Employment and Independence are Important Pieces of the American Dream.

1. Employment and Independence are Important Pieces of the American Dream. Achieving this Dream Depends on Having the Foundation of a Good Education. 1. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Free Appropriate Public Education, Individual Education Plan, and Least Restrictive Environment 2. Reasonable Access in Schools 3. Transportation to School

2. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), enacted in 2004, mandates that children and youth ages 3–21 with disabilities be provided a Free and Appropriate Public School Education. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) specifies that students with disabilities receive an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that outlines how the school will satisfy the student’s individual needs. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that students with special needs be provided with a free appropriate public education in the Least Restrictive Environment that is appropriate to the student's needs.

3. Free Appropriate Public Education Free Appropriate Public Educationis an educational program that is: individualized to a specific child, designed to meet that child's unique needs, and prepares the child for further education, employment, and independent living.

4. The Individual Education Program Plan (IEP) • The cornerstone of Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) for each child with a disability is an Individual Education Plan (IEP). • The IEP specifies the student’s disability (or disabilities) and will focus only on the areas affected by the disability (or disabilities). • The IEP specifies what will be the required support for a student to reach academic goal(s)

5. WHAT is Included in Writing an IEP • The IEP details “benchmarks” or short term objectives -- what should happen during each report period for the student to reach a specific goal. • The IEP details what services will be provided and the number of hours per week and the number of times a week. • The IEP should reflect as much as possible what the student’s peers are learning.

6. WHO is Involved in Writing an IEP • The classroom teacher has support from specialists at the school OR from specialists within the school districts. All the specialists listed below help implement strategies on the IEP. • School Psychologists • Physical Therapists • Occupational Therapists • Speech Pathologists • Resource Specialist Teachers • Special Education Teachers • Adaptive Physical Education Teachers • When everyone agrees on the plan, everyone signs the agreement. 

7. Time and Commitment NOTE: Our system works because of all the special education teachers who help a classroom teacher implement strategies for each student with an Individual Education Plan. • Time involved in defining the individual student’s goals and objectives • Time involved to implement strategies • Time to review present level of educational performance of student • Time to review the legal requirements

8. Least Restrictive Environment:Inclusion / Mainstreaming • The Least Restrictive Environment is the environment most like that of typical children in which the child with a disability can succeed academically (as measured by the specific goals in the student's Individual Education Plan. • Three out of five students with academic learning challenges spend the overwhelming majority of their time in the regular classroom. 

9. Least Restrictive Environment: Resource Room • For specialized services, particularly if these services require special equipment or might be disruptive to the rest of the class, the student occasionally leaves the regular classroom to attend smaller, more intensive instructional sessions in a resource room.

10. Classroom Accommodations: Communication • Large posters with pictures help make communication for students who are non-verbal or almost non-verbal. • Large posters with pictures can be universal for actions, food, and basic communication. Photos reprinted with written permission from Ms. Frances Mackenzie, Teacher, Florence Elementary School, SDUSD

11. Additional Visual Aid for Students with Special Needs Yellow lines on stairwells: Left side = going down Right side = going up Photos reprinted with written permission from Ms. Frances Mackenzie, Teacher, Florence Elementary School, SDUSD

12. Classroom Accommodations: Desks • Desks can be lowered or raised. Photos reprinted with written permission from Ms. Frances Mackenzie, Teacher, Florence Elementary School, SDUSD

13. Classroom Accommodations: Doors • Doorways are widened for wheelchair width. Photos reprinted with written permission from Ms. Frances Mackenzie, Teacher, Florence Elementary School, SDUSD

14. Accommodations: Bathrooms • Bathrooms in this school were changed to have lower toilets, sinks, paper towel holders and hand rails. Photos reprinted with written permission from Ms. Frances Mackenzie, Teacher, Florence Elementary School, SDUSD

15. Access to Classrooms and School Areas • All students have access to school, to classrooms, to the cafeteria, and to playgrounds Photos reprinted with written permission from Ms. Frances Mackenzie, Teacher, Florence Elementary School, SDUSD

16. Transportation • Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), if a school district provides transportation to general education students, then a special education student must be given transportation as well. • Special needs students are entitled to transportation under federal law if the child’s disability makes it difficult for him to get to school in the same manner as nondisabled students.  

17. Transportation • Eligibility for transportation is determined on a case-by-case basis. • The pictures shows a student in a harness, which is supplied by the school district. Students who have either seizures or other behavioral issues that impede them from sitting still wear harnesses on school buses. • School bus drivers are trained on how to place a harness on the bus seat and then connect that harness to a child's harness. Photos reprinted with written permission from Ms. Frances Mackenzie, Teacher, Florence Elementary School, SDUSD

18. The Rewards • In 2007, 95 percent of 6- to 21-year-old students with disabilities attended regular schools. • Hundreds of thousands of children with disabilities attend public schools and study in regular classrooms. • Three times as many young people are enrolled in colleges and universities. • Twice as many young Americans with disabilities are in the workplace. • Teachers, parents, school administrators, volunteers, and community members are ALL committed to encouraging our children with disabilities not only to dream of doing great things, but to live out their dreams.

19. Resources and References http://www2.ed.gov/policy/speced/leg/idea/history30.html Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Tool Kit on Teaching and Assessing Students With Disabilities: Universal Design for Learning Materials, Washington, D.C., 2008. http://www.powayusd.com/pusdsres/pdf/FosteringIndependence.pdf Commissionwww2.ed.gov/parents/needs/speced/iepguide/index.html#Sample Form http://www.disability.gov http://www.education-inclusive.com/en/components.php Archived Information A Guide to the Individualized Education Program, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education, July 2000 http://www.lordarchitecture.com Ms. Frances Mackenzie, Florence Elementary School, San Diego Unified School District, 2nd grade teacher Jayne H. Lord, Pacific Grove School District, Pacific Grove, CA, Special Education Teacher Joint Special Populations Advisory Committee PPT presentation 2008_02_19, Elizabeth Wallner, Wallner Consulting Services www.eomniform.com http://www.un.org/disabilities/ http://www.ami-cxid.org.ua/index.php http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/iep.goals.plan.htm http://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts http://www.annunciationschool.net/about_tour.asp http://www.rbhsmusic.org/