Articles (Disabilities – Education) « Disabilities – Education

Articles, Publications and Organizations & Services
re: Education Issues for People With Disabilities

• Information below relates to people with physical disabilities.
• See Education – Special for learning and developmental disabilities issues.

Articles

• Dear Colleague Letter: Access by Students with Disabilities to Accelerated Programs (U.S. Dept. of Education)
  A letter from the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights advising of an issue involving students with disabilities seeking enrollment in challenging academic programs.
• Disabilities Fight Grows as Taxes Pay for Tuition (New York Times – Oct. 27, 2007)
  A case that became a flash point in special education, pitting parents against school systems that say they cannot afford to pay to privately educate disabled children whose parents reject their proposed placements.
• Ensuring Equal Education for Youth with Disabilities (The Regulatory Review – 12/14/19)
  The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that youth with disabilities receive a fair and appropriate public education. The Act provides specific protections for these youth, such as the right to “a public education that meets their needs.”
• Federal Court Orders Oakland University to Pay $101,676 in Discrimination Case (Oakland Press – 6/25/10)
  Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service has been awarded $101,676 in attorney fees following a legal battle with Oakland University to allow an intellectually disabled man to live in a campus dorm.
• Invisible Disabilities and Postsecondary Education (Disabled World)
  A video focusing on how to accommodate students whose disabilities are not readily apparent, also called invisible disabilities. Invisible Disabilities are certain kinds of disabilities that are not immediately apparent to others. It is estimated that 10% of people in the U.S. have a medical condition which could be considered a type of invisible disability. 
• Looking Through Their Eyes: Teaching Suggestions for Visually Impaired Students (5/31/15)
  Making minor adjustments to the classroom, providing aids and monitoring progress are simple ways to teach a visually impaired child so they succeed in a regular classroom. Allowing them to use all of their senses and build on their strengths will help to avoid discouragement and academic struggles.
• Minnesota Parents Work Toward More Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Catholic Schools (Media dis&dat – 1/4/09)
  A child with Down syndrome is told by school it wasn't able to provide the special support she needs.
• Protecting Students with Disabilities: FAQ's About Section 504 and the Education with Children with Disabilities (LD online)
  An important goal of the Office for Civil Rights is to foster partnerships between school districts and parents to address the needs of students with disabilities.
• Providing Reasonable Accommodations to Individuals with Disabilities in Internship Sites and Postdoctoral Internship Positions  (American Psychological Assn.)
  This article examines how doctoral internships and postdoctoral residencies can provide reasonable accommodations and ensure equal access once sites have provided admission to otherwise qualified applicants with disabilities.
• Rights for Children vs. Rights for Adults with Disabilities (Autism Support Network)
  Children with disabilities are entitled to receive a “free and appropriate public education (FAPE),” but what about adults? As many parents find out, sometimes late in the game, there are major differences between the services their child (more or less automatically) received during the K-12 school years, versus what can be expected in adult.
• School Nurses and Diabetes Care (Bella Online)
  Families of California children with insulin dependent diabetes were frustrated and angry over a California Superior Court ruling that eliminated a long sought provision allowing trained non-licensed school staff to administer insulin when a school nurse is not available.
• Shortening School Day for Students Using Accessible Bus, Not Providing Accessible Parking or Playground Violated 504
  In an Office for Civil Rights (OCR) decision, Sierra Vista (AZ) Unified School District, 54 IDELR 35 (OCR, July 10, 2009) OCR found a violation of 504 when students who used an accessible school bus, arrived at school 10 minutes late in the morning and had to leave class early in the afternoon to use the bus. The parents of a student who used a wheelchair had filed a complaint because of the shortened school day.
• Student and Parental Rights: Implementation of Desegregation and Integration of Students with Disabilities 
  A visual look at the history of the fight for equal education rights for children with disabilities. It wasn’t until the 1970’s that meaningful rights prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disabilities were set forth in §504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
• The Post-High School Outcomes of Youth With Disabilities up to 4 Years After High School  (National Center for Special Education Research)
  The National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2), funded by the National Center for Special Education Research at the Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education, provides a unique source of information to help in developing an understanding of the experiences of secondary school students with disabilities nationally as they go through their early adult years. 
• Undiagnosed Students with Disabilities Trapped in the School-to-Prison Pipeline (Michigan Bar Journal – 8/2010)
  This article examines the law regarding discipline of students with disabilities, the disproportionate impact of discipline practices on students of color and students denied access to special education evaluation and due process, and possible solutions to better protect and ensure educational success for all students.

Publications

• 504 Fact Sheet
  Obligations of School Districts under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 with Updates on the ADA Amendments Act (Ronald Hager – Nat'l Disability Rights Network – July 2011)
  Section 504 was included in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.  The major thrust of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 was to provide federal funding and a mandate for vocational rehabilitation services for people with disabilities.  Section 504 is a very broad statute.  It prohibits discrimination in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.  It also applies to any programs run by the U.S. government.
• Protecting the Educational and Civil Rights of Children with Disabilities (Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates)
  Patti's Comments: This is a great summary.

Organizations & Services

• Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund
  A leading national civil rights law and policy center directed by individuals with disabilities and parents who have children with disabilities.
• Services for Students with Disabilities (University of Michigan)
  University of Michigan takes great pride in the academic and personal achievements of its many students with disabilities. The University is committed to providing equal and integrated access for students with disabilities.