Adults with and without complex support needs (CSN; e.g. with intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, multiple disabilities) experience benefit in many areas of their lives from developing or improving literacy skills. However, adults with CSN often face unique barriers to acquiring these critical skills, and few researchers have…

The aim of this study, which was carried out according to the life story/narrative research design, which is one of the qualitative research methods, is to examine the life story of a mother living with a child with an additional disability. In this context, a 5-year-old child with deficiencies such as hearing loss, autism and ADHD and his mother…

Music is a way of representing the patterns of frequencies and vibrational relationships--and at St. Francis de Sales School for the Deaf, it is used it to promote language learning and transform students' educational experiences. Traditionally defined through the medium of sound, music has been seen as an approach that excludes deaf and hard of…

Students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) were particularly vulnerable to the school closures that resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to obtain a baseline understanding of the instructional experiences of students with IDD before March of 2020 to assess the nature and degree of the pandemic's impact. We recruited…

This brief covers issues related to the assessment of dual sensory loss in students with significant cognitive disabilities, including the impact of suspected dual sensory loss on communication and learning and recommendations for assessment.

Background/Context: Federal laws require equitable access to education for students with disabilities through educational placement in the least restrictive environment (LRE). However, research has determined students with significant support needs (SSN) are overrepresented in segregated educational placements. Focus of Study: This study explores…

Background and Purpose: The unprecedented shift to distance learning during the COVID-19 pandemic intensified educational inequities for students with disabilities, a historically marginalized population in terms of access to quality instruction. Caregivers assumed an integral role in access to education during distance learning, making it…

Wales was the first UK country to incorporate the UNCRC into domestic law and the first to appoint a children's commissioner. Wales is distinctive in the strong links between education and the promotion of the Welsh language as evidenced in successive Welsh language strategies. With regard to children with special educational needs, the 2018…

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine how many young children and students (birth to 22 years old) were identified with visual impairments and receiving special education services in the United States. Professionals estimate at least 50% of students with visual impairments have additional disabilities and are not identified as…

Educators have long argued about the best ways for Deaf children to communicate and how they should be educated. The two notions are inseparable for Deaf students who most often learn language at school. Since the passing of IDEA, most Deaf students have moved from segregated schools to their neighborhood schools where all students might benefit…

Reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) in 2004 established procedural mandates and accountability requirements ensuring all students with disabilities participate and progress in general education curriculum. Broadly speaking, improvements toward greater access have been found for many students with disabilities;…

Federal legislation such as IDEA (1997) and NCLB (2001) have led to an increase in the number of students with significant disabilities receiving instruction in the general education classroom. This inclusionary movement has established a more diverse student population in which general and special education teachers are responsible for providing…

Teachers of students with severe multiple low-incidence disabilities have been tasked with the implementation of grade-level Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and content through all curriculum areas and academic skills. These school mandates often leave teachers searching for methods, best practices, accommodations, and tools to implement these…

Ensuring that young children with severe and multiple disabilities are active participants in all aspects of their lives and that they make meaningful progress toward valued life outcomes can be a daunting endeavor for families and early educators. In this chapter, we describe evidence-based strategies that can be harnessed to ensure that each…

Using an autoethnographic approach, this dissertation explores the path taken by a person who serves a unique population of individuals--people who not only have more than one disability, but in addition, are unable to communicate using verbal (spoken) speech. Starting with a recap of the history of the use and subsequent oppression of American…