EDUCATION
This page provides information on IDEA and other educational programs and resources for students with disabilities and their families, including:
Scholarships:
- CareerOneStop - Scholarship Search Tool (Scholarships targeted to students with disabilities)
- College Scholarships.org - College Information for Students with Disabilities
- FinAid! - Financial Aid for Students with Disabilities page
- Scholarships.com - Disability Scholarship page
- DisabilityScholarships.us - College Scholarships for Students with Disabilities
News
Justices Decline Appeal on Special Education Placement, By Mark Walsh, Education Week, June 10, 2013
New Campaign Aims To Curb Restraint And Seclusion, By Michelle Diament, Disability Scoop, May 30, 2013
Special Education Could Face $2 Billion In Cuts, By Michelle Diament, Disability Scoop, May 28, 2013
School Restraint, Seclusion Bill Introduced In Congress, By Michelle Diament, Disability Scoop, May 10, 2013
Join the Conversation for Change, From the U.S. Department of Education, May 08, 2013
Making Safe Routes to School Work for Students with Disabilities, From the National Center for Safe Routes to School, April 2013
Congress Rewrites IDEA Funding Rule, By Michelle Diament, Disability Scoop, March 26, 2013
White House: Schools must open sports to disabled, Greg Toppo USA TODAY, January 25, 2013
KU center lands $1.75M grant to aid test accessibility for students with disabilities, The University of Kansas, October 08, 2012
$24.5 million grant to establish national special education center, By Matt Erickson, Lawrence Journal-World, September 26, 2012
Education Department Expands IDEA Help Centers, By Michelle Diament, Disability Scoop, September 11, 2012
What You Need to Know about NICHCY’s Disability Fact Sheets, By Elaine Mulligan, Project Director, National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY) , Disability Blog, August 29, 2012
Advocacy Organizations and Informational Resources
The Center for Implementing Technology in Education (CITEd) identifies evidence-based practices for integrating instructional technology to support the achievement of all students. CITEd provides this support through identification of best practices, innovative online technical assistance tools, professional development, and communities of practice.
Disability.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. The Education Section 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.
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 of the Midwest 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.
Our Children Left Behind (OCLB) was created in Spring, 2003, to serve as an information resource for students, parents, and organizations concerned about Congressional activities reauthorizing the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [IDEA]. OCLB marked its place in history as the first online parent blog specifically created to address disability issues and how they affect families.
Navigating College - To augment their Navigating College Handbook, a first-of-its-kind resource written by autistic adults for autistic college students exploring the various aspects of the higher education experience, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) has launched this website on autism and college issues to provide a ongoing resource for college students on the spectrum, family members, disability services professionals and others. Through regular blog posts from autistic college students detailing first-hand experiences, Navigating College will offer original content that will extend and elaborate upon the handbook.
NICHCY, the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, offers a vast repository of information on disabilities in children and youth; programs and services for infants, children, and youth with disabilities; IDEA, the nation’s special education law; and research-based information on effective practices for children with disabilities.
TASH is an international leader in disability advocacy. Founded in 1975, TASH advocates for human rights and inclusion for people with significant disabilities and support needs – those most vulnerable to segregation, abuse, neglect and institutionalization. TASH works to advance inclusive communities through advocacy, research, professional development, policy, and information and resources for parents, families and self-advocates.
TechMatrix allows you to use targeted searches and keywords to find the right tool, research, online resource or expert advice to integrate technology into education.
Think College! College Options for People with Intellectual Disabilities - Doors to colleges are opening for people with intellectual and other developmental disabilities in many different ways all over the country. This website is designed to share what is currently going on, provide resources and strategies, let you know about training events, and give you ways to talk to others. The information is for transition aged students as well as adults attending or planning for college. It provides resources and tools for students, families, and professionals.
Wrightslaw provides 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.
The Cost of Waiting, April 2011 - A TASH report on restraint, seclusion and aversive procedures one year after the passage of the Keeping All Students Safe Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. This bill represented a monumental change in protections that would allow all children to learn in a safe environment. Unfortunately for thousands of children and families, this critical legislation never reached the Senate floor. The purpose of this report is to document the high cost of waiting to protect our children.
The Cost of Waiting, Second Edition 2012 - A TASH report on restraint, seclusion and aversive procedures two years after the passage of the Keeping All Students Safe Act in the U.S. House of Representatives. This bill represented a monumental change in protections that would allow all children to learn in a safe environment. Unfortunately for thousands of children and families, this critical legislation never reached the Senate floor. The second edition of the report has been revised to document the ongoing struggle to protect our children in schools across the country.
The George Wolf Open Opportunity Resource Booklet, Created by the 2010 George Wolf Youth Interns this resource guide contains information to help young adults with disabilities transition from high school to college or college to work.
How Safe Is The Schoolhouse? An Analysis of State Seclusion and Restraint Laws and Policies, By Jessica Butler, March 30, 2013 - this report describes and analyzes state restraint and seclusion statutes, regulations, and nonbinding guidelines, and includes maps and charts on the various issues.
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.
Navigating College Handbook - This handbook by the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) is a first-of-its-kind resource written by autistic adults for autistic college students exploring the various aspects of the higher education experience. From traditional topics like classroom accommodations and dorm life to hot-button issues such as disclosure and sexuality, Navigating College provides first-person insights from current and past college students on the autism spectrum. Along with the Navigating College handbook, ASAN has launched a dedicated website on autism and college issues: NavigatingCollege.org.
NICHCY Fact Sheets on Specific Disabilities - NICHCY offers brief, but detailed fact sheets on specific disabilities. Each fact sheet defines the disability, describes its characteristics, offers tips for parents and teachers, and connects you with companion resources and disability organizations that offer more information and assistance.
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.
Restraint and Seclusion: Resource Document, The U.S. Department of Education, May 2012 - This publication outlines principles for educators, parents and other stakeholders to consider when developing or refining policies and procedures to support positive behavioral interventions and avoid the use of restraint and seclusion.
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.
School is Not Supposed to Hurt: Update on Progress in 2009 to Prevent and Reduce Restraint and Seclusion in Schools by the National Disability Rights Network, January 2010 - This is an update to the 2009 report. It represents the culmination of a year of intense advocacy work, family support, and initial action of lawmakers to regulate restraint and seclusion in schools.
School is Not Supposed to Hurt: The U.S. Department of Education Must Do More to Protect School Children from Restraint and Seclusion by the National Disability Rights Network, March 2012, This report is a follow-up to the original report from 2009 and the 2010 update that looked into the growing use of restraint and seclusion in our nation’s schools and called on federal, state, and local entities to make changes in order to protect our school children. This report criticizes the Education Department for failing to do more to rein in the use of restraint and seclusion in schools and offers recommendation ob how to address the problem.
Shouldn’t School Be Safe? - This TASH publication was developed by parents and for parents in response to repeated requests for a practical guide to keeping our school children safe from restraint, seclusion and other aversive practices. While this problem has been most acute among children with disabilities, it is an issue of school safety that has the potential to affect ALL students, directly or indirectly, and one that all parents should know and care about.
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.