Blindness and Visual Impairment

1995 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
pp. 77-78
Author(s):  
Ruth K. Kaminer ◽  
Eugene McMahon

The identification and treatment of children who have significant visual impairments are critical to their health and future well-being. "Legal blindness" occurs if a patient has central visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with corrective glasses or a visual field that is no greater than 20 degrees in the better eye. To determine eligibility for special education services, states must adopt a definition of visual impairment consistent with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). For educational purposes, this includes students who have a visual disability that, even with correction, affects their educational performance adversely. The term includes both partially seeing and blind children.

Author(s):  
Cynthia Sistek-Chandler

The purpose of this chapter is to provide Pre-K through college educators, parents, and administrators who are involved with special education, insight into the processes and procedures from the perspective of a parent. The parent's perspective and involvement with their special needs child is critical in shaping the lifelong, special education experience. The literature and research shows a strong correlation to student success when parents are actively involved in this process. Rooted in the federal and state guidelines from the 2004 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), all students are entitled to education services from birth through age 21. Recommendations for the Individual Education Plan process as well as strategies for navigating special education services are revealed in this narrative.


2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-25
Author(s):  
Drew A Nagele ◽  
Stephen R. Hooper ◽  
Kristin Hildebrant ◽  
Melissa McCart ◽  
Judy Dettmer ◽  
...  

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a special education eligibility category under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Unlike other special education categories (e.g., autism, specific learning disabilities), relatively few students with TBI are identified for special education nationwide compared to the known prevalence of TBI. Discrepanies between TBI hospitalization data, estimates of long-term disability due to TBI, and the number of students identified under the TBI category were analyzed. Only 33% of students projected to have moderate to severe TBI were represented in state child counts using the IDEA TBI category. Possible explanations for these discrepancies were explored, including that students with TBI are not referred for special education services, students are served under other special education categories, communications between medical systems-school systems are limited, and that students may not manifest difficulty until years after injury. Potential solutions to improve TBI identification for special education services are presented.


2008 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 5-12
Author(s):  
Carl Corbin

Abstract Background/Introduction: Due process hearings are administrative hearings that resolve disputes between parents of children, who qualify for special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (“IDEA”), and a Local Educational Agency (“LEA”). The IDEA provides that students that qualify for special education services are entitled to receive a Free Appropriate Public Education (“FAPE”). A FAPE has both substantive and procedural requirements. The process by which a LEA details the provision of a FAPE to a student who qualifies for special education services is through the development of an Individualized Education Program (“IEP”). Objectives: This article reviews the process to develop a legally defensible IEP. This article provides strategies for LEAs and educational professionals to avoid a due process hearing. This article provides a brief description of and timelines associated with a due process hearing. This article provides suggestions to educational professionals who may be called to testify as a witness at a due process hearing. Conclusion: LEAs and educational professionals can minimize their risk of having to undergo a due process hearing and can maximize their chances to prevail at a due process hearing through preparation and training.


Author(s):  
Enid Acosta-Tello

Many children in the nation are not proficient readers. Many of them are affected by learning disabilities and disorders. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was designed to help meet the needs of these children. However, children diagnosed with dyslexia were excluded from special education services because they did not qualify. Though advances in technology have identified dyslexia as stemming from a neurological difficulty to process language skills necessary for learning to read, dyslexic children continue to fall outside the qualification guidelines for special educational service. For this reason, many classroom teachers find themselves with children in their classes who are unable to read and who will not receive extra help. The aim of this chapter is to share teaching ideas, methodologies, and strategies which will help the classroom teacher address some of the needs of the dyslexic learner within the regular classroom setting.


2019 ◽  
pp. 1610-1623
Author(s):  
Cynthia Sistek-Chandler

The purpose of this chapter is to provide Pre-K through college educators, parents, and administrators who are involved with special education, insight into the processes and procedures from the perspective of a parent. The parent's perspective and involvement with their special needs child is critical in shaping the lifelong, special education experience. The literature and research shows a strong correlation to student success when parents are actively involved in this process. Rooted in the federal and state guidelines from the 2004 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), all students are entitled to education services from birth through age 21. Recommendations for the Individual Education Plan process as well as strategies for navigating special education services are revealed in this narrative.


