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Special Education: What Do Parents Need to Know

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Special Education: What Do Parents Need to Know

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Special Education: What Do Parents Need to Know

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A 37 minute audio/video overview of special education created to help parents of children with disabilities understand what special education is, how a child might get into special education, how to resolve disagreements, and what role parents play. Developed by PACER Center, it is funded in part by a grant from the Minnesota Department of Education.

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Video: Introduction to Special Education Law

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Video: Introduction to Special Education Law

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College of Education and P-16 Integration

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Ms. Julie Pecina talks about the introduction to special education law. The University of Texas-Pan American College of Education Educational Psychology January 24, 2014

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Video:Parents Rights in Special Education

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Video:Parents Rights in Special Education

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Parents Rights in Special Education - English

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The Polka Dot Project: Understanding Special Needs Children

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www.thepolkadotproject.com Facebook: @polkadotproject Facebook group: The Polka Dot Project IA: @therealpolkadotproject The Polka Dot Project was created to teach compassion, love and understanding for children of all abilities, particularly those with special needs. Our first animated series, Polka Dot Pals, explores the lives of five beloved characters-Belle, Marcus, Liu, Carmelo and Jordan.

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Common Myths and Stereotypes about Disability

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Common Myths and Stereotypes about Disability

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MYTH: A person with a disability is sick, or has something wrong with them.
FACT: Disability is a natural part of the human experience, and it is not the same as being sick. Individuals with disabilities have varying degrees of need, and are sometimes sick, just as non-disabled are sometimes sick. Mistaking a disability for sickness not only fails to sometimes sick. Mistaking a disability for sickness not only fails to respond to a person’s needs, it perpetuates a negative stereotype and an assumption that the person can and should be cured.
MYTH: People with disabilities have a poor quality of life.
FACT: This is one of the most common and damaging stereotypes, because it discourages social interactions and the development of mature relationships. People with disabilities have needs just like those who are non-disabled, and they strive for a high degree of quality of life as other individuals. Society handicaps individuals by building inaccessible schools, theaters, homes, buses, etc. The attitude that disability is a bad thing and that disability means a poor quality of life is often viewed as more disabling than the disability itself.
MYTH: People with disabilities are inspirational, brave, and courageous for living successfully with their disability.
FACT: A person with a disability a simply carrying out normal activities of living when they drive to work, go shopping, pay their bills, or compete in athletic events. Access to community based, long term service such as attendant care, access to buildings, public transportation, sidewalks, etc, access to quality health care, and necessary equipment enables them to carry on the same as non-disabled necessary equipment enables them to carry on the same as non-disabled people.
MYTH: People with disability always need expensive and high-tech assistive devices or services.
FACT: Simple inexpensive devices are often the most critical in helping people with a disability live independently. Assistive devices can be as affordable as an eating utensil or Velcro strap.
MYTH: People with severe disabilities need to live in nursing home or rehabilitation hospitals or under constant supervision so that they do not hurt themselves.
FACT: Unfortunately, this myth has created a system of long term care in our nation that relies on institutions such as nursing homes and other facilities. Even those with the most severe disabilities could live in their own home given adequate community based service, and at the very least, they should be given that choice.
(Source:https://hupt.hr/engleski/what-are-paraplegia-and-quadriplegia/common-myths-and-stereotypes-about-disability/)

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The Relationship Between Parents of Children with a Disability & Professionals

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The Relationship Between Parents of Children with a Disability & Professionals

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The collaboration and partnership practices affect the ways education professionals and parents interact. The closer parents work together, the more they help each other. Through an effective partnership, parents can develop a more positive attitude and perception toward themselves and toward their children’s education. Parents' self-efficacy includes the belief that parental involvement has a positive impact on student achievement and success at school; accordingly such parents will involve and collaborate effectively with educators. The relationship between professionals and  parents must be based on mutual respect, trust and honesty so that  they can cooperate effectively. Due to the lack of communication skills, respect and cultural blindness of experts and educators, families of disabled children are in conflict with special education schools and committees. Parents are not always partners in the decision-making process.

