EDUCATION
This page provides information on IDEA and other educational programs and resources for students with disabilities and their families, including:
News
States Seek Federal Waivers to Cut Special Education, By Christina A. Samuels, Education Week, June 16, 2010
Weds. March 24 is National Senate Call-in Day on Restraint and Seclusion Bill, From the APRAIS Coalition, March 23, 2010
Who Is Defending the Children?, By Tricia & Calvin Luker, Our Children Left Behind (OCLB), March 04, 2010
Seclusion and Restraint Bill Passes House, From Rocky Nichols, Disability Rights Center of Kansas (DRC), March 03, 2010
House to Vote on the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act This Week, From the National Council on Independent Living, March 01, 2010
U.S. Department of Education Makes Public State-by-State Restraint and Seclusion Information, From The U.S. Dept. of Education, February 24, 2010
2010 Through the Looking Glass Scholarships for Students Who Have Parents with Disabilities, From Through the Looking Glass, February 2010
The Story Behind The Bill: Rep. Miller finds school discipline too extreme, By Kris Kitto, The Hill, February 02, 2010
Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act: What Does It Mean For Children with Disabilities?, By Jessica Butler, Esquire, The Special Ed Advocate Newsletter, December 16, 2009
Lawmakers Introduce Bipartisan Legislation to Protect Children from Abuse in Schools, From the House Committee on Education and Labor, December 09, 2009
Protests unlikely for deaf university's new leader, By Jessica Gresko, The Associated Press, October 18, 2009
KFF accepting applications for the Barbara Jordan Health Policy Scholars Program, From the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, October 2009
Gallaudet University Announces 4 Finalists for President, By Daniel de Vise, Washington Post, September 03, 2009
Transitioning from High School to College for Students with Disabilities, From Disability Law Lowdown, August 17, 2009
Students With Disabilities Face Corporal Punishment at Higher Rates, From ACLU Online, August 15, 2009
New Legislation Introduced to Restore Parent Right to Expert Witness Fee, From the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA), June 07, 2009
Program for disabled Wichita graduates is expanding, By Joe Rodriguez, the Wichita Eagle, May 26, 2009
Secretary Duncan Announces Plans to Increase Oversight of Seclusion and Restraint in Schools, From the House Committee on Education and Labor, May 20, 2009
GAO Report Finds Hundreds of Allegations of Abusive and Deadly Uses of Seclusion and Restraint in Schools, From the House Education and Labor Committee, May 19, 2009
COPAA Releases Report Detailing 143 Incidents of Aversive Interventions in School Programs, From the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc. (COPAA), May 05, 2009
Google Lime Scholarship for Students with Disabilities, From Google, April 14, 2009
Summary of Stimulus Bill and IDEA Funding, From the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates (COPAA), February 14, 2009
NDRN Releases Shocking Report on Seclusion & Restraint in U.S. Schools, From the National Disability Rights Network, January 13, 2009
Through the Looking Glass Offers 2009 College Scholarships for Students with Parents with Disabilities, January 2009
Advocacy Organizations and Informational Resources
DisabilityInfo.gov is the federal government's one-stop Web site for information of interest to people with disabilities, their families, employers, service providers and many others. This section of DisabilityInfo.gov offers information on educational programs and resources available throughout the federal government, including Individualized Education Programs; college opportunities; school-to-work transition and tools for educators.
The Disaboom Scholarship Directory for Students with Disabilities describes more than 125 financial aid programs geared toward college students or those seeking to attend college. Some of the awards are for amounts up to $20,000, while most are not less than $1,000. The directory includes scholarships and financial aid programs in three categories:
- Comprehensive disability-related scholarships - for students with any type of disability;
- Condition-specific scholarships - (e.g., autism, vision and hearing impairments, cystic fibrosis, learning disabilities, lupus, wheelchair use); and
- Group-specific disability scholarships - (e.g., scholarships for caregivers or disabled veterans).
