Disabilities and Special Education

1. Disabilities and Special Education • Is it real or isn’t it?

2. Did you know there are over ??? million people in the world today with some type of disability? • Think about that number for a minute-the population of the state of California is about 30 million people. The population of the United States would only equal one third the number of disabled people there are in the whole world!

3. Disabilities can be Visible or Invisible • Some disabilities are visible, such as a person in a wheelchair. Other disabilities are invisible, like an individual with a learning disability. Even though you cannot see a person’s disability does not mean they do not have one.

4. Round Table Discussion • Find a partner • Have each person identify someone they know (without using names) out of the 750 million people that have a disability. Also please identify if it is a visible or invisible disability.

5. Famous People with a Disability • Bill Gates Learning Disability, Dyslexia, ASD, ADHD • Elvis Presley Diabetes, Migraines, • Einstein ASD • Ozzy Osbourne Dyslexia • Axl Rose Bipolar • Jim Carey Bipolar • Elton John Epilepsy • John Lennon Learning Disability

6. Famous People with a Disability • Dan Aykroyd ASD • Mark Twain ASD • Thomas Jefferson ASD • Beethoven ASD • Thomas Edison ASD • Mozart ASD • Van Gogh ASD, ADHD

7. Famous People with a Disability • Issac Newton ASD, ADHD • Emily Dickinson ASD, ADHD • Henry Ford ASD • Ben Franklin ADHD • Christopher Columbus ADHD • Walt Disney ADHD • Magic Johnson ADHD • Babe Ruth ADHD • Will Smith Learning Disability

8. Famous People with a Disability • Whoopi GolbergLearning Disability (Dyslexia) • Tom Cruise Learning Disability (Dyslexia) • Bruce Willis Speech (Stuttering) • Tiger Woods Speech (Stuttering) • Julia Roberts Speech (Stuttering) • Catherine Zeta-Jones Bipolar • Billy Joel Depression • Brooke Shields Depression

9. Famous People with a Disability • J.K. Rowling Suicidal Depression • Princess Diana Post-Partum Depression and Self-Mutilation

10. Brief Overview-Special Education Law and Rule • People who are identified as a person with a disability may qualify for Special Education Services or 504 which fall under the American with Disabilities Act.

11. PL-94-142 (IDEA) (IDEA 2004) • In 1976 Public Law 94-142 was signed into law. • The law guaranteed children with disabilities a free appropriate public education in the least restrictive environment. • The law states that children with disabilities have a legal right to be in and participate in public education with children who are not disabled.

12. PL-94-142 (IDEA) (IDEA 2004) Individuals with Disability Education Act • Prior to 1976 parents of children with disabilities: • Kept their child at home • Sent their child to an institution • No hope, No help, No school in most states

13. IDEA assures that……. • All children with disabilities and their families have a civil right to access a Free and Appropriate Public Education in the Least Restrictive Environment.

14. Minnesota Statutes 2002-Least Restrictive Environment • 125A.08 School District obligations • To the maximum extent appropriate, children with a disability are educated with children who are not disabled, and that special classes, separate schooling, or removal of children with a disability from the regular education environment occurs only when and to the extent that the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.

15. Concept of LRE • Requires a pupil be educated with their general educated peers to the fullest extent possible based on their individual student needs. • Each District is required to have a full array of services, ranging from full inclusion to the most restrictive residential placements.

16. Placement Options • Setting I • Student needs resource room services for less than 21 percent of the school day. • Setting II • Student needs resource room services for 21-60 percent of the school day. • Setting III • Student needs resource room for more than 61 percent of the school day. (Ex. Center base Programming) • Setting IV • Student needs greater than 50 percent of the school day in a separate Resource facility. (Ex. Bell Center)

17. How does a student become eligible for special education? • Student must meet state criteria in one of the 13 categories of disabilities and be in need of special education. • The lack of progress cannot be due to lack of instruction, language, or cultural differences. (Exclusionary Factors)

18. What is the process? • Prevention Interventions should take place • Pre-referral-Two documented interventions must be completed in regular education prior to referral • Referral-Teacher completes referral checklist • Student Study Meeting-Needs to include a multidisciplinary team • Written parent permission to evaluate • Evaluation-Must be completed within 30 school days • Team meeting to go over results and complete criteria checklist • Complete IEP if they qualify using criteria and they have a special education need.

