Students with chronic and complex medical conditions often require assistive technologies in order to accommodate both physical and cognitive needs. Survivors of childhood cancer who are eligible for special education offer a lens through which to examine barriers to assistive technology assessment, acquisition, use, and support for students with…

To best support students with low vision in the general education classroom, special education teachers can facilitate use of several adaptations including: (a) attention to curriculum access (e.g. text magnifiers), (b) mechanisms for promoting social connectedness, (c) managing physical space, and (d) effective instructional techniques. This…

Parents, teachers, and administrators report concerns and challenges related to the transition from early intervention (EI) to preschool for children who are deaf/hard-of-hearing. The goal of the current article is to assist teachers, administrators, and specialists involved in the transition of a young child who is deaf/hard-of-hearing from EI…

Postsecondary entrance and placement tests provide critical information that shapes the trajectory of the transition from secondary to postsecondary education. Test accommodations can play an important role in reducing barriers that deaf students face during high-stakes testing. For deaf students, decisions about access and accommodations for…

Students with significant disabilities often struggle to communicate their wants and needs but can be taught widely recognizable communication with the aid of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) supports. Simple speech generating devices (SGDs) such as Step-by-Step switches or GoTalk can be used by students to send specific messages.…

Extracurricular activities provide students a range of rich experiences that influence their academic achievement, leadership and communication skills, and career paths. Students with disabilities (SWDs) historically have had limited access to extracurricular programs and thus fewer opportunities for academic, social, and vocational development.…

With the growth in blended and fully online K-12 instruction, all students, including those with disabilities, are finding online learning a viable option to address learner variability. Personalized learning or the individualized education program appears to align well with the many features of blended and fully online instruction. The purpose of…

Most students with disabilities participate in state assessments with or without accommodations [based on each student's Individualized Education Program (IEP)]. A small number of students with the most severe or profound intellectual disabilities participate in an alternate assessment based on alternate achievement standards (AA-AAS). Until…

How can we ensure that students with autism spectrum disorders are provided access to the curriculum that is provided to all students? This article discusses the specific challenges presented by students with autism spectrum disorders that can impact their access to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts. Specific evidence-based…

Teaching students with moderate and severe intellectual disability who are early readers or nonreaders to engage with grade-level text is challenging. For this reason, purposeful thought must be given to promoting text accessibility and teaching text comprehension. Whenever possible, text should be used as it is originally written without…

Universal design for learning (UDL), an outgrowth of the architectural model of universal design, has been widely researched as a promising method of supporting the growth and development of all children. The focus of this article is UDL in the preschool. To begin, the principles of UDL are outlined and explained. Next, UDL as it applies to a…

A hearing loss of any type has the potential to adversely impact development leading to language, literacy, social, and academic delays. Currently, approximately 87% of students who are deaf or hard of hearing spend at least part of each day in a general education classroom. In order to optimally benefit from receiving educational services in the…

Evidence-based practices represent an important advance in how effective instructional practices are conceptualized and identified, which has the potential to improve the educational outcomes of children with disabilities. Because parents have unique insights and knowledge regarding their children, special educators should collaborate with parents…

Person-centered planning is a process that allows individuals, family members, and friends an opportunity to share information to develop a personal profile and a future vision for an individual. This article describes strategies and technology that teachers can use to promote parents' participation and facilitate communication while maintaining…

Co-teaching has recently gained popularity and attention as a viable service delivery option for students with disabilities and other special needs. Although co-teaching includes the three components of co-planning, co-instructing, and co-assessing, the professional literature has primarily focused on co-planning and co-instructing. Co-assessment,…