Physical and Health Disabilities (P/HD) Teacher

1. Physical and Health Disabilities (P/HD) Teacher Serving the Low Incidence Disability Area of Physically Impaired (PI) Compiled by Sandy Tufte, P/HD Intermediate District 287

2. Low Incidence • Disability areas that occur relatively infrequently • 9 disability categories considered low incidence in MN include: • Deaf/Blind (DB) • Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) • Visually Impaired (VI)

3. Low Incidence Areas, continued • Other Health Disabilities (OHD) • Physically Impaired (PI) • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) • Developmental Cognitive Disability (DCD) • Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) • Severely Multiply Impaired (SMI)

4. PI as Low Incidence Disability • Represents approx. 1% of school population • Medically diagnosed chronic physical impairment (congenital or acquired), e.g. cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy • Adversely affects physical/academic function • Results in need for special education

5. General Educational Implications • Potential difficulty w/ motor skills • Motor involvement may include fine/gross motor, visual motor and motor planning • May also have neurological involvement • Inability to complete tasks w/in time constraints • Independent work skills/organization challenges

6. Range of Involvement • Physical involvement can be minimal to extensive, is not indicative of cognitive ability • May require specialized equipment/technology • Most physical disabilities are static, i.e. minimal change in basic motor skills throughout time • Some disabilities are progressive/degenerative

7. Common Myths/Misconceptions • Student w/ PI automatically receives services: False, need to meet criteria for PI • Student w/ PI also has cognitive impairment False, range of cognitive ability is same as for peers • Disability can be “cured” w/ proper treatment False, therapy may increase student skills but not change diagnosis/disability

8. Eligibility Criteria for PI • Documented medical diagnosis & educational implications related to PI in at least one of the following areas: • Inability to manage/complete motoric portions of classroom tasks w/in time constraints • Lack of functional level of organization/ independent work skills • Achievement deficit of 1.0 or more on an achievement test

9. Eligibility Criteria, continued • Does not require a discrepancy between cognitive skills and performance • P/HD teacher must be part of evaluation team, and complete at least one observation • P/HD teacher must be listed on the team for students qualified under PI • Student may qualify under more than one area

10. Role of P/HD Teacher • As one of the team members, participate in planning/completing (re)evaluation • Provide consultation in regard to educational implications of physical impairment/disability • Assist team in developing goals/objectives, accommodations/adaptations • Provide information/in-services on disability • Direct contact w/ student for support/advocacy

11. Indirect & Direct Service Models • P/HD teacher typically provides indirect service • Indirect service includes cooperative planning, consultation, address accessibility concerns, etc. • Indirect includes time w/ student for support, facilitate development of self advocacy skills • P/HD teacher provides direct service when is a clear instructional need & specific skills are required

12. Tips for Working w/ Students w/ PI • Seek information, request in-service on disability • Demonstrate acceptance/positive interactions, support positive peer relationships • Address physical accessibility issues • Be familiar w/ IEP goals, accommodations, etc. • Be aware of potential health concerns • Encourage independence/self advocacy

13. Examples of Adaptations for Students w/ Physical Disabilities • Special equipment for mobility/positioning/ transportation • Assignment/testing accommodations, time extensions, copies of notes, 2nd set of books • Assistive technology as needed • Access to elevator, extra passing time

14. Working with Students Under Other Categories: OHD & TBI • P/HD teacher not required for OHD, TBI categories but may be included for expertise • OHD may include a range of chronic/acute, congenital/acquired health conditions • Requires documented medical diagnosis, a link between health condition & educational performance and meets other qualifying criteria

15. Working with Students Under Other Categories, continued • TBI-traumatic/acquired brain injury • Doesn’t apply to congenital/degenerative/birth trauma brain injuries • Must have medical documentation of “external physical force” injury • Evidence of total/partial functional disability/ psychosocial impairment which negatively impacts educational performance

16. Support With Assistive Technology (AT) • P/HD teacher may serve as part of collaborative team process to determine AT needs • SETT framework can generate discussion re: Student, Environments, Tasks, Tools • Purpose of AT is to increase independence/ accessibility • AT may range from low to high tech

17. Assist w/ Development of Self Advocacy Skills • Self advocacy is critical to student self esteem, can give a sense of control in the world • Increases student understanding/acceptance of disability and how it impacts learning • Facilitates student’s ability to recognize ways to be independent and when support is necessary & appropriate

18. Electronic Resources: PI • MN Low Incidence Projects: www.ecsu.k12.mn.us/ (Follow links: Programs & Services/Special Education/PI) • MN Department of Education: www.education.state.mn.us/ (Follow links: Learning Support-Special Education/PI) • Intermediate District #287: www.district287.org/ (Follow links: About the District/Site Map/Physical & Health Disabilities/TBI)