Childcare.gov- Running A Program and support resource for families of children with special needs in michigan. Office of special Education Specific Disabilities Autism Spectrum http://www.childcare.gov/dissub.pl?page=maintopic1&subpage=main1stpc7&sid=7
State Bar Of Michigan: Equal Access Initiative as groups who present with special needs or who face barriers to access. The michigan Law Disabilities School Forum took place on October 17, 2002. http://www.michbar.org/programs/equalaccess.cfm
Extractions: Kellogg Center, East Lansing Disabilities Project Newsletter Subscribe to the Newsletter Wheelchair Access to Michigan Courts , released September, 2005, describes access issues encountered by people who use wheelchairs. Lay Advocates as an Accommodation for Individuals with Disabilities , released July, 2005, urges community agency staff and advocates to assist individuals with cognitive or psychological disabilities in hearings that do not require or allow attorneys. Low Cost Ways Courthouses Can Be More Accessible to Persons With Disabilities , released March, 2005, lists 8 low-cost suggestions to make court buildings more accessible and user-friendly to persons with disabilities.
A Bad IDEA Also, school officials can often exclude specialneeds students from high-stakes testing, In michigan alone, some 6000 rules govern special education. http://www.connsensebulletin.com/badidea.html
Extractions: 'Perverse Incentives' in an Unfunded Mandate Just as before the 1997 Reauthorization of IDEA, a concerted attack is beginning on it. Note this commentary's recommendation that the " ' specific learning disabilities' category should be exised from the law" and the statement that "Evidence suggests that the IDEA does not produce academic gains." Education Week 'Perverse Incentives' in an Unfunded Mandate By Clint Bolick Education Week The IDEA has become systematically dysfunctional and damaging to public schools. A powerful toxin infects our nation's education system, imperiling the ability of every public school to fulfill its mission. It is not school vouchers or inadequate funding, but the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. Tracing back to the 1975 legislation enacted to ensure equal educational opportunities for children with disabilities, the IDEA now covers 6.1 million schoolchildren at a cost of $41.5 billion annually, accounting for 40 percent of all new education funding over the past 30 years. Because only 12.5 percent of the money is provided by the federal government, the idea constitutes the largest unfunded federal mandate in American education. Far worse, it creates perverse incentives that have deepened stratification within public education to the detriment of minorities and the poor.
Summer Food Service Program HAZEL PARK HIGH SCHOOL Hazel Park, michigan Camp staff also received training on how to best meet the special needs of these campers. http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/summer/States/special_populations.html
Extractions: Cameron, New York By moving the meal service sites to a nearby trailer park, the Addison Central School District was able to overcome the transportation barrier that prevents so many rural children from participating in SFSP. The trailer park was an ideal location because the majority of families qualified for free and reduced price school meals. The school district enlisted parents as volunteers and included them in nutrition education and other enrichment activities. Contact: Christine Wallace Phone: 607-359-2241 x730 E-mail: cwallace@addison.wnyric.org GARRETT COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT Mt. Lake Park, Maryland Kudos to the Garrett County Health Department for believing it could! Until 1999, the children of this rural, impoverished community did not have access to Summer meals. In the past, public and private groups had discussed the need for the program, but no agency felt capable of sponsoring it. Believing that healthy behaviors are caught not taught, the Departments nutritionists, health educators, and outreach staff identified the need to work with both children and their families to teach health education. To achieve this, it combined the funding sources from other grant programs. It also sponsored "Serious Fun Day Camps" for three weeks, in three targeted regions, to maximize limited staff resources. Most of the children were able to walk to the camps which were located in town parks. Children were taught nutrition and healthy behaviors while enjoying Summer meals. They often applied what they learned to real life by preparing their own lunches and snacks!
