This dissertation research is an exploratory multiple-case study of special education transition program structures in three virtual public charter schools in a southern state in the United States. Virtual public charter schools are extensions of public school systems or districts that are required to comply with state and federal-mandated special…

The COVID-19 pandemic impacted school-based delivery of special educational supports and therapeutic services. This study describes student receipt of school-based supports/services and parent satisfaction by instruction modalities during the 2020-2021 academic year in the United States. Data were collected through the COVID Experiences Survey…

Assistive technology (AT) is not only beneficial for allowing children with disabilities access to their environment and the curriculum, it is also a required consideration in every IEP according to IDEA. AT is especially important in preschool years as young children are transitioning to public school and gaining valuable new skills. However,…

From the onset of COVID-19, public K-12 schools were scrambling to keep classrooms open virtually providing all students with meaningful learning experiences. This study provides a synthesis of insights gained about K-12 special education service provision during COVID. A content analysis benchmarking approaches to serving special education K-12…

The COVID-19 pandemic initiated an unprecedented shift in special education practice from brick-and-mortar instruction to online learning. This manuscript explores factors related to the shift and argues the COVID-19 disruption creates an opportunity for systemic educational reform. The Universal Design for Learning framework is presented as a…

This article provides guidance for including students with disabilities (SWDs) in online learning. Federal special education law and research are currently outpaced by practice as students with disabilities participate in K-12 online learning in increasing numbers. While online learning has the flexibility to present content in multiple ways and…

With increases in the number of students enrolling in virtual schools, increases in students with disabilities can also be expected at virtual schools. Further, not all of these students enrolling in virtual schools will live with their biological parents. As students with disabilities move online, they continue to be protected under the…

Online and distance education strategies offer a path for closing opportunity gaps for students with disabilities because of digital technologies' flexibility and capacity for differentiation, but fully online schooling does always guarantee an inclusive education. The COVID-19-induced shift to remote learning highlighted the need for more insight…

Purpose: This paper aims to share responses from current literature, a small case study about perceptions and practices of the school of education faculty toward multicultural and educational issues concerning the rapid rise in online environments during coronavirus (COVID-19) experiences and just-in-time strategies for addressing digital equity…

In this study, students with and without disabilities (n = 816) in general and special education settings in Grades 9 through 12 were participants in a quasi-experimental design to examine the main effects of an online curriculum intervention with transition-related content on career readiness. Setting and teacher characteristics were examined for…

The rapid adoption of digital content and delivery systems, each with its own capacity to track, store, and analyze student usage, interactions, and academic outcomes at both a highly detailed and granular level, has emerged as an area of widespread opportunity, but also of concern. The comingling of various student data sets (demographics, usage,…

COVID-19 has engendered serious challenges with the provision of special education services for youth and young adults incarcerated in U.S. adult correctional facilities. This article describes the recent lawsuit, Charles H. et al. v. District of Columbia et al., which focused on the lack of a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) at the…

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, most elementary and secondary schools and local educational agencies (LEAs) across the United States stopped offering in-person instruction in February or March 2020. By the middle of April 2020, 48 states, four U.S. territories, the District of Columbia, and the Department of Defense Education Activity…

Accessibility is a hot topic in online education these days. Despite the increased focus on accessibility, most discussions of creating "accessible" online courses and elearning simply focus on adding alternative text to images and captions to video. In this article, we argue that online educators and workplace learning professionals…

While the provision of a "free appropriate public education" (FAPE) has contributed significantly to the educational experiences of students with disabilities, little is known about how services are actually provided in an online learning setting. Thus, telephone and face-to-face interviews were conducted with state directors of special…