Resources on I.D.E.A.
Families are very important in the lives of all children. This is especially true for family members of a child with a disability or special needs. Family Network on Disabilities believes that informed parents are a child’s best advocate, and that parents and professionals working together provide the best resources for our children. We hope that this collection of workshops and resources will provide you with the tools you need to effectively advocate for your child.
Categories of Disability Under IDEA
The nation’s special education law is called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. As part of making special education and related services available to children with disabilities in the public schools, IDEA defines the term “child with a disability.” That definition includes specific disability terms, which are also defined by IDEA, as this web page describes.
Dispute Resolution
Requesting Mediation
This short publication comes from a much longer Parent’s Guide that focuses on communicating with your child’s school via letter writing. There are times when you, as a parent, may want to communicate in writing with your child’s school about some problem or concern with your child’s education or well-being. Because the Parent’s Guide is so long, we decided it would be more convenient to our readers if each of the letters discussed in the guide was also available separately, to make reading and printing individual letters easier.
Requesting a Meeting to Review Your Child’s IEP
This short publication comes from a much longer Parent’s Guide that focuses on communicating with your child’s school via letter writing. There are times when you, as a parent, may want to communicate in writing with your child’s school about some problem or concern with your child’s education or well-being. Because the Parent’s Guide is so long, we decided it would be more convenient to our readers if each of the letters discussed in the guide was also available separately, to make reading and printing individual letters easier.
Tools That Empower Spanish-Speaking Parents
Many Parent Centers provide information and training to Spanish-speaking parents of children with disabilities. In fact, in the last year, more than 27% of the families served by Parent Centers received their services in Spanish. CPIR is pleased to share with Parent Centers this “starter” list of tools that can empower Spanish-speaking parents and support the bilingual work that so many Parent Centers do.
Creating Change: Student-Led IEPs and Youth Engagement as a Dispute Resolution Option | Webinar
This interactive webinar from CADRE explores student-led IEPs and their relationship to self-advocacy and student engagement. In a student-led IEP, the student actively participates in the development of his/her IEP and takes a leadership role in decision-making about his or her future. Student engagement levels are individualized based on the age, needs, and abilities of the student. Participants in the IEP meetings include students, parents/caregivers, special educators, general educators, support staff, and administrators.
Quick Guide to Special Education Dispute Resolution Processes for Parents
From CADRE, this chart makes it easy for parents to compare the different approaches to dispute resolution that are available to them: IEP facilitation, mediation, resolution meeting, written state complaint, due process complaint/hearing request, and expedited hearing request & resolution meeting. These options are compared across many different dimensions, including but not limited to:
- how the dispute options differ;
- when to use one versus another;
- who initiates each process;
- outcomes or desired results of each;
- benefits and considerations;
- who pays for the process; and
- many other dimensions.
Module 10: Introduction to Procedural Safeguards
The procedural safeguards in Part C of IDEA are designed to protect the rights of parents and their infant or toddler with a disability, as well as give families and early intervention lead agencies a way to resolve disputes.
Be Your Own Best Advocate
Being your own advocate means that you ask for what you need while respecting the needs of others. This 2012 PACER Center Action Information Sheet explains how to advocate for oneself. It lists helpful resources for teens and parents.
Resolution Meetings: A Guide for Parents
(2014) | This CADRE publication is designed to explain briefly what resolution meetings are, the benefits and concerns regarding resolution meetings, and how a family might use a resolution meeting to resolve an educational dispute for their son or daughter with a disability.
IEP/IFSP Facilitation Techniques for Success: Counter Proposals & Consensus-As-You-Go
This archived webinar presentation from the Center on Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE) increases the knowledge and the skill level of participants by exploring effective techniques that promote positive interactions while improving the opportunity to gain and maintain agreements during any IEP/IFSP meeting. Webinar date: July 10, 2012
The Impact of the Apology on Communication and Negotiation
This archived webinar from the Center on Appropriate Dispute Resolution in Special Education (CADRE) explores many types of apologies (i.e., full, partial, rapport, ritual, and transactional) and the effect of timing, delivery, emotionality and sincerity. It focuses on how different cultures view forgiveness, or “saving face,” and the impact that these beliefs can have when giving and receiving apologies.
Inclusion/LRE
Starter Set of Resources on LRE
Looking for information, resources, and technical assistance (TA) to help you and others support children with disabilities in their least restrictive environment in school? Here’s a starter list of places to look online. These will surely lead you to more.
A Camp for Everyone! A Guide to Including Children of All Abilities in Summer Camp Programs
This guide was produced by United Cerebral Palsy of Delaware, Inc., and offers comprehensive and detailed information about how to include campers with disabilities in summer camp programs. As its opening quote states: “It’s not about adding people in after the fact. It’s about planning for differences up front.”
School Inclusion
Looking for information about inclusion of children with disabilities in our schools and communities? The CPIR is very pleased to offer you this resource page, which will connect you with the great work and materials of the disability network nationwide and internationally.
Inclusion Brief From The Florida DOE
Since 1975, federal law has required that students with disabilities have access to school and a free appropriate public education. In December 2004, Congress reformed and renamed the law. The new law, Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA 2004), continues to require school districts to educate children in the least restrictive environment (LRE). Florida Statutes (F.S.) offer parallel language stating that, “Special classes, separate schooling, or other removals of exceptional education students from regular classes shall occur only when the nature or severity of the handicap cannot be satisfactorily accommodated with supplementary aids and services in the regular classroom.” (Section 230.22(2)(2) F.S.) The emphasis on participation in the general education curriculum is intended to focus attention on the accommodations or modifications necessary to enable students with disabilities to access the general education curricula as well as a strong presumption in favor of a regular classroom placement.
Florida Inclusion Network (FL-DOE Program)
Find your counties regional FIN facilitator!
Mental Health
Information from the Florida Department of Education on Student with Emotional/Behavioral Disability (E/BD)
Mental Health Resources
There are many, many organizations and groups that deal with mental health. This page will help you find the one or ones that offer the type of assistance, intervention, or information you’re seeking.
Resources within the Medical and Healthcare Community
Are you looking for information on a health condition or perhaps trying to find health services? There are lots of medical sites out there that explain conditions in terms you don’t need to be a doctor to understand. And there are sites that can help you locate healthcare services in your community. Here are some resources to explore.
Buzz from the Hub | Addressing Mental Health Concerns in Children and Youth
Welcome to the October 2015 edition of Buzz from the Hub, the newsletter of the Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR). In this issue we spotlight addressing mental health concerns in children and youth.
Coping in Unsettling Times: Tips for Parents and Educators
This tip sheet comes from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), and includes suggestions for parents and educators. The tip sheet is clearly NASP’s response to the reality that adults and children alike can be—and are—very unsettled by past and current national and world events (such as school shootings, economic difficulties, war, and the nation’s heightened state of alert regarding terrorism).