Seek Consultation

Seeking consultation commences with the recognition that seeking consultation is itself an ethical duty to the client. The chapter recommends three types of consultation, including ethical consultation, clinical consultation, and legal consultation. Ethical consultation occurs best when it is regularly scheduled, part of an ongoing relationship, and nurtures the professional’s own ethical growth. Clinical consultation can be used for ongoing supervision, understanding the connection between emotional and academic problems, staying current with clinical theory and interventions, recognizing the need for self-care, and managing clinical concerns. Legal consultation can assist with understanding constitutional rights of due process and equal protection, federal statutes such as the Every Student Succeeds Act or Individuals with Disabilities Act, state statutes, administrative regulations, and case law, such as the Tarasoff duty to protect and Jaffee v. Redmond. It ends with a discussion of the relationship between law and ethics and provides guidance regarding civil disobedience.

Republication of The Technology-Related Assistance to Individuals with Disabilities Act: Relevance to Individuals with Learning Disabilities and Their Advocates

Assistive technology (AT) was recognized by Congress as a viable need for people with disabilities when it passed the Tech Act in 1988. The legislation, which was reauthorized in 1994, has resulted in numerous programs and services that have helped people with disabilities access and use AT devices. The Tech Act’s implications for people with learning disabilities is discussed in this article.

Understanding the Legal Framework

This chapter describes the historical context of the legal basis of protections for students with disabilities by tracing civil rights and educational legislation of the last century. The Individuals With Disabilities Act of 2004 (IDEA) is described in detail, along with procedures and requirements for identifying students with Specific Learning Disabilities in school settings. The requirements for assessing, identifying, and qualifying public school students with learning disabilities are complex and time-consuming, which makes them difficult for families and nonschool personnel to comprehend. The Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990 and its 2008 Amendments Act are also described. A basic knowledge of relevant legal protections will assist the clinician to better support students and families.

Internationale Aspekte der Verankerung inklusiver Unterrichtskonzepte

Der Begriff Inklusion (= Einschluss, Dazugehörigkeit) wird geradezu synonym für die gemeinsame Beschulung von Kindern mit und ohne Behinderung des Lernens, der Sprache, des Körpers und/oder der Seele verwendet. Der vorliegende Artikel behandelt den Stand inklusiver Beschulung in Deutschland sowie internationale Entwicklungen wie die Salamanca-Erklärung der UNESCO, den «Individuals with Disabilities Act» (IDEA) der USA sowie den Stand und ausgewählte Fortschritte im europäischen Raum, insbesondere in Großbritannien, Österreich und Russland. Obwohl aus politischer Sicht die Entscheidung für die Inklusion unumkehrbar anmutet, scheint es bisher keine Einigung über den Weg und Zeitrahmen zur Umsetzung zu geben. So liegt der durchschnittliche Anteil der Schüler mit einem sonderpädagogischen Förderbedarf, die in Regelklassen an Regelschulen unterrichtet werden, bei nur 28.2 % (Grundgesamtheit: alle Schüler mit ausgewiesenem Förderbedarf in Deutschland). Hierfür werden Ursachen analysiert und diskutiert. Daneben erscheint als die vorrangige Frage die nach dem Nutzen für die Betroffenen, da die Perspektive der Betroffenen der Maßstab dafür sein sollte, ob Inklusion als gelungen angesehen wird. Diese Frage kann mit hoher Wahrscheinlichkeit nur bezogen auf einzelne Subgruppen von Behinderten valide beantwortet werden kann. Hier besteht noch erheblicher Forschungsbedarf.

Engaging in Play through Assistive Technology

The importance of play for all infants and toddlers should not be underestimated. However, owing to barriers and tensions in Assistive Technology (AT) in early intervention, opportunities are often limited for infants and toddlers with special needs to play, and where early intervention exists, it is slow to develop with AT. This chapter first discusses the importance of play and then draws attention to some issues and tensions that limit play and AT in early intervention for infants and toddlers with special needs. It then discusses how crucial it is to explore the potential of play for infants and toddlers with disabilities and gives research and practice-based suggestions to enact the spirit of the law: the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA): Part C – Early Intervention program for infants and toddlers using AT. It concludes with some thoughts for the future of AT through research, early intervention play-based practices, and on-going education and development of early intervention providers and parents of infants and toddlers with special needs.

Engaging in Play through Assistive Technology

The importance of play for all infants and toddlers should not be underestimated. However, owing to barriers and tensions in Assistive Technology (AT) in early intervention, opportunities are often limited for infants and toddlers with special needs to play, and where early intervention exists, it is slow to develop with AT. This chapter first discusses the importance of play and then draws attention to some issues and tensions that limit play and AT in early intervention for infants and toddlers with special needs. It then discusses how crucial it is to explore the potential of play for infants and toddlers with disabilities and gives research and practice-based suggestions to enact the spirit of the law: the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA): Part C – Early Intervention program for infants and toddlers using AT. It concludes with some thoughts for the future of AT through research, early intervention play-based practices, and on-going education and development of early intervention providers and parents of infants and toddlers with special needs.

Distance Learning as a Form of Accommodation

Over the recent past, the population in schools and the options for education have changed. Recently, the number of students identified as special needs has increased, as has the number of special needs students included in “regular” classrooms. Specific laws pertain to their education, including the U.S. Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), which requires that students with disabilities each have Individual Education Plans (IEP). An aspect of the IEP is the possibility of using assistive technology to assist in the student’s education or in accommodation or modifications needed for disabled access. The web-based learning environment itself can be considered an accommodation or modification of instruction to meet the needs of special needs students. Opportunities are increasing in the online distance learning environment for colleges and universities, and the increase is expanding to the high school and middle school programs. When creating online instruction, it is important to follow the accessibility standards such as the Section 508 and W3C accessibility standards to enable persons with disabilities access to the educational material. Within the U.S., more than 26,000 K-12 students classified as IDEA hospital/homebound, received education through some form of “distance education” as of 1999. While the methods of instruction do not commonly include online delivery, it is an option that should be investigated. In-depth examples of a school system’s hospital/homebound program, online programs being used by a school for students with disabilities, and a state public online school and its interactions with students with disabilities are presented. The results of a survey of online schools and their services for students with disabilities are also reported.

Using Web-based Information to Facilitate Inclusion Practices in Rural Communities

The reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Act in 1997 places greater emphasis on the inclusion of students with special needs in the general education classroom. For many rural schools, inclusion has been seen as a positive method for providing special education to students with special needs. However, many general educators including those in rural communities report a lack of preparation as a hindrance to their ability to effectively teach these included students. Difficulties in hiring certified special education teachers and a lack of viable methods increasing knowledge about students with special needs have interfered with many general education teachers' ability to serve these students adequately in the general education classroom. For rural schools districts and their teachers, access to information about students with special needs is not easily obtained. This article examines an electronic method for providing information to facilitate inclusion to rural educators in their home communities.