How to Support

Students with
Disabilities
Aaron Graef | Alejandro Villarreal |Antionette Jackson
Ashleigh Pippins | Jennifer Judd | Ryan James
Essential Questions
 How do we care for our students with disabilities in an educational environment?
 What is IDEA and why is it important to me?
 What is Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
What does IDEA mean and why is it
important? Individuals with Disabilities
IDEA stands Education Act (IDEA)
W
for…
hy is it important?
 Ensures access to education
 Promotes Inclusive Education
 Individualized support
 Accountability
 Provides Legal Safeguards
IDEA and Individualized Educational Program (IEP)

The Special Education Process of an IEP

 IDEA requires development of
individualized Education Program (IEPs) for
students
 Components of IEP and its role in providing
specialized instruction and related services
 3 levels
 Subject area
 Short term objectives
 Behavioral objectives
 IDEA and Least Restrictive Environment
(LRE)
 IDEA mandates students with disabilities the Least Restrictive Environment
 What does that mean?
 Kids who get special education should be in the same classrooms as other kids as much as possible.

Text Source: Understood for All, Inc. Image Source: Vanderbilt Peabody College
What Does Section 504 Stand For And
Why Is It Important?
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation
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but do you knot? w th Act of 1973
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 Requirements for schools receiving federal funds:

Student with Educational Access to learning of students
Disability Service/(s) without disability

 This could consist of education in regular classrooms, education in

regular classes with supplementary services, and/or special
education and related services.
Section 504 and Reasonable
Accommodations
 Requirements of 504
 Provide students with disabilities modifications and accommodations
 Potential Accommodations
 Time extensions
 Enlarged print
 BIP (Behavior Intervention Plan)
 Assigned seating (i.e. front of the room)
 Visual aids
 Modified note taking
Similarities and Differences
IDEA 504

- Act to provide finances

- Civil rights law
to education agencies - Protects any person with
- Protects eligible
an impairment that
children from 3-21 who- FAPE (Free, limits life activities
need special ed services appropriate public - No required formal
- Requirement of education testing
comprehensive - Parental notice - No consent needed for
evaluation - Reviewed yearly
- Special education evaluation
- Re-evaluations: - Accommodations for
classroom every 3 years
- Describes services within general education
class
provided by the school - Not necessarily a
written plan
Safeguards and Parental Involvement

 Importance of safeguards and parental involvement in both idea and section 504
 Requirement of parental notice (identification/evaluation/placement)
 If in disagreement, impartial hearings take place. (parent participation)
 Parental consent is needed before evaluating
 Attend all IEP meetings
 Receive a copy of any plan made
 Right to due process confidentiality of student records, and role of parents in
decision making process
Implementation and
Compliance
 Principal's Responsibilities
 Establish a Section 504 Coordinator
 Figure out who will be responsible for completing all 504 paperwork
 Make sure that any students with a Section 504 plan have access to all curricular areas, non-
academic areas and extracurricular activities provided by the school
 Distribute the 504 Plan to all general education teachers for the students they teach
 Create schedules for paraprofessionals that match the 504 plans
 Plan pre-conference activities are completed in accordance with required timelines
 Make sure that parents/guardians have access to faculty and staff who can answer questions in
relation to their student's Section 504 Plan
 Provide Section 504 professional development
Resources and
Support
 Special Education teacher
 General Education teacher
 Office of Civil Rights Support
Guide
 http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/l
ist/ocr/index.html
 School Counselor
 PT/OT service providers
In Conclusion
 Inclusivity is the ultimate
goal.
 Ensuring all students are
given what they need, in an
environment suitable to their
needs, and in a way that they
understand.
Resources

 National Association of Special Education Teachers. “National Association of Special Education Teachers: Teachers Teaching Exceptional
Children.” Naset.org, 30 June 2018, www.naset.org/.
 ---. “Protecting Students with Disabilities.” Ed.gov, 2020, www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/504faq.html,
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/504faq.html.
 Durheim, Mary. “A Parent’s Guide to Section 504 in Public Schools.” Parenting, GreatSchools, 26 Sept. 2013,
www.greatschools.org/gk/articles/section-504-2/.
 Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund. “A Comparison of ADA, IDEA, and Section 504.” Disability Rights Education & Defense
Fund, 2017, dredf.org/legal-advocacy/laws/a-comparison-of-ada-idea-and-section-504/.
 United State Department of Education Office for Civil Rights
https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/504-resource-guide-201612.pdf
 Chicago Public Schools Section 504 Procedural Manual
https://www.cps.edu/globalassets/cps-pages/services-and-supports/special-education/understanding-special-education/cps-policies-and-pr
ocedures/odlss_section_504_procedural_manual_sy_1920_final.pdf