Post on 30-Dec-2015
SPED 618: Lifelong Integration
Brad Witzel, PhD
Winthrop University
What is Life long Integration?
• Integration of services for a student (career, vocational, etc.) are presumed to be included in and part of the academic setting in order to make it easier for the student to utilize them more effectively.
• Effective integration affects curricula, pedagogy, instructional delivery options, transitional considerations, and IEP team collaboration.
Following the Job Training Partnership Act (1982)
• Workforce Investment Act (1998) lists vocational evaluation, career planning, