Professionals, families, and individuals with disabilities must work together to advocate for policy and legislation that will improve the lives of those with disabilities. Rural areas have unique issues that make targeted advocacy efforts necessary. While families and parents have a personal interest in advocacy, professionals have ethical…

Little information exists regarding the statewide adoption of telepractice, the delivery of speech-language services at a distance through telecommunications, for addressing the documented shortage of speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in rural communities. A statewide survey of directors of special education revealed that only two school…

In this paper, we address the shortage of behavior analysts serving rural communities and outline a model of service delivery for rural students with autism spectrum disorders. The model involves the use of pre-service behavior analysts to provide behavioral intervention to students with ASD in exchange for district-supported training and…

The Amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997 require schools to consider assistive technology for students receiving special education. In order to gain insight to the implementation of the mandates, we surveyed special education directors across the state of Texas regarding assistive technology decision-making and…

The purpose of this review was to examine the literature on parent training for parents of children with autism. Families with a child diagnosed with autism often face a discrepancy between their need for services and the availability of services either because they live in geographically distant areas or because they are on a long wait list for…

In a study that examined transition services for students with disabilities aged 18-21 years in the state of Wisconsin, respondents completed and returned 231 surveys. Survey data indicated that 50% of respondents lived in rural communities. The authors analyzed data for participant perspectives on components of transition planning in the areas of…

A Wyoming research project is investigating the efficacy of distance assessments of young children with special needs in rural areas. Interactive technology transmits video signals to, and audio signals to and from, off-site assessment team members. The arrangement affords rural families high-quality assessment services without traveling long…

A survey of special education directors investigated the provision of related services to disabled students in rural Nevada. Difficulties included hiring qualified personnel, low numbers of students needing particular services, geographic dispersement of students, and distance from urban areas. Solutions included collaboration with other agencies,…

The mandated transition content of Individualized Educational Programs for 68 Arkansas high school students with disabilities was rated using a checklist of outcomes and life skills. Many plans were unclear regarding residential, postsecondary education, and employment goals, and important skill areas were overlooked. The checklist is presented…

The use of distance education for rural personnel preparation in special education and disability services was examined in the literature on 32 programs. The programs tended to have a narrow focus on graduate education in low-incidence disabilities; needed external support due to high costs; and had demonstrated sustainability. Emerging trends are…

A survey of 258 speech language pathologists (SLPs) practicing in Arkansas examined employment patterns of SLPs in rural schools. Respondents employed in schools remained longer in those positions than did their counterparts in health care, and most SLPs that left a school took positions in other schools. Reasons for changing jobs and implications…

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) 1997 amendments that are important to rural schools are funding compliance requirements, changes in identification and evaluation of students with disabilities, and qualitative standards for providing special education and related services. Guidelines resulting from court decisions are presented…

A study of two rural Mississippi school districts compared the impact of school district wealth on special education programming. The wealthy school district had greater local revenues, reflected in special education teachers with higher degrees and more experience, a broader range of related services provided to more students, and better student…

A higher education consortium (HEC) in early intervention (EI) is described. An evaluation of the model found that benefits to faculty of HEC participation included development and implementation of EI coursework, development of interdisciplinary collaborative relationships, increased knowledge of state resources, and enhanced knowledge of EI…