1. The link for the DHH handbook is the old one. I have attached the new link for the digital handbook.

2. The Content in the first section pg. 89 "What are Deaf/Hard of Hearing Services" does not align with the content of the section.

3. The 2nd sentence is a run on and needs a period. Suggestion is to add a period after the word "setting" to create two sentences.

   There must be a continuum of services available to meet the needs of students with disabilities and ensure the appropriate instructional arrangement or setting. Houston ISD must ensure that special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of students with disabilities from the general educational environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability of a student is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily

4. Do we need to change hearing loss to hearing differences to match the updated lingo.

5. Last sentence in the first section: Services for infants and toddlers who are deaf or hard of hearing and their parents/guardians will be provided by a HISD Teacher of the Deaf.

Section 2: What we do

1. First sentence: Houston ISD will provide opportunities for direct communication with peers and professional personnel in the student’s language and communication mode. For a student who is deaf or hard of hearing, the ARD will consider assistive technology needs. All ARD meetings for students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing must include a certified Teacher of the Deaf. For more information, see the ARD Committee Meeting section of the manual.

2. Second sentence: For a student who is deaf or hard of hearing, the ARD committee will consider assistive technology needs.

Section 3: What we provide

1. first sub topic: think about swapping bullets 3 and 4 for it to flow.

2. second sub topic: think about adding another bullet for ICS/SF that is offered to our DHH students at cluster sites.

3. Last sub section: change HISD to Houston ISD to be consistent.

4. Personnel sub section: Certified Teachers of the Deaf & Licensed Audiologist

Page 91: Eligibility requirements- hearing impaired needs to be removed and replaced with Hearing loss or Hearing Difference.

General note: Check for consistency with proper nouns. Especially Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and Deafblind.

(delete words "to be needed") Initial: If APE is suspected to be needed and requested

p.15 capitalize "T" in The in the first bullet item

p.16 Subtopic :What's the Process?" - second bullet, add the word "if" - The ARD/IEP Committee determines if the student no longer requires modifications or accommodations to benefit educationally from APE services.

third bullet, add "will" - Results of an Adapted Physical Education evaluation will indicate that the student no longer has a gross motor deficit requiring APE services.

(change their to the) The ARD committee will document this in the ARD meeting.....

p. 113 Subtopic: Revocation of Consent for All Special Education Services ( recommend that this statement be reviewed and revised for correct language)

p.113 Subtopic: Summary of Performance ; revise statement with the following punctuation.

The SOP addresses both academic and functional performance and must consider as appropriate: the views of the parent, the views of the student, and written recommendations from adult service agencies on how to assist the student in meeting postsecondary goals.

p. 113 - replace the word "of" with "or" - Completion of the credit requirements for graduation under the Foundation High School Program or the Minimum High School Program through courses, one or more of which contain modified curriculum

-FAPE - should be spelled out since first mention in this section

-Within 30 calendar days from the date of the completion of the student’s Full and Individual Initial Evaluation report, the student’s ARD committee shall make its decisions regarding the student’s initial eligibility, and, if appropriate, their IEP and placement. (should we say within 15 calendar days since that is our policy?

**just a wondering** - terms are capitalized in some paragraphs but not all ( ex. Prior Written Notice vs. prior written notice)

1. · Referral of students for a full and individual initial evaluation for possible special education services shall be a part of the district's overall, general education referral or screening system.

2. · Houston ISD utilizes a multidisciplinary approach through the Intervention Assistance Team (IAT). Each campus has an identified IAT Liaison who coordinates IAT meetings to discuss student needs, design interventions, and initiate the referral process.

Recommendations: #2 should go before #1.

What should the IAT do when a student is experiencing difficulty in the general classroom?

· Prior to referral, students experiencing difficulty in the general classroom should be considered for all support services available to all students, such as:

Recommendation: add "education" behind general; same recommendation throughout the remainder of the section..

What are Visual Impairment Services?

Houston ISD offers a continuum of placement options for students with visual impairments. These include:

• General education classrooms with consultative support from a teacher of the visually impaired.

• General education classrooms with direct instructional services from a teacher of the visually impaired.

• A combination of general education and self-contained special education classes with consultative and/or direct instructional services from a teacher of the visually impaired.

• Self-contained special education classrooms with consultative and/or direct instructional services from a teacher of the visually impaired.

• Residential placement at the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (TSBVI). This restrictive placement is based on student data, including input from the Vision Services team. The district must submit an application on the student’s behalf, and the student must be accepted by TSBVI.

Suggested Change: "This restrictive placement is based on student data including the Vision Services team" → "This restrictive placement is based on student data and recommendations from the Vision Services team."

Components of services for students with visual impairments are determined by the ARD committee and may include services from a Braille specialist, technology support, and instruction in the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC).

Houston ISD must ensure that:

• To the maximum extent appropriate, students with disabilities, including those in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with students who are nondisabled [34 CFR 300.114(a)(2)(i) and 20 USC 1412(a)(5)(A)].

• Special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of students with disabilities from the regular educational environment occur only when the nature or severity of the student’s disability is such that education in regular classes with supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily [34 CFR 300.114(a)(2)(ii) and 20 USC 1412(a)(5)(A)].

