Surely, when Thomas Jefferson wrote we have the right to “life, liberty and pursuit of happiness” in the Declaration of Independence he wasn’t thinking of people like my son who has Down syndrome. Still, this document and our nation’s constitution has been used as proof that my son deserves a life of choice and self-determination with needed supports.
Read More
More than 54 million American school children are learning at home right now. Seven million of those students have disabilities. Since the outbreak of the Coronavirus in March, 45 states have ordered schools closed, and 15 states are keeping schools closed until the end of the school year. That list will surely grow as the virus peaks (find an updated list here).
Read More
Every career has it’s own jargon and technical language. Special education is no different. It’s easy to get lost in the maze of abbreviations: FAPE, LRE, IEE, ESY. The legalese can be intimidating: Continuum of Placement, Annual Yearly Progress, Prior Written Notice, Due Process. But understanding and using even a few of special education’s key terms can help you gain the respect and authority you need at the IEP table to affect positive change for your child.
Read More
Having your student with Down syndrome included in the general education classroom with proper supports can often seem like a pipe dream. Just look at the statistics: only 16% of our loved ones with intellectual disabilities (ID) are included in general education classrooms most of their school day.
But the research and federal law back up full inclusion with support, so how do we get there? Well, I was lucky enough to find inclusion expert, Nicole Eredics from The Inclusive Class. This amazing inclusion teacher has created a huge database of resources to support full inclusion for even students with Down syndrome. You can also buy her book (shown below) with over 40 modifications for students with the most significant needs.
Read More
11-year-old Salome is a female of color with a disability. English is a second language for her immigrant parents, and her extended family lives far away. Many students like Salome and their families are disenfranchised by the special education process, and don’t feel like they can adequately advocate for inclusion and proper supports under the law.
“I’m always mindful of our privileges and challenges,” says Salome’s mother, Catalina Angel. “In many ways we are like any family with dreams of a good future and in may ways we struggle in a place where we constantly have to demonstrate that we have worth.”
Read More
With more than 260 College Programs available for students with Intellectual Disabilities (ID), it’s no longer a question of whether the new generation of students with ID can go to college but how to pay for it…..College programs are expensive. Tuition is often as much or more than tuition for typical college students. This coupled with the fact that most families of children with ID have no savings for their adult child really creates a real barrier to these new college opportunities.
Read More
Are you still skeptical about opening an ABLE account for your child with Down syndrome? Do you believe that your child’s SSI or Medicaid benefits would be at risk? Are you afraid the government will take the savings if your child passes?
Even though roughly 10 million Americans could benefit from an ABLE account, only 35,000 accounts have been opened since the first program started in 2016.
Read More
You know what’s ice cold these days? The newest trend since goths vs. jocks? Being yourself! The art of self-promotion is palpable; just look on social media. Everyone is selling a version of themselves; the more unique, the more dope. Many people with disabilities also develop and embrace an innate sense of self. My son and many kids and adults I’ve met with an extra chromosome love who they are. They truly are dope! The problem is they’re often not allowed to be themselves and still fit in. The trend doesn’t extend to them.
Read More
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled an Arizona school district can move an elementary student with Down syndrome to a public school outside his neighborhood. The student would receive an additional 20 minutes of Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) in an “academic SCILLS classroom” at this new school.
Read More
A study of 99% of public schools by the United States Office of Civil Rights found that students with disabilities are restrained and secluded at a much higher rate than their typical peers. The office found that although students served under IDEA make up only 12% of the U.S. public school population, they make up 67% of students who were restrained or secluded.
That’s 70,000 students with disabilities who were restrained or secluded in the 2013-14 school year, for which the last data was recorded. Let that sink in for a moment. And assuredly there’s a lot more incidents that are not reported.
Read More
Parents often think they can shutdown an IEP meeting by refusing to sign the actual IEP. In most states, failure to sign means nothing. In the worst case scenario, an IEP immediately takes effect if you DON’T sign. Your signature doesn’t hold as much weight as you might think. And you can ALWAYS revoke your signature… it’s not a permanent thing.
Read More
Hamilton County School District in Tennessee wanted to place Luka for half his day in a self-contained classroom in a school outside of his neighborhood. “The segregated class follows no state curriculum or standards. There’s no homework or grades. No accountability,” Luka’s mother Deborah Duncan explains. Knowing Luka would not receive a Free and Appropriate Education in the Least Restrictive Environment if he stayed, Deborah moved her son to a Montessori school where he continues to attend today.
Read More
Ellie is a sassy, spunky, and very smart soon-to-be 3-year-old who loves preschool. Looking at this thriving preschooler you may be shocked to know that just months ago she and her family were fighting for her life.
Read More