Section 504 of the "Rehabilitation Act of 1973" protects the rights of individuals with disabilities in programs and activities that receive federal funds. The Section 504 regulation requires a school district to provide a "free appropriate public education" (FAPE) to each qualified person with a disability who is in the school…

This document presents a seven-step process to be used in developing a standards-based Individualized Education Program (IEP). Each step is followed by guiding questions for the IEP team to consider in making data-based decisions. Two student examples are provided to illustrate application of the components of a standards-based IEP. The student…

No student should have to earn his or her way into the general education classroom, writes the author. The inclusive education model recognizes every student's right to be educated in the least restrictive environment, as provided under special education law. Yet many school districts still place students with special learning needs in separate…

This article discusses an evolving understanding of the relationship of assistive technology (AT) to student achievement. Clarifying the compensatory nature of AT and its role in creating a "floor of opportunity" for students with disabilities, the authors then emphasize the importance of AT for access to and productivity within both the life…

Amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act mandate that transition services be provided for students with disabilities who are 16 years and older. Although the current emphasis in the transition process tends to focus primarily on vocational opportunities, another important component of transition services is community…

Educators from four states participated in a pilot study to enhance and field-test an assessment guide for assisting teams in creating student-centered behavior plans. The assessment guide attempts to consciously match the multi-layered tenets of positive behavior support with the behavioral intervention and support process for maximum…

The reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act, December 3, 2004, (IDEA '04) and its implementing federal regulations, October 13, 2006, prompted the need to revise Virginia's special education regulations. Input was received from a Stakeholders Group that included school personnel, parents, consumers,…

For many students with disabilities to be successful learners in the general education curriculum, they must receive supplemental aids and services. Assistive Technology commonly referred to as AT, fits both the definition of supplemental aids as well as related services for students with disabilities. Assistive Technology services and devices…

Using a collaborative approach in three York County (Maine) school districts, representatives from special education and vocational rehabilitation implemented a model program of transition services for specific learning-disabled (SLD) individuals, aged 16 to 22 years old. The experimental group consisted of 32 SLD individuals and the control group…

The purpose of a research project was to find out the barriers to the use of the open entry-exit concept in cooperative vocational programs in the retail clothing area. The researchers developed individualized instructional materials and arranged for them to be accessible to students in 12 secondary and 2 adult programs in Oklahoma City and Tulsa.…

This is a report of the Council's site visits, assessment activities, and recommendations concerning programs for the educationally disadvantaged. Although most of the programs examined are funded under Title I, other types of compensatory programs are also considered. Particular attention is given in the report to the areas of: funds allocation…

Information about the Erie Urban Network School Project as it has been functioning for the past two years is provided in this report. Designed (1) to meet the needs of the inner city child by aiding the professional staff through inservice, and (2) to understand the child, the community, the educational techniques best suited for him, this project…

The ten 1998 issues of the newsletter of TASH comprise this document. An issue typically contains news items, a column by the organization's executive director, reports from special interest groups, legislative testimony, conference information, and several major articles, such as the following: "A Q&A on IDEA 97 with Tom Gilhool"; "Positive…

Teachers serving children with disabilities in the regular preschool environment face challenges working within the typical small group instructional framework while systematically targeting specific skill acquisition goals. This paper describes a model integrated preschool/daycare program that uses a matrix-type process for determining the most…

Comparison of the family characteristics and maternal knowledge of parents who never attended or had attended all their children's individualized education program planning meetings indicated that nonattending families tended to have lower incomes, less parental education, more single parent representation, and more nonwhite representation.…