Special Education

1. Special Education Information, advice, and resources for disabilities in education

2. Table of Contents Blindness Defined Tips for Parents Tips for Educators Tips for Students Technology Resources Internet Resources Deafness Defined Tips for Parents Tips for Educators Tips for Students Technology Resources Internet Resources Cerebral Palsy Defined Tips for Parents Tips for Educators Tips for Students Technology Resources Internet Resources References

3. Blindness and Vision ImpairmentDefined • Any degree of functional loss of vision from disease or trauma that cannot be traditionally corrected or repaired • Legally Blind status is reserved for people with less than 20/200 vision with corrective lenses • Partially Sighted status includes any vision problems • Low Vision designation is for severe vision impairment, including near-sightedness and far-sightedness • Totally Blind is the most severe designation Return to Table of Contents

4. Blindness and Vision ImpairmentTips for Parents • Contact the school administration to determine what adaptive resources exist for students with vision impairment and what resources could be pursued in the future • Contact the educator to inform him/her of what type of assistance in previous classes has ensured the student’s success • Contact your municipal or county officials to learn of any financial or equipment assistance or services that may be offered for children with vision impairment • Encourage your child to be vocal about sharing his/her needs with the educator and with his/her peers • Encourage your child to openly discuss his or her experience with vision impairment to educate and inform his/her peers • Pursue the assistance of a psychologist or therapist trained to work with children with vision impairment to assist in any emotional obstacles your child may encounter Return to Table of Contents

5. Blindness and Vision ImpairmentTips for Educators • Offer to give a tour of the school, the classroom, and its resources to develop familiarity for the student • Do not take the student by the arm because a totally blind student may use his/her arms for balance – instead, vocally offer your arm to lead the student • Ask the student what kind of accommodations would be helpful for the student before the class to create a comfortable learning space • Contact the parents before the class to learn of what accommodations can be made to help the parents ensure the student’s comfort • Educate the other students in the class with sensitivity training regarding the visually impaired student and encourage them to collaborate and assist in any ways requested of them Return to Table of Contents

6. Blindness and Vision ImpairmentTips for Students • Express any needs or challenges you are experiencing in the classroom to your educators and parents that hinder your learning • Express any needs or challenges you are experiencing at home to your parents and educators that hinder your learning • Openly communicate with your peers regarding your vision impairment so that they may learn from it • Ask your educator if there are braille alternatives to the assigned textbooks and resources • Ask to have an assigned partner after each class to help you navigate between classrooms and to get you to/from your school transportation Return to Table of Contents

7. Blindness and Vision ImpairmentTechnology Resources • Refreshable Braille Displays – device that connects to a computer to electronically raise and lower pins to transcribe text to braille • Speech Synthesizers – software to translate text to speech • Braille keyboards – device to connect to a computer to take notes, type papers, and communicate on the internet Return to Table of Contents

8. Blindness and Vision ImpairmentInternet Resources • National Federation of the Blind website • Disability.gov • Montgomery County Disability Services Return to Table of Contents

9. Deafness and Hearing ImpairmentDefined • The loss of hearing, whether partial or total, attributed to disease or trauma • Beyond inability to hear, deafness can significantly impair language and speech development • As of 2004, 65 million people had developed partial or total hearing loss as children • American Sign Language (ASL) is used to communicate by as many as 2 million people in the United States Return to Table of Contents

10. Deafness and Hearing ImpairmentTips for Parents • Contact the school administration to determine what adaptive resources and technology exist for students with hearing impairment and what resources and technology could be pursued in the future • Contact the educator to inform him/her of what type of assistance in previous classes has ensured the student’s success • Contact your municipal or county officials to learn of any financial or equipment assistance or services that may be offered for children with hearing impairment • Encourage your child to communicate with peers using shared communication platforms like email, instant messaging, and texting • Learn ASL and offer to teach ASL or share ASL resources for your child’s peers • Ask that ASL training be offered as an after-school program • Pursue the assistance of a psychologist or therapist trained to work with children with hearing impairment to assist in any emotional obstacles your child may encounter Return to Table of Contents