How do professionals communicate effectively with  parents of children with disability? Here are some tips:

1.communicate with students and families in their native language using a professional interpreter versus a family member.
2. Communicate using lay and cultural terminology and avoid overreliance on professional jargon.
3. Learn about and respect cultural, communication, and language norms and mores.
4. Be familiar with and acknowledge within-group ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and social class differences.
5. Involve individuals of color in the development of appropriate Individualized Education Programs and Individualized Family Service Plans that reflect their values and priorities.

Resources to help special education professionals improve their relationships with their families.
1. Working With Families of Children With Special Needs
https://www.virtuallabschool.org/preschool/family-engagement/lesson-4
2.Building Relationships with Parents of Students with Special Needs
https://www.learnersedgeinc.com/blog/building-relationships-with-parents-of-students-with-special-needs
3.Teachers and families working together
https://www.acd.org.au/teachers-families-working-together/
4.Helping Parents Deal with the Fact That Their Child Has a Disability
http://www.ldonline.org/article/5937/

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Race, Culture, Language, School, and Disability

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Race, Culture, Language, School, and Disability

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African-American and other students of color have long made up a disproportionate share of the special education, an imbalance that has been linked in recent years to race, culture, poverty and language problems. School's structure, content, and methods of inculcating knowledge are readily recognized as being developed to suit the goals of the majority White American society. Special education and related service provisions are based on White middle-class English-speaking cultural norms and values and may not reflect the cultural beliefs and values of diverse families, especially those who live in poverty and for whom English is not their first language.
Because families’ cultural beliefs and cultural frames of reference affect their understanding, acceptance, and perspectives of disability, it is important that educators and service providers understand how issues of culture influence families’ perceptions of disability and ultimately their experiences in securing services for their loved ones with developmental disabilities. special education is a cultural institution that may or may not reflect the values, beliefs, and cultural perspectives of all parents. Hence, it is critically important that educators and service providers engage in dialogue that will allow parents to share their perspectives on developmental disabilities in a nonthreatening manner and to have those perspectives respected and included in the provision of service delivery options afforded them.

Related paper:
https://nepc.colorado.edu/sites/default/files/publications/0042085909338686.pdf

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School Services for Children with Special Needs:(The Laws)
Children with such special needs are usually entitled to receive additional services or accommodations through the public schools. Federal law mandates that every child receive a free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment possible. To support their ability to learn in school, three federal laws apply specifically to children with special needs:

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (1975)

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (1990)

See this website for detailed legal explanations:
https://www.aacap.org/aacap/families_and_youth/facts_for_families/fff-guide/Services-In-School-For-Children-With-Special-Needs-What-Parents-Need-To-Know-083.aspx

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The only way we'll get freedom for ourselves is to identify ourselves with every oppressed people in the world.  —Malcolm X

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The only way we'll get freedom for ourselves is to identify ourselves with every oppressed people in the world.  —Malcolm X

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This semester, following the course "family, school, and society", I entered a marginalized group in the society -- people with disability. It was an unprecedented experience.I have heard the voices and felt the struggles of parents and I have seen the aspirations of children with disabilities. I hope to learn more skills and knowledge and help them with my own small strength. If each of us can make a contribution, it will change the whole society，and benefit children with disability.

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wikipedia defines "disability" as:
A disability is an impairment that may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, sensory, or some combination of these. It substantially affects a person's life activities and may be present from birth or occur during a person's lifetime.

We write "dis/ability with a slash to denote dis/ability not as an individual trait, but rather a social construction—the product of cultural, political, and economic practices (Baglieri, Valle, Connor, & Gallagher, 2011). This understanding does not deny biological and psychological differences, but emphasizes such differences gain meaning, often with severe negative consequences (e.g., segregation), through human activities informed by norms (Davis, 2013). Dis/ability is also an identity marker, which includes ways notions of ability are relied upon and constructed in tandem with other identity markers (e.g., gender, race, and language) (Gilborn, 2012),” (Waitoller& Thorius, 2016).