19. Possible Disability Areas • Speech/Language Impairment (SpL) • Learning Disability (SLD) • Emotional/Behavioral Disorder (E/BD) • Other Health Disability (OHD) • Developmental Cognitive Delayed: (DCD) • Mild to Moderate • Moderate to Severe • Development Delayed (DD) up to the age of 6 yrs. 11 months

20. Possible Disability Areas • Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) • Deaf/Hard of Hearing (DHH) • Physical Impairments (PI) • Traumatic Brain Injured (TBI) • Blind/Visual Impairments (VI) • Deaf/Blind • Severely Multiply Impaired (SMI)- Needs to meet two or more of the above

21. Special Education Students currently identified

22. Required IEP Team Members • Case manager • Teacher licensed in the disability area of the student • Regular education teacher • Parent • Principal or District Representative • Optional members-may include other special education service providers, outside agencies, etc.

23. Legal Standards for IEP • Once special education services are obtained and an IEP (Individual Education Plan) is written it becomes a legal binding document. • Must be provided in the LRE • Must provide FAPE (Free Appropriate Public Education) • Be reasonably calculated to benefit the child • Must be reviewed annually to develop a new IEP • Expires one year from the date of Implementation

24. Implementation of the IEP • All staff are obligated under law to provide the special education services, accommodations, and modifications as described in the IEP. • The parents are to receive progress reports on special education goals and objectives as often as parents on students without disabilities receive progress reports. (Ex. Report Card)

25. Is having a disability real? • What do you think? (Activity)

26. What does it feel like to have a disability (Students Perspective)? • Feelings about having ADHD as told by a young man with ADHD • People seem to have more tolerance for disabilities they can see. They wouldn’t tell someone in a wheelchair that all she needs to do is stand up and walk. People are also tolerant of mental conditions. A person with mental retardation is not expected to do Algebra.

27. Feelings Continued • We also don’t tell someone with Alzheimer’s who is lost, confused, and scared that all he needs to do is look at a map. • Then why are people with ADHD expected to be able to just sit down and focus?

28. Feelings Continued • ADHD is a disorder that most people just can’t comprehend. People can put themselves in the place of a person in a wheelchair, and everybody knows the feeling of being lost and scared. People don’t understand taking forty-five minutes just to get started on homework.

29. Feelings Continued • Most people with ADHD try really hard. Success is never taken for granted and is constantly strived for. People don’t understand the personal failure of a full day of trying to get something done and ending up with nothing.

30. Feelings Continued • A dripping faucet is a distraction to anyone. A person who does not have ADHD will get up and stop the dripping faucet, then return to their homework. A person with ADHD may go fix the faucet with every intention of going right back to the homework, but become distracted and not get back to work for an hour. • Does this mean I am lazy or making bad choices? Is it real?

31. What can we do?

32. We can work together to educate a child on their journey in education

33. Special Education • Students are like (Tommy) the little engine that could • I think I can, I think I can • General Education teachers are like the rails • Who keep them on track heading in the right direction • Special Ed staff and Admin. are like the railroad ties • Who support the general education teachers and student • Accommodations are like the spikes • that hold things in place to make sure Tommy has a smooth ride. • Modifications are like the switches in the track • for an alternate route to graduation

34. Derailment or Non-movement • Derailment or non-movement of the train happens when the students needs, accommodations/modifications and/or services are not met.

35. It is my prayer that you will be an integral part of each child’s journey through education. • Be a collaborator, a team player, an advocate for each individual child • Remember to ASK if you don’t understand how to best meet a child’s needs