EDU 213: Working With Children with Disabilities

Enacted in1975, the Education for All Handicapped Children Act - now called theIndividuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) provides all children withthe right to a free and appropriate public education. On the face of it, theIDEA is a shining example of law's democratizing impulse. But is that reallythe case? In Disabled Education, Ruth Colker digs deep beneath theIDEA's surface and reveals that the IDEA contains flaws that were evident atthe time of its enactment that limit its effectiveness for poor and minoritychildren.   Both anexpert in disability law and the mother of a child with a hearing impairment,Colker learned first-hand of the Act's limitations when she embarked on a legalbattle to persuade her son's school to accommodate his impairment. Colker wasable to devote the considerable resources of a middle-class lawyer to herstruggle and ultimately won, but she knew that the IDEA would not havebenefitted her son without her time-consuming and costly legal intervention.Her experience led her to investigate other cases, which confirmed hersuspicions that the IDEA best serves those with the resources to advocatestrongly for their children. The IDEAalso works only as well as the rest of the system does: struggling schools thatserve primarily poor students of color rarely have the funds to provideappropriate special education and related services to their students withdisabilities. Through a close examination of the historical evolution of theIDEA, the actual experiences of children who fought for their education incourt, and social science literature on the meaning of "learning disability,"Colker reveals the IDEA's shortcomings, but also suggests ways in whichresources might be allocated more evenly along class lines.

It takes a team of professionals working together to support a child's emotional, physical, and academic development. Effective Collaboration for Educating the Whole Child examines collaboration between educators to successfully teach children with complex learning needs, both with and without identified disabilities. This book for primary and secondary general and special education teachers, administrators, and student support specialists explores how to make collaboration and coordination work, who takes responsibility for the process, and why collaboration is central to improving outcomes for students considered at risk. Focusing on coordinating across systems to improve education, the author: - Discusses the roles, responsibilities, and relationships between school professionals, community agencies, and service providers - Offers case examples in each chapter as windows into schools and classrooms - Emphasizes important developmental transitions from the primary years through secondary school and after - Presents personal reflections from parents, students, and professionals Developmentally responsive school environments depend on constructive relationships between the adults in a student's life, making this a vital resource for anyone who interacts with children.

A volume in Contemporary Perspectives in Special Education Series Editors: Anthony F. Rotatori, Saint Xavier University and Festus E. Obiakor, Valdosta State Univversity The purpose of this book is to provide a forum for an interdisciplinary scholarly dialogue with regard to preparing teachers for early childhood special education. In addition, it is aimed at examining and making available relevant and most recent scholarship to practitioners and at addressing critical issues and perspectives around preparing effective educators for the 21 century classroom and the future. This book intends to illuminate a complex and challenging task of preparing effective educators through the lenses of several educational disciplines, including but not limited to, teacher education, general education, special education, early childhood education, and urban education. The information in this work will focus on several educational disciplines that have the most immediate implications for teacher preparation and practice. The overall educational knowledge base will be enhanced due to the educational interdisciplinary approach. This has additional implications for teacher education, special education, educational leadership, curriculum and instruction, educational policy, and urban education, to name a few. The multidimensional nature of the book gives it the freedom to highlight multiple and diverse voices while at the same time providing a forum for different (and sometimes divergent) methodologies, philosophies, and ideologies.

Some chapters focus on interventions for the child, and others on training for the parents and professionals. The combination of current information and evidence contained in these chapters includes an emphasis on the importance of supporting families with different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, and indicates how team support (including families as part of the team) is crucial for these children. Parents of children with special needs may have their own challenges and this may create an additional need for support and resources for the family and the professional. The dynamic interaction between provider or teacher, theoretical approaches and curriculum used, and the child's individual needs is what maximizes the impact of any intervention. The information is useful for early care and preschool teachers, early intervention providers, therapists, psychologists and administrators.