What every parent/advocate needs to know!!!
US Dept of Ed IEP Guide
www.ed.gov/parents/needs/spece
PRIOR WRITTEN NOTICE (PWN) is a Powerful tool community.greatschools.net/gro
Advocacy tips for parents
up.org/rights/advo-tips.pdf"
Education Advocacy self-help
www.tourettesyndrome.net/Files
Advocates Corner
up.org/rights/advocate.htm"
Comparison of I.D.E.A. (Individuals w/ Disabilities Education Act), Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act,
www.umw.edu/disability/faq/doc
US DEPARTMENT OF ED'S WEBSITES
No Child Left Behind
www.ed.gov/nclb/landing.jhtml
IDEA
www.ed.gov/policy/speced/guid/
Office of Special Ed
Office of Special Ed Programs
www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/
Guide to US Dept of Ed Programs (490 pages)
www.ed.gov/programs/gtep/gtep.
Office for Civil Rights
Civil Rights of Students with Hidden Disabilities
www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/
How to File a Discrimination Complaint w/ the Office for Civil Rights This is basically education complaints under; IDEA, Section 504 of Rehabilitation Act, and ADA
Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20202-1100
(202) 245-6800; 1-800-421-3481
FAX: (202) 245-6840; E-mail: OCR@ed.gov
The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) enforces several federal civil rights laws that prohibit discrimination in programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance from the Department of Education (ED). Discrimination on the bases of race, color, and national origin is prohibited by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964; sex discrimination is prohibited by Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; discrimination on the basis of disability is prohibited by Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (Title II prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability by public entities, whether or not they receive federal financial assistance); and age discrimination is prohibited by the Age Discrimination Act of 1975.
These civil rights laws enforced by OCR extend to all state education agencies, elementary and secondary school systems, colleges and universities, vocational schools, proprietary schools, state vocational rehabilitation agencies, libraries, and museums that receive federal financial assistance from ED. Programs or activities that receive ED funds must provide aids, benefits, or services in a nondiscriminatory manner. Such aids, benefits, or services may include, but are not limited to: admissions, recruitment, financial aid, academic programs, student treatment and services, counseling and guidance, discipline, classroom assignment, grading, vocational education, recreation, physical education, athletics, housing, and employment.
OTHER GREAT WEBSITES
www.ldonline.org
www.wrightslaw.com
www.reedmartin.com
Disability Simulation
This is how you can demonstrate to those "nonbelievers" the affects of your child's disability has on learning. This is a real eye opener, try it.
www.pbs.org/wgbh/misunderstood
How parents can respond to comments/questions in IEP or other Meetings
www.bridges4kids.org/IEP/Tips.
Passing Grades, IQ Scores
wrightslaw.com/info/elig.sld.o
Wrights law - Tests and Measurements for the Parent, Teacher, Advocate
www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/artic
Body Language (in general)
www.deltabravo.net/custody/bod
Body Language detecting lies
www.blifaloo.com/info/lies.php
IEP Humor schwablearningforumarchive.gre
Discussion Forums for Disabilities that affect learning and other problems
www.schwablearning.org/message
Parent Training and Info Centers and Community Parent Resource Centers
www.taalliance.org/centers/
Click onto your region then it will show locations in your state. Each state is home to at least one parent center. Parent centers serve families of children and young adults from birth to age 22 with all disabilities: physical, cognitive, emotional, and learning. They help families obtain appropriate education and services for their children with disabilities; work to improve education results for all children; train and inform parents and professionals on a variety of topics; resolve problems between families and schools or other agencies; and connect children with disabilities to community resources that address their needs. They have advocates, and advisors free of charge at these Centers.
Special Education Technical Assistance and Dissemination Network
www.ed.gov/parents/needs/spece
www.kidsource.com/NICHCY/idea.
How do I receive an evaluation of my child?
There are at least two ways in which your child may be selected to receive an evaluation:
You may request that your child be evaluated. You can call or write to the Director of Special Education or the Principal of your child's school. If the school district suspects that your child has a disability, your child must be evaluated. If the school refuses to evaluate your child because it does not suspect that your child has a disability, you must be given a written notice of the refusal and a full explanation that explains the reasons for the refusal [Section 300.504(a)(2) and Section 300.505(a)(2)]. This notice must also give you a full explanation of the procedural safeguards available to parents under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, including your right to challenge the school district's refusal by requesting an impartial due process hearing [Section 300.505(a)(1)].
The school may initiate a request to evaluate your child. Based on a teacher's recommendation, or observations or results from tests given to all children in a particular grade, a school may recommend a child for further screening or assessment to determine if he or she needs special education and related services. If your child is thought to need further testing, the school must tell you. You, as a parent, must give written permission before the school can evaluate your child for the first time [Section 300.504(b)(1)].
It is important for you to know that the law requires that parents be notified in writing before the school district evaluates their child for the first time. All written communication from the school must be in a form that parents can understand (e.g., in their native language if they do not read English, or in the mode of communication normally used by the individual, such as Braille or large print). It must state the action that is proposed or refused; the reasons for the proposal or refusal; the evaluation procedures, tests, or records used to support the proposal or refusal; and an explanation of the parents' rights if they
www.eparent.com/education/idea