Afterschool.gov - Running A Program Technology for special Needs Technology Grants Technology Policy KLICK! is a consortium of several urban and rural michigan school districts with the http://www.afterschool.gov/cgi-binh/dissub.pl?page=maintopic1&subpage=main1stpc8
Afterschool.gov - Technology for special Needs Technology Grants Technology Policy KLICK! is a consortium of several urban and rural michigan school districts with the http://www.afterschool.gov/cgi-binh/texts.pl?page=&subpage=main1stpc8&sid=8
Chapter 4: Challenges To Implementing Systemic Reform special education students in the two michigan districts included in our study making some adjustments to meet the needs of students with disabilities, http://www.ed.gov/pubs/SER/SysReform/chap4c.html
Extractions: A r c h i v e d I n f o r m a t i o n Systemic Reform - October 1996 A major goal of systemic reform is to improve the overall quality of schooling for all children, thereby raising the general level of achievement of all students while helping to reduce educational inequities. O'Day and Smith (1993) argue that A well-designed systemic reform strategy could provide an opportunity for extending reforms in challenging curriculum and instruction to all schools and all segments of the student population. Without a system wide strategy, curricular reform run the risk of simply "changing the rules of the game" while excluding from play poor and minority children in schools that lack the support and wherewithal to make the necessary but difficult changes in curriculum and instruction. (p. 253) The need for a reform effort focused on all students is compelling, nationally as well as in the states in our study. After years of improvement, the achievement of minority children relative to their majority peers has become stagnant (Mullis et al., 1994). One out of every five children under the age of six lives in poverty (NCES, 1994). Poverty, coupled with the deterioration of families and social communities in the inner city, high rates of drug use and teenage pregnancy, and the growing social and economic isolation of poor and minority students from mainstream society, have created an "imperiled generation" of children (Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, 1988). Students come to school hungry and with limited literacy skills. Others bring the challenges of limited English proficiency or physical or mental disabilities.
Extractions: Archived Information A Study of Charter Schools: First Year Report - May 1997 Chapter III To what extent are charter schools serving students who have special needs, are language minority students, or are from economically disadvantaged situations? To answer these questions, more intensive research is necessary for several reasons. The definitions of special education, limited English proficiency, and economic disadvantage vary from state to state. Moreover, documenting the services provided by charter schools involves in-depth research at the school level. At this stage, the Study can provide preliminary indications based on telephone survey data. Students with disabilities. Exhibit 16 Estimated Percentage of Students with Disabilities in Charter Schools, 1995-96 and All Schools in the Ten Charter States, 1994-95 State Percentage of students with disabilities Charter schools All schools California Arizona Michigan Colorado Minnesota Massachusetts Wisconsin New Mexico Georgia Hawaii Because we only have state averages for all public schools in the state, we were unable to draw on data for individual schools in each state to examine the distribution of students with disabilities in all public schools in the state. Consequently, these comparisons should be considered as only a broad indication of the extent to which charter schools are serving students with disabilities compared to other public schools.
Traumatic Brain Injuries: Returning To School In michigan, you are going to need to schedule a meeting called an IEPC If you have a disability, you need to have this IEPC, or the school will not http://www.tbiguide.com/returnschool.html
Extractions: RETURNING TO SCHOOL For many people who have a head injury, going back to school is one of the toughest things they are going to face. A number of head injury factors will make this difficult. First of all, short-term memory will make it very hard to learn new material. School is nothing but learning new things. Second, school has a fair amount of fatigue associated with it. With head injury, people have limited energy. They may be good in the morning, but fade early in the afternoon. Third, returning to school involves a social dimensionpeople very desperately want to fit it with their peers. For some people, having some friends that you can hang out with is their number one priority in college or high school. Often, they put more effort into being social than into studying. RETURNING TO COLLEGE Many universities will help you learn new material if you let them know that you have a disability. If you are blind, colleges will help you get books in braille or get a reader for you. A head injury is also a disability. Colleges are willing to help you, but you have to ask for help. In each college, there will be a "student services" or "special needs" department; the name of the department will vary with each college. You need to have your doctor or neuropsychologist write a letter to document that you have a valid disability. The college is then going to ask you, "
Extractions: Search Rethinking Schools Help Home Special Voucher Report False Choices: Vouchers, Public Schools, and our Children's Future False Choices: Vouchers, Public Schools, and our Children's Future Vouchers are the most important education controversy since the U.S. Supreme Court declared "separate but equal" schools unconstitutional in 1954 and ended Jim Crow schooling. With the Supreme Court's decision Sept. 25, 2001 to rule on the constitutionality of providing public dollars to private religious schools, the issue has taken on increased importance. A ruling is expected in June of 2002. Milwaukee has more than a decade of experience with vouchers, with almost 10,000 children receiving public dollars in 2000-2001 in order to attend private schools. And whenever someone comes up with a new voucher plan, they inevitably come to Milwaukee - long considered "ground zero" in the voucher movement. This special report by Rethinking Schools highlights some of the problems with the voucher movement and the lessons that can be learned from Milwaukee.
