The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004) allows alternate pathways for school districts to identify and classify students with a specific learning disability (SLD). Response to Intervention (RtI) is one of the frameworks schools can use when eliminating the use of the discrepancy model. The premise of RtI posits that…

The first international declaration of inclusive education through the Salamanca Statement (UNESCO, 1994) underlined the importance and necessity of inclusive practices and recommended that all students should benefit from the same educational approaches in the same environment. In addition to that, growth in field applications, published research…

In light of disability studies' recent examinations of the dichotomy between medical and social models in terms of their influence upon attitudes toward people with disabilities, the author discusses her selection of course materials for a college-level course, Art and the Exceptional Learner, targeted to pre-service art teachers. Structured…

The advancement of deaf education and services in numerous developing countries can be traced to the pioneering efforts of many Gallaudet University alumni. In Africa, for instance, the work of one such great alumnus, Dr. Andrew Foster, stands out. Foster is credited with efforts that resulted in the establishment of over 30 educational…

In 2007, the Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) law was passed in Minnesota mandating newborn hearing screening. Recognizing that a number of state-level agencies and statewide advocacy and direct services organizations share responsibility for serving deaf, deafblind, and hard of hearing children and youth, the Minnesota Commission…

For many students with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), postsecondary education presents a new set of cognitive, academic, social, and emotional challenges. Students with TBI warranted services and accommodations through an Individualized Education Program or 504 plan may find supports and services not readily accessible at the postsecondary…

Despite a Child Find mandate in IDEA, early detection and screening of infants and toddlers with special needs continues to remain an area in need of improvement. The authors sought to better understand existing and proposed outreach initiatives in one state's Part C Early Intervention (EI) program that ranks among the lowest nationally in the…

Disability documentation has been an ongoing challenge for Office for Students with Disabilities personnel. Initial lack of consistency and inadequate documentation data resulted in the promulgation of detailed documentation guidelines in the 1990s. Discontinuity between approaches to transition assessment and disability documentation in secondary…

This article presents a Wisconsin post-secondary guide to disability documentation. The guide will assist organizations to determine their role in understanding needed documentation for students with disabilities transitioning from PK-12 to Wisconsin postsecondary education. This Guide provides the following: (1) Summary of Applicable Laws; (2)…

Special education is now an established part of public education in the United States--by law and by custom. However, it is still widely misunderstood and continues to be dogged by controversies related to such things as categorization, grouping, assessment, placement, funding, instruction, and a variety of legal issues. The purpose of this…