gifted
Direct and consult services
Support to students, families and staff
Technology support at school and home
LBS II
Serve at home
Serve at school

7. Student/Staff Services
Direct
Consult
Teach how to use needed equipment
Self-Advocacy/Independence
Skill development
Compensatory strategies
Test administration
Observations
Adapt curriculum
Instructional Strategies
Accommodations
Equipment use/training
Environment
Safety/Emergency plans
Observations
Team meetings
Skill development – auditory skills, tracking, scanning, vocabulary development, language base, software, computer technology, Executive functioning skills

8. Role of the Vision Itinerant
Interprets ocular information
Explains educational implications/impact
Provides Braille instruction when appropriate
Provides adaptive equipment
Trains staff to adapts classroom materials
Adapts materials
Refer for O&M Assessments
Low-vision clinic
Connects staff/families/students to outside resources
Transition planning
Adaptive equipment Braille materials, large print books, light boxes, magnifiers, computer programs, and other aids to help a visually impaired child function successfully in the classroom.
ipment -

9. Role of the Hearing Itinerant
Interprets audiological information
Explains educational implications/impact
Provides FM systems/cords
In-services staff
Recommends accommodations
Connects staff/families/students to outside resources
Transition planning
ipment -

10. Role of the Orthopedic Itinerant
Describes the student’s impairment
Explains educational implications/impact
Collaborates with regular education teacher and special education staff
Develops fire/safety plans
Suggests accessibility ideas to adapt the learning environment
Provides assistance with implementation of health care plans
Trains students and staff on technology
Provides resources to students, staff, and parents
Facilitates self advocacy and independence
Transition planning

11. Qualifying for Vision Services
A visual impairment refers to “an impairment in vision that, even with correction, adversely affects a child’s educational performance. The term includes both partial sight and blindness.” (IDEA, 1997)

12. Vision Criteria 20/70 or less after correction
Restricted field of vision
Progressive and/or permanent eye conditions
Temporary eye conditions
Medically diagnosed cortical visual impairment
Ocular stuff must be medical and recent
Temporary example - such as post-operative retinal detachment where placement for a limited time is recommended.
Vision impairment includes cortical vision impairment (the eye is normal but the brain does not process what the eye is seeing) but NOT visual perception problems.

13. Eligibility for Hearing
“Deafness means a hearing impairment that is so severe that the child is impaired in processing linguistic information through hearing, with or without amplification that adversely affects a child's educational performance. ” (IDEA, 2004)

14. Eligibility for Hearing
“Hearing impairment means an impairment in hearing, whether permanent or fluctuating, that adversely affects a child's educational performance but that is not included under the definition of deafness in this section” (IDEA, 2004)

15. Hearing Criteria
Permanent or fluctuating hearing loss in one or both ears
Adverse academic effect
Equipment or in-servicing of staff needed

16. Orthopedic Criteria
The student must have a medical diagnosis. For example:
Heart condition
Cerebral palsy
Amputations
Muscular Dystrophy
Ataxia
Dystonia
Spina Bifida
Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis

17. Qualifying for Orthopedic Services
An orthopedic impairment refers to: “a severe orthopedic impairment that adversely affects a child's educational performance. The term includes impairments due to the effects of congenital anomaly, impairments due to the effects of disease, and impairments from other causes” (IDEA, 2004)

18. Qualifying for Orthopedic Services
A health impairment means having “limited strength, vitality, or alertness, including a heightened alertness to environmental stimuli, that results in limited alertness with respect to the educational environment, that is due to chronic or acute health problems that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.” (IDEA, 2004)

19. Red Flags for Vision Loss
Inability to fixate on objects/materials for an extended period of time (just a couple seconds)
Turning head away from materials presented visually
Looking away from objects while reaching
Abnormal head tilt or turn while looking at materials
Frequently holding near materials too close
Eyes that bulge, dance, or bounce in rapid rhythmic movements

20. Red Flags for Hearing Loss
Speech/language services or concerns
Difficulty hearing when it is noisy
Watches other children for cues when directions are given
Staring at the teacher’s face for speechreading cues
Need for repetition; often says “Huh?” or “What?”
Fatigue

21. Making a Request for a Vision/Hearing Services evaluation
When a student is suspected or confirmed to have a visual or hearing impairment that is impacting their educational performance, a referral for a Functional Vision Assessment or Hearing Functioning Assessment can be made.
A FVA/HFA is…..
An assessment of how a student uses their vision/hearing in a functional classroom setting using both formal and informal assessment tools.

22. Making a Request for Orthopedic Services evaluation
When a student’s medical diagnosis is confirmed to having an orthopedic or health impairment and it is impacting their educational performance, a referral for a Physical Functioning Assessment and/or a review of records will be completed.

23. Making a Request for a Vision/Hearing Services evaluation
The following is needed to make a referral:
An ocular report from an O.D. or M.D. dated within one calendar year
An audiological evaluation from an audiologist dated within one year (not school screening)
Completed CASE Referral Packet - found on the CASE website
Educational Screening Form
Domain and Parent permission to evaluate
Other relevant documents:
Current IEP or 504 plan
Related private therapy or medical reports
School Hearing Screening Thresholds
Any Ocular or Audiological Evaluation available

24. CASE Administrator : Mary Furbush
Hearing Itinerant and Hearing Functioning Assessment Evaluator: Tracy Mack
Teacher of Orthopedically Impaired: Barb Layer
Vision Itinerant: Kathy Sledz