Untitled Document for children/young adults with physical disabilities and of special needs. michigan special Days Camps - Summer and winter camp programs for http://www.uwosh.edu/phys_ed/programs/adaptedpe/campsforind.php
Extractions: Oshkosh, WI 54901 Phone: (920) 424-1231 Email: schmidtw@uwosh.edu Alternative Summer Camps [ Kids/Teens/Mature Teens ] - Therapeutic wilderness experiences for adolescents, pre-teens, and adults. Descriptions and links for a variety of programs in different states. Aspen Camp School for the Deaf - Summer and winter camp programs for kids ages 8-18 who are deaf or hard of hearing. Australia - Camp Quality - A non-profit, volunteer organisation providing support for children with cancer. Fourteen Australian locations covering every State and Territory in Australia. Over 4000 families each year participate in the programme and more than 34 children's camps are held each year. The Australian programme also includes Family Cluster Weekend Camps, special family activities, hospital visits, parent and grandparent luncheons and a newsletter 6 times a year. Brigadoon [ Kids/Teens/Mature Teens ] - A feature not-for-profit, year-round camp facility for special children and youth with chronic illnesses.
Testimony Of Eric J. Smith CharlotteMecklenburg schools is the 25th largest school district in the United States Federal law defines disabilities that qualify a child for special http://edworkforce.house.gov/hearings/105th/fc/special51398/smith.htm
Extractions: May 13, 1998 Thank you for providing me an opportunity to appear before you today to demonstrate the effects on just one district in response to the 1997 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, referred to herein as IDEA. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools is the 25 th largest school district in the United States with a school-aged population of approximately 96,000. Children with disabilities currently number nearly 11,000 which represents more than 11% of the total school population. It should be noted that our special education population is currently growing at nearly three times the rate of the regular education population in our district. It is the expectation of our community that we provide a high quality education to all students. As you know, the funding for special education programs is the shared responsibility of federal, state, and local school districts. Our special education budget is $39.7 million. Funding sources for this budget, in rank order, are comprised of 62% state funds, 19% local funds, and 14% federal funds. Congress passed Public Law 94-142 in 1975 with the intent of paying 40% of the national average excess cost of special education by 1981. This goal has never been realized. Let me illustrate one such struggle. "Kevin" was a typical 3-year old child until he was involved in a tragic auto accident. The accident did not affect his intellectual functioning. However, the accident left Kevin paralyzed from the neck down, totally dependent on life-support systems and an electric wheelchair.
Special Education Resources The special Needs Education Network (Canada) This site provides a directory of Disability Research Unit (DRU) - A research unit within the School of http://www.theteachersguide.com/Specialeducation.html
Extractions: Technology General Resources Our Kids Our-Kids is a support group for parents and caregivers of children with disabilities. PRELUDE Music Therapy - Our Mission...is to serve children and adults with special needs through sharing information; creating and publishing music therapy strategies; and giving workshops and presentations to professionals, parents, and students.
Extractions: References School systems are responsible for ensuring that children with special needs are safely transported on all forms of federally approved transportation provided by the school system, and a plan should be developed to provide the most current and proper support to children with special transportation requirements. This statement provides current guidelines for the protection of child passengers with specific health care needs, including those with a tracheostomy, those requiring use of car seats, or those transported in wheelchairs. Guidelines that apply to general school transportation should be followed, including the training of staff, provision of nurses
Special Needs Official Documents regarding special needs students As increasing numbers of students with disabilities apply for admission to institutions of higher http://wwwcsteep.bc.edu/CTESTWEB/special/special.html
Extractions: Testing Students with Disabilities Back to Spotlight Issues Back to CTEST Home Introduction to the issue Official Documents regarding special needs students Special needs testing in the News Weblinks for further information Introduction to the Issues As increasing numbers of students with disabilities apply for admission to institutions of higher education, many are seeking modifications during admissions testing to accommodate for their disabilities. Many of these accommodations are granted. The most common modification is extended time for test administration, although large print versions of tests, readers for tests, and other types of accommodations are also provided. When these accommodations are granted, many of those taking the tests with modifications are unaware that the score reports for such testing usually are sent to colleges or universities with a "flag" or other designation indicating that the test was given under nonstandard conditions. This nation currently embraces important social policy goals of allowing persons with disabilities to participate as fully as possible in society without having to face negative bias or stereotypes. For too long, many individuals with disabilities have had to confront unfair presumptions about their abilities to succeed in education and employment. There are now laws in many states and two federal laws designed to prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities.
