With the increasing number of students enrolling in distance education, there is a need to consider the accessibility of course materials in online learning environments. Four major groups of disabilities: mobility, auditory, visual, and cognitive are explored as they relate to their implementation into instructional design and their impact on…

The odds that a school district might be asked to allow a service dog or miniature horse into one of its facilities have increased tremendously in light of new legislative changes. With those changes comes a host of fresh challenges for school administrators and policy makers--not the least of which are complex disability discrimination laws and…

This Issue Brief, an update of "Authorizing Virtual Charter Schools: Rules of the Road on the Digital Highway" by Gregg Vanourek, is part of NACSA's Cyber series, which addresses issues in policy and practice that concern authorizing online schools and blended learning. It aims to improve authorizer understanding and oversight of online…

Special education and rehabilitation services for the blind embody many benefits. Ultimately, however, such services ought to lead to employment because, like any persons, the blind and visually impaired derive many benefits from employment. Yet, access to jobs for people with severe vision problems is impeded by many factors. It is therefore…

Case studies of seven workers with physical impairments identified four categories of barriers: negative social image, a rehabilitation system that controlled career options, job completion methods that denied access to occupations, and image campaigns making organizations appear to be responsive to disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities…

The planning of conferences that are accessible to people with disabilities involves focusing on the accessibility of all aspects of the meeting, including choosing a site, promotion, registration, presentations, and handouts. Any meetings and facilities that are open to the public must comply with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities…

Discusses the Americans with Disabilities (ADA) and Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards (UFAS) regulations regarding public facilities' crowd control stanchions and queuing systems. The major elements are protruding objects and wheelchair accessibility. Describes how to maintain compliance with the regulations and offers a list of additional…

Discusses how to create or refocus a transition plan for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Steps include documenting needs, documenting solutions, prioritizing needs, and creating a schedule. Also briefly addresses accessibility requirements, the concept of undue burden, finding help, and summarized Title II requirements.…

Describes requirements for existing educational facilities under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act and addresses issues such as guidelines for children, wheelchair-accessible and ambulatory stalls, areas without their own section in the standards, assistive listening devices in auditoriums, ramp slope, emergency evacuation planning,…

Presents an interview with Stephen McCarthy, co-partner and president of Equal Access ADA Consulting Architects of San Diego, California, about designing schools to naturally integrate compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). (EV)

Discusses the design and budgetary impact of new national guidelines requiring public school playgrounds to be accessible to all students. Areas discussed cover accessible surfacing and designs of ramps and transfer points. Concluding comments highlight planning alternatives. (GR)

When students think about the obstacles they must overcome to get into a school, most probably are thinking in terms of SATs, ACTs or other entrance exams. However, for students with disabilities, the obstacles they face often are literal ones: manual doors. Accommodating those with disabilities or physical limitations is one reason for schools to…

This issue consists of a collection of articles that focus on the types of skills and programs that youth with disabilities need to travel independently. Articles include: (1) "An Introduction to Travel Training" (Margaret M. Groce) discusses the support for travel training provided by the Americans with Disabilities Act and the…

Describes how to design school and university labs to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) standards, focusing on counter height for students in wheelchairs; appropriate knee space and sink height in sink areas; ADA-compliant fume hoods; accessible laboratory doors and entryways; and safety concerns (e.g., emergency eyewash stations…

This report addresses the barriers college students with disabilities face in the laboratory setting. In engineering, mathematics, and science education most courses require laboratory work which may pose challenges to those with disabilities. Instructors should be aware of the individual needs of students with disabilities and make necessary…