11. Deafness and Hearing ImpairmentTips for Educators • Ask the student in advance of class what kind of accommodations would be helpful for the student to ensure meeting his/her learning objectives • If using an interpreter, communicate looking directly at the student rather than at the interpreter • Educate the other students in the class with sensitivity training regarding the hearing impaired student • Learn and integrate basic ASL into the coursework to improve the learning environment for the hearing impaired student and his/her peers • Work with administration and colleges teaching ASL courses to get volunteers and aides to translate teacher and student communications to the hearing impaired child • Request that a transcriber be available to transcribe all vocal instructions and communications into a computer monitor accessible to the deaf child Return to Table of Contents

12. Deafness and Hearing ImpairmentTips for Students • Express any needs or challenges you are experiencing in the classroom to your educators and parents that hinder your learning • Express any needs or challenges you are experiencing at home to your parents and educators that hinder your learning • Share your experiences and challenges with your peers so that they may learn from them • Request that your teacher make all essential information and assignment instructions available in print • Request your administration provide an ASL signer or interpreter, if not permanently, then for days in which real-time communication is most critical during class Return to Table of Contents

13. Deafness and Hearing ImpairmentTechnology Resources • Hearing aids • Computer Aided Transcription Services (CART) software • Personal Listening Devices for those with moderate hearing impairment • Computer-Assisted Note Taking • Cell Phones Return to Table of Contents

14. Deafness and Hearing ImpairmentInternet Resources • National Association for the Deaf website • Disability.gov • Montgomery County Disability Services • Captioned Media Program Return to Table of Contents

15. Cerebral PalsyDefined • A developmental disability wherein damage is caused to the motor control centers of the brain before or up to several years after birth • Those affected by CP may struggle with coordination, walking, moving muscles, and/or speaking • CP is a lifelong disability that can be managed and treated with physical therapy and medication • Nearly 800,000 people in the United States have Cerebral Palsy Return to Table of Contents

16. Cerebral PalsyTips for Parents • Contact the school administration to determine that the school’s classrooms, restrooms, and transportation can accommodate your child’s specific physical needs • Contact the educators before the class to verify that the specific classroom is situated in a way that your child can easily move through the room to access his/her desk and resources required for the class • Contact your municipal or county officials to learn of any financial or equipment assistance or services that may be offered for children with your child’s specific CP physical needs • Consults medical professionals about the advantages/disadvantages of physical therapy and medication for your child to manage his/her CP • Pursue the assistance of a psychologist or therapist trained to work with children with CP to assist in any emotional obstacles your child may encounter • Search online for local CP-oriented organizations in your locality that features physical activities and sports groups for children with CP Return to Table of Contents

17. Cerebral PalsyTips for Educators • Contact the student and parents before class to learn of physical accommodations, such as seating or desk arrangements, that will make the child most comfortable in the learning environment • Contact the parents before class to learn of any necessary medications that the student is taking that you need to be aware of and monitor • Educate the other students in the class and their parents with sensitivity training regarding cerebral palsy and the specifics of this student’s disability • Contact the school administration to determine if any equipment, such as walkers or wheels chairs, can be made available in the school for your student • Speak with administration about providing an aide, should one be necessary for writing or typing assignments in class • Speak with administration and the student’s parents about the feasibility of an afterschool aide for writing- or typing-intensive homework assignments; otherwise, modify assignments to accommodate student’s needs Return to Table of Contents

18. Cerebral Palsy Tips for Students • Express any needs or challenges you are experiencing in the classroom to your educators and parents that hinder your accessibility and movement within the classroom • Express to your teacher any physical challenges that might be making certain homework assignments more difficult for you than other students • Openly discuss your experiences with CP to educate your peers • Inform your teacher of any therapy, whether physical or medicinal, that would require you to take breaks from classwork • Request that appropriate alternative assignments be offered for writing- or typing-intensive assignments that may prove too strenuous for you without the help of an aide Return to Table of Contents

19. Cerebral PalsyTechnology Resources • Motorized Wheelchair • Elevators • Adaptive Writing Tools • Adaptive Computers with alternatives to standard keyboard, mouse, and monitor • Augmentative Communication services for children with affected speech • Ergonomic Desks and Computer Workstations Return to Table of Contents

20. Cerebral PalsyInternet Resources • United Cerebral Palsy website • Cerebral Palsy, Inc. website • Disability.gov • Montgomery County Disability Services Return to Table of Contents

21. References • Museum of disABILITY History website • Wikipedia • National Federation for the Blind website • National Association for the Deaf website • Nebraska Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing website • United Cerebral Palsy website • Cerebral Palsy, Inc. website • Bing Creative Commons Image Search Return to Table of Contents