Our students will come to the classroom with a range of abilities, and every educator will be working with students with disabilities. The U.S. Education Department through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) defines disability as “a child evaluated in accordance with §§300.304 through 300.311 as having an intellectual disability, a hearing impairment (including deafness), a speech or language impairment, a visual impairment (including blindness), a serious emotional disturbance (referred to in this part as “emotional disturbance”), an orthopedic impairment, autism, traumatic brain injury, an other health impairment, a specific learning disability, deaf-blindness, or multiple disabilities, and who, by reason thereof, needs special education and related services” (IDEA, 300.8). Schools have a team of professionals to assist students with disabilities, and everyone at the school is responsible for ensuring the needs of all students are met. Students with disabilities are often eligible to receive an Individualized Education Plan or a 504 plan that outlines their accommodations and their goals.
It is important to remember that
• The inclusion of students with disabilities is good for both students with and without disabilities.
• Parts (sometimes large parts) of a student’s IEP are implemented in the general education setting.
• Students with disabilities have educational rights.
• Students with disabilities are children first and are not defined by their specific disability. (Bateman & Cline, 2016, p. 2)
The Council for Exceptional Children advocates for appropriate education for students with disabilities. They have identified High Leverage Practices for teachers to support students with disabilities.
More information about the HLPs is available on the CEC website: https://highleveragepractices.org/