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Special education refers to a range of services that can be provided in different ways and in different settings.
If your child qualifies for special education, he’ll receive individualized teaching and other key resources at no cost to you. The specialists who work with your child will focus on his strengths as well as his challenges. And you’ll be an important member of the team that decides what he needs to make progress in school.
Here are some knowledge and resources in this website to help you understand special education:
https://www.understood.org/en

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This  video is about t the 14 different categories and classification of special education students.  The video also offers specific teaching strategies for each special education category.

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Students with Disabilities: Special Education Categories

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Learn in detail about the 14 different categories and classification of special education students. The different categories are broken down in the following categories: Autism, Deaf-blindness, deafness, developmental delay, emotionally disturbed, hearing impairment, intellectual disability, multiple disabilities, orthopedic disability, other-health impairment, traumatic brain injury, specific learning disability, speech language impairment, and visual impairments.

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 Laws and Agencies that Helping  Understand and Apply for Special Education

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 Laws and Agencies that Helping  Understand and Apply for Special Education

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In the United States (U.S.), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) amendments of 1997 and 2004 mandated the inclusion of parents as members of the IEP team and in the development of the Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) associated with provision of early intervention services. The IFSP focuses on the needs, strengths and resources of the family, including the individual with a disability, reflecting the shift mentioned earlier to a more family-centred approach (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 2004).

1.IDEA-- Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.
It is a federal law that requires schools to serve the educational needs of eligible students with disabilities. If you think your child needs special education services, you have to follow a legal process to make it happen. This process can be confusing. It can involve several laws. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is the most important one to understand.
We can find  more information and resources from its website:
https://sites.ed.gov/idea/
2.IEP--Individualized Education Program.
This link will help you understand the IEP and the importance of your participation in developing your child's IEP Plan. https://www.pacer.org/parent/
A Guide to the IEP : https://www.pacer.org/parent/php/PHP-a12.pdf
3.IFSP--Individualized Family Service Plan
Understanding what's an IFSP, why your child needs services, and what kind of services will be provided

:http://www.familyconnect.org/info/education/your-childs-iep-or-ifsp/individualized-family-service-plan-ifsp/135
3.SSI--The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program pays benefits to disabled adults and children who have limited income and resources.
SSI benefits also are payable to people 65 and older without disabilities who meet the financial limits.
People who have worked long enough may also be able to receive Social Security disability or retirement benefits as well as SSI.
https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/disability/
How to apply for SSI:
https://exceptionallives.org/ssi-guide/?gclid=CjwKCAiA9K3gBRA4EiwACEhFewMKnktx9S62sE_-J7Ov4ELYtB2Qq2s-Uwc93-Rohv6rfDPXWqJ0fBoC4u8QAvD_BwE
4.CHIP--Children's Health Insurance Program.Millions of children and teens qualify for free or low-cost health and dental coverage through Medicaid & the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
https://www.insurekidsnow.gov/
5.Apply for Disability Benefits - Child (Under Age 18)
https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/disability/apply-child.html
6.Teach parents how to raise children with disability, and provide some knowledge about the law and rights of disabled children, and give help to the families of disabled children.
https://raisingchildren.net.au/disability
7.How can families of disabled children under the age of 18 apply for financial support:
http://www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/specialneeds/disabilities.aspx
8.INSOURCE--Providing Indiana families and service providers the information and training necessary to assure effective educational programs and appropriate services for children and young adults with disabilities. http://insource.org/
9.Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)--This website seeks support, guidance and information for parents and caregivers of children and adolescents with special education needs and disabilities. https://www.torbay.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/send/
10. PACER Center-- is dedicated to education parents of children with disability and to improving their families and lives.https://www.pacer.org/
11.CADRE--In special education, you can use this site to help you resolve disputes between your family and educators or school.https://www.cadreworks.org/