2017 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 101-104 ◽  
Author(s):  
Terrance M. Scott ◽  
Justin T. Cooper

While functional behavior assessment (FBA) has been a part of special education law and embedded in Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) since 1997, a precise definition of what actions or processes constitute a legal FBA has never been adequately addressed in the law. This article provides an overview of the underlying logic of FBA leading to effective function-based intervention. When focusing on a simplification of the logic behind FBA, there are three big ideas that serve as a foundation for considering the intersection of effectiveness and practicality: function matters, FBA requires repeated observations of behavior, and the only purpose of an FBA is to develop an effective intervention. These big ideas are discussed, leading to a conclusion as to how logic and simplicity must share priority in the process.


Author(s):  
Keri C. Fogle ◽  
David Hoppey ◽  
David H. Allsopp

Parents have advocated for the educational rights of their children with disabilities for decades, and more so since the reauthorization of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Advocating for one’s child while working as an employee in the same school district where your child receives special education services comes with unforeseen complexities. Using a heuristic case study approach, this inquiry intended to discern the experiences, barriers, and perceptions of job security of two parent-educators with children with autism. Findings suggest unanticipated experiences and challenges within their dual, parent-educator role as indicated by the theory of responsible advocacy. Perceived employment consequences related to advocating from within the school system are also discussed along with implications for such parent-educators and their role in improving parent–school partnerships in special education.


Author(s):  
Patricia Findley

The role of disability rights has developed and evolved over the course of the United States’ history. The definition of disability has broadened as well as the pursuit for equal treatment, inclusion, and more accessible environments. Key pieces of legislation such as the Mental Retardation Facilities and Community Mental Health Centers Construction Act, the Rehabilitation Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act demonstrate a course of steps toward these more empowering themes of independence for those with disabilities. Disability advocates are strong in their message of “nothing about us, without us.” The disability rights movement helped to propel culture shifts and has promoted inclusion of individuals with disabilities. Despite the intention of disability policy to move the nation to more accessible, inclusive, and less discriminatory environments, more work is still needed to support the rights of those with disabilities.


Author(s):  
Michael L. Hardman ◽  
John McDonnell ◽  
Marshall Welch

Since its original passage in 1975 as Public Law 94-142, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has been the cornerstone of practice in special education. This federal law has enabled all eligible students with disabilities to access a free and appropriate public education. During the past 2 years, the 104th Congress has debated vigorously some of the law's basic tenets (e.g., definition of disability, content of the individualized education plan [IEP], parental rights to attorneys, fees, discipline, and placement). The basic requirements of the law remain intact and continue to shape the scope and content of special education. This article addresses whether or not the assumptions upon which IDEA is based remain valid as we approach the 21st century. We critique these assumptions within the context of four requirements of IDEA: (a) eligibility and labeling, (b) free and appropriate public education, (c) the individualized education program (IEP), and (d) the least restrictive environment. Recommendations for changes in existing law relative to each of the above requirements are presented.


Author(s):  
Thomas C. Gibbon ◽  
Jenifer Cline ◽  
Christopher L. Schwilk ◽  
Patricia D. Hosfelt ◽  
David F. Bateman

Effective implementation of services for students with chronic disease in any school district relies on a solid understanding of the rules and regulations governing the educational rights of those with disabilities. This chapter enumerates the history of the educational rights of students with disabilities, describes the key laws as promulgated by the federal government, provides a definition of a disability based on these laws, possible categories of special education services and the qualification process for 504 or special education services. This chapter discusses the consideration for education in the least restrictive environment, and key components in the development of both IEP's and Section 504 plans, issues related to providing a free appropriate public education, and the Family and Educational Rights Privacy Act. It concludes with a discussion of working with related services personnel. The two main ways students with chronic disease receive services is under IDEA in the category of Other Health Impaired or under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.


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