• A continuum of alternative placements is available to meet the needs of students with disabilities for special education and related services [34 CFR 300.115(a)].

The ARD committee must specify the appropriate instructional arrangement/setting as set forth in 19 TAC 89.63(c).

Personnel (Certified Teachers of the Visually Impaired) must have knowledge and competencies in the following areas:

• Understanding how significant visual loss impacts access to the general curriculum, social skills, and skills for daily living.

• Specially designed instruction.

• Accommodations and modifications.

• Technology supports, including the use of Braille, magnification, and travel training.

Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Services for Students with Visual Impairments

What are Orientation and Mobility (O&M) Services for Students with Visual Impairments?

Orientation and Mobility (O&M) is a crucial service for students with visual impairments. It is part of the Expanded Core Curriculum, which addresses the unique needs of these students beyond the general education curriculum.

Key Components of O&M

• Orientation: Teaching students to understand their position in space and how to navigate to desired locations. It includes:

  • Body Awareness: Understanding the parts of the body and their functions.

  • Spatial Concepts: Grasping directions, distances, and relationships between objects.

  • Environmental Concepts: Recognizing and using landmarks and other environmental cues.

• Mobility: Focusing on safe and efficient movement from one place to another. It includes:

  • Guide Techniques: Learning how to walk with a guide.

  • Self-Protective Techniques: Methods to protect oneself while moving.

  • Cane Skills: Using a cane to detect obstacles and navigate safely.

Importance of O&M

• Independence: O&M skills are essential for students to achieve greater independence.

• Safety: These skills ensure that students can travel safely within their environment.

Legal Framework

• Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA), O&M is recognized as a related service necessary for students with visual impairments to benefit from special education.

• Schools are required to conduct comprehensive assessments to identify all the special education and related services needs of the student (34 CFR § 300.304).

Implementation in Schools

• Assessment: Conduct thorough evaluations to determine the specific O&M needs of each student.

• Instruction: Provide tailored O&M instruction based on the assessment results.

• Collaboration: Work with O&M specialists to integrate these services into the student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP).

• Paragraph 1: Counseling as a Related Service and Psychological Services may be provided to students with disabilities who have chronic, severe behavioral, emotional, or social difficulties. Additional school supports are required to help the student achieve annual goals.

• Counseling services, according to IDEA, refers to services provided by qualified mental health professionals.

• In Houston ISD, these services may be provided by qualified social workers, Licensed Specialists in School Psychology (LSSPs), professional school counselors, or other qualified personnel (ie. interns supervised by licensed or certified professionals). DELETE THIS SENTENCE BECAUSE IT IS REDUNDANT OF INFORMATION IN "WHO PROVIDES COUNSELING SERVICES)

• There are three levels of Psychological Services:

  · Monitoring, Generalization, Intervention

  · Services can be direct, indirect, or a combination of direct and indirect

  · The level of services and type of service is based on the assessment of intensity of need THE FIRST BULLETED ITEM IS THE 3 LEVELS. THE NEXT 2 SENTENCES CAN BE A PARAGRAPH

• An ARD/IEP committee is responsible for determining the appropriateness of psychological services as a related service based on the individual educational needs of a student, regardless of the disability categories, and with the recommendations and expertise provided by the professionals involved in assessing these services. Parents are invited to participate in the ARD/IEP committee decision-making process. Related services are provided to an eligible student with a disability at no cost to the parent or guardian.... CAPITALIZE THE "c" in COMMITTEE

• What is the process?... SHOULD WE MOVE AWAY FROM REFERRING FROM "EASY IEP" SINCE WE WILL NOT USE EASY IEP NEXT YEAR?

Anecdotal notes-- what is in parenthesis does not need to be there, because the reader could assume it has to always be positive.

SDI-- is highlighted in blue

NO NEED TO GIVE A DEFINITION OF "RELATED SERVICES"

What do OT providers do?: RECOMMEND THE FOLLOWING SENTENCE BEFORE THE BULLETED ITEMS: OT practitioners and teachers work collaboratively to incorporate developmentally appropriate sensory and motor skills as a natural component of the classroom routine in an effort to....

What is the OT Services Screening Request Process? THE INFORMATION IN THIS SECTION DOES NOT LIST THE PROCESS. INFORMATION LISTED UNDER "How to initiate OT Screening" DESCRIBES THE PROCESS FOR REQUESTING AND RECEIVING AN OT SCREENING.

Referral Processing by the Campus

· Upon receipt of signed Houston ISD approved consent form, the campus team member who received the form, dates the form by the date the form was received and initials the date. This is the date the district received consent to proceed into evaluation. The campus team member who received the form notifies the OT practitioner supporting the campus via email that the form has been received. The signed original of the form is placed in the student’s special education eligibility folder and a copy of the signed original is provided to the OT practitioner supporting the campus. THIS SECTION IS WORDY. MAYBE WE SHOULD BULLET THE PROCESS

Is there a process for SPED student that need transportation services temporarily? (Ex. Students that need transportation for the summer and does not get transportation during the school year)