Special Needs Official Documents regarding special needs students Educating One and All Students with Disabilities and StandardsBased Reform National Research http://wwwcsteep.bc.edu/CTESTWEB/special/dis.html
Extractions: Standards-Based Reform and Students with Disabilities Back to Spotlight Issues Back to CTEST Home Introduction to the issue Official Documents regarding special needs students Special needs testing in the News Weblinks for further information Introduction to the Issues Most of the states and many local school districts are actively pursuing the latest educational reform initiative: the use of standards-based reforms. Many of these reforms have high stakes consequences for individual students, educators, or school districts. While there has been much discussion of standards-based reform, little attention has been paid to the participation of students with disabilities in these reforms. The educational policies and practices that focus upon common, standards-driven learning for all students conflict in many respects with policies and practices which promote a highly individualized approach to the education of students with disabilities. The reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the federal law governing special education, now requires that states and school districts include students with disabilities in education reform initiatives. This means that the individualized education program for these students must address issues concerning each student's participation in standards-based reform initiatives. Also, modifications in testing or assessments must be made to address disabilities.
Extractions: Attention Teachers and School Officials: American Red Cross to Offer Humanitarian Law Exploration and Masters of Disaster Implementation Programs Are you a teacher or school principal looking to incorporate something educational, cutting edge and socially important into your class room without reorganizing entire lesson plans? If so, the American Red Cross and the ICRC would like to introduce you to a new line of programs for you to integrate, not add, into your current curriculum. Find out more A familiar face fills a new capacity at Croyden Avenue School. Autism program administrator Angela Telfer is now also the building principal at Croyden. Former principal Marilyn Lenox retired
Extractions: Source : ERIC Clearinghouse on Handicapped and Gifted Children Reston VA. Life Skills Mastery for Students with Special Needs. ERIC Digest #E469. WHAT ARE LIFE SKILLS? Life skills include a wide range of knowledge and skill interactions believed to be essential for adult independent living (Brolin, 1989). At present, many students with handicaps have special needs that are not being met. These students require education and support to learn these necessary behaviors. They must be able to dress and groom properly, use appropriate table manners, make decisions about money, and use transportation to get to work. The three major skill areas that need to be addressed are daily living, personal/social, and occupational skills. WHAT ARE DAILY LIVING SKILLS? Many students with disabilities will marry and raise families. The majority will probably earn modest salaries; therefore, it is crucial that they learn how to manage a home, family, and finances as effectively as possible. Some states require that these skills be taught to students with special needs. Instructional responsibility lies with special educators, regular educators, parents, and peers. The following skills are some that have been identified as essential for independent adult living (Brolin, 1989): MANAGING PERSONAL FINANCES Count money and make correct change.
TeachersFirst - E-READY Special Education Parent Resources with special Needs. ERIC Digest E469. ERIC Identifier ED321502 Large numbers of students with disabilities, both high school graduates and dropouts, http://www.teachersfirst.com/sped/parents/transition/eric-lifeskills.html
Extractions: Source: ERIC Clearinghouse on Handicapped and Gifted Children Reston VA. What is the Importance of Life Skills? What are Life Skills? Life skills include a wide range of knowledge and skill interactions believed to be essential for adult independent living (Brolin, 1989). At present, many students with handicaps have special needs that are not being met. These students require education and support to learn these necessary behaviors. They must be able to dress and groom properly, use appropriate table manners, make decisions about money, and use transportation to get to work. The three major skill areas that need to be addressed are daily living, personal/social, and occupational skills. What are Daily Living Skills? Many students with disabilities will marry and raise families. The majority will probably earn modest salaries; therefore, it is crucial that they learn how to manage a home, family, and finances as effectively as possible. Some states require that these skills be taught to students with special needs. Instructional responsibility lies with special educators, regular educators, parents, and peers. The following skills are some that have been identified as essential for independent adult living (Brolin, 1989):
Quality Counts 2004: Special Needs, Common Goals Students with disabilities have the same right as all other children to be And while 76 percent of public school teachers teach special education http://counts.edweek.org/sreports/qc04/article.cfm?slug=17exec.h23
