Coming Together

Inclusive practices

represent a philosophy based on three dimensions; physical integration, social integration, and instructional integration

Section 504

prevents discrimination against all individuals with disabilities in programs that receive federal funds, as do all public schools

Supplementary aids and services

enables students with disabilities to participate in general education, extracurricular activities, and other school settings so that they can be educated with peers who do not have disabilities

Zero reject/child find

no student may be excluded from receiving a public education because of having a disability

Educational Acts

Americans with Disabilities Act

Protects all individuals with disabilities from discrimination, and it requires most employers, whether in a public or private sector, to make reasonable accommodations for them

Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965

it is the law that has the goal of ensuring that all students, including those who live in poverty, have equal access to a high quality education

No Child Left Behind Act of 2001

every student with or without a disability can have an education

P.L. 94-142

law that guaranteed a free appropriate public education to each child with a disability

Special education - includes three types of services, each briefly described next, intended to enable these students to reach their potential

Disabilities

Low-incidence disabilities

- are those that are less common and include all the other categories: moderate to severe intellectual disabilities, multiple disabilities, hearing impairments, orthopedic impairments, other health impairments, visual impairments, deaf-blindness, autism, traumatic brain injury, and developmental delays.

High-incidence disabilities

- are those that traditionally have been most commonly identified, including learning disabilities, speech or language impairments, mild intellectual disabilities, and emotional disturbance.

Accomodations

changes in how the student learns key curriculum.

Cross-categorical approach

where more attention is paid to students’ learning needs than to their labels

Modifications

refer to what the student learns and usually imply that some curriculum is removed.

Response to intervention

is an approach for exploring whether students have learning disabilities.

Evidence-based practice

Is designed to eliminate the use of interventions without demonstrated effectiveness that many still be common practice because of teacher preference and familiarity, tradition, anecdotes about their value, or popularity resulting from advertising or celebrity endorsement.

Functional curriculum

students with significant intellectual disabilities take alternate assessments designed to measure their learning

Nondiscriminatory evaluation

students must be assessed using instruments that do not discriminate on the basis of race, culture, or disability.

Positive behavior supports (PBS)

when a student displays problematic behavior, professionals implement increasingly intensive interventions to try to clearly identify the reason for the behavior and to help the student to learn alternative behaviors that are acceptable in the school setting.

Related Services

enables educators to coordinate their work and focus their efforts to help all their students to succeed.

Multi-tiered system of support (MTSS)

Mainstreaming

involves placing students with disabilities in general education settings only when they can meet traditional academic expectations with minimal assistance or when those expectations are not relevant.

Individualized education program

a sort of roadmap for educating the student

Least restrictive environment (LRE)

an educational setting most like that for students without disabilities in which they can succeed with appropriate supports provided