Families Together is the Parent Training and Information Center serving Kansas families who include a son or daughter with disabilities. We train and inform parents and professionals, help families obtain appropriate education and services for their children with disabilities, work to improve education results for all children, resolve problems between families and schools or other agencies and connect children with disabilities to community resources that address their needs.
The Gallaudet University Regional Center at Johnson County Community College offers extension courses, training workshops and technical assistance to address the educational, transition, and professional development needs from birth through adulthood of deaf and hard of hearing people, their families and professionals who work with them.
The Kansas State School for the Blind (KSSB) empowers students with the knowledge, attitudes, and skills to assume responsible roles in society and to lead fulfilling lives. KSSB strives to establish partnerships with parents, school districts, and community resources to promote access to a high quality education for all Kansas students with visual impairments, regardless of where they attend school.
The Kansas School for the Deaf provides a barrier-free communication environment which fosters early, fluent communication and on-going fluent communication as a means of broadening horizons and maximizing possibilities.
The National Center for Learning Disabilities (NCLD) provides essential information to parents, professionals and individuals with learning disabilities, promotes research and programs to foster effective learning and advocates for policies to protect and strengthen educational rights and opportunities.
The National Disabled Students Union (NDSU) is a national, cross-disability, student organization dedicated to social justice for all. Our mission is to mobilize and organize students with disabilities throughout the nation in order to continue the legacy of empowerment and community solidarity that is our heritage.
The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY), provides information on topics regarding children and youth with disabilities, birth through 22. This includes research-based information about effective practices for educating and providing services to children with disabilities, information about how the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) affects children with disabilities, and information about educational research programs and initiatives involving children with disabilities.
Our Children Left Behind is a group of volunteers who operate an online forum that focuses on IDEA and other special education issues.
At Wrightslaw, our mission is to provide parents, advocates, educators, and attorneys with accurate, up-to-date information about special education law and advocacy so they can be effective catalysts.
Publications
NICHCY's Building the Legacy: A Training Curriculum on IDEA 2004 provides authoritative information about, and training materials on, IDEA and its final Part B regulations to help you become a better special education advocate.
Impairing Education: Corporal Punishment of Students with Disabilities in US Public Schools is a August 2009 report by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and Human Rights Watch which finds that students with disabilities are subject to corporal punishment at a disproportionately higher rate that other students in our public school system.
A Parent's Guide to Response to Intervention (RTI) from Wrightslaw.com - created by Susan Bruce, Regional Education Coordinator for PRO*Parents of South Carolina, Inc., the Guide explains the RTI process and what IDEA requires, parent concerns and important questions about RTI, and what RTI means for our kids.
Seclusion and Restraint: Selected Cases of Death and Abuse at Public and Private Schools and Treatment Centers, Statement of Gregory D. Kutz, Managing Director Forensic Audits and Special Investigations, May 19, 2009. United States Government Accountability Office (GAO) testimony before the House Committee on Education and Labor regarding the the use of restraints and seclusions on children and teens in public and private schools and selected treatment centers.
School is Not Supposed to Hurt: Investigative Report on Abusive Restraint and Seclusion in Schools by the National Disability Rights Network, January 2009 - identifies the abusive use of restraint or seclusion in our nation's schools, which has resulted in injury, trauma and death to children with disabilities. The report is divided into two sections. The first identifies the problems attributed to restraint or seclusion. It outlines the problems and details the proven risks to children associated with the use of these aversive techniques. The second section proposes solutions to the use of restraint or seclusion by highlighting the best practices in education and the use of positive behavioral supports.
The Special Ed Advocate Newsletter is a free online newsletter about special education legal and advocacy topics. Subscribers learn about new cases, articles, seminars and training, special offers on books, and other useful information about special education law and advocacy.
Unsafe In The Schoolhouse: Abuse Of Children With Disabilities, The Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates, Inc.(COPAA), May 27, 2009 - This report details 180 incidents of the use of abusive interventions against children with disabilities in school. The report also includes suggested legislative remedies.