Education
Idaho Parents Unlimited is Idaho's federally funded Parent Training and Information Center. This work is supported by a federal grant provided by the United States Department of Education, The Office of Special Education Programs.
The Parent Training and Information Center Project divides Idaho into three regions. A Parent Education Coordinator is located in each region. The coordinator is specially trained to provide technical assistance, information and support to parents of children with disabilities and professionals who serve those children. They are the the core of the Training and Information Center. Coordinators have expertise about agencies and services that are available to children with disabilities; the skills needed to navigate disability services, agencies, and programs; the challenges of raising a child with a disability and effective coping skills; information about difficulties and parent supports that are available in your local communities, agencies, and schools; current movements and concerns relative to disability issues; and disability laws including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which governs educational services to children with disabilities, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was originally known as The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (EHA). EHA was a landmark piece of legislation under which states were mandated to provide children with disabilities a free and appropriate education. For the first time in the history of our nation, children with disabilities had the right to a public education. Our children are the beneficiaries of the remarkable men and women who, with considerable wisdom, insight, fortitude, and dedication forged that extraordinary document.
Today IDEA requires that every child, ages 0 through 21, who has been identified as a child with a disability under the eligibility criteria of the law, will receive a free appropriate public education (FAPE).
IDEA defines a child with a disability as a child who is evaluated as having one of 14 disabilities, and who, because of the disability, needs special education and related services. The 14 categories of disability are:
- autism
- cognitive impairment
- deaf-blindness
- deafness
- developmental delay
- emotional disturbance
- health impairment that adversely affects the child's educational performance (such as asthma, ADD, ADHD, diabetes, epilepsy, leukemia, a heart condition, etc.)
- hearing impairment
- learning disability
- orthopedic impairment
- speech or language impairment
- traumatic brain injury
- visual impairment, including blindness
- multiple disabilities
Purpose of Section 504
Section 504 of the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973 forbids discrimination, on the basis of disability, in any program or activity receiving federal money from the U.S. Department of Education. A person with a qualified disability, on the basis of that disability, cannot be:
- Denied the opportunity to participate in a service or activity open to other persons
- Offered a service or activity not equal to that afforded others
- Provided a service that is not as effective as that provided to others
- Provided different or separate services or activities unless it is necessary to do so for the service to be aseffective as are services provided to others
- Denied the opportunity to participate as a member of planning or advisory boards
- Otherwise limited in the enjoyment of any right, privilege, advantage, or opportunity offered to others
The law is clear that a person with a qualified disability cannot be denied the opportunity to participate in programs with people who are not disabled, even if a separate program for people with disabilities exists.
Why Is It Important To Develop and Maintain A Home File
A home file is the parent’s copy of their child’s school and medical records. Developing and maintaining a home file is a vital responsibility of every parent of a child receiving special education services. In order for parents to take an active role in the decision making process affecting their child’s education, they must keep an accurate, up-to-date home file, and a variety of resource materials to help them to be active and effective participants in the IEP process.
Assistive technology is any device which helps an individual with a disability to perform tasks of daily living. There is a wide variety of assistive technology devices, from low tech, homemade aids to computers and sophisticated electronic equipment. Students who require assistive technology are those with mental or physical impairments that interfere with learning or other life functions. They may have mild learning problems like learning disabilities or they may have physical or cognitive disabilities of some degree.
Assistive technology is one of the services which can be provided in a special education program under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), but parents have to be knowledgeable about how to go about getting assistive technology into their children's educational plans. Assistive technology should always be considered as an option in each IFSP or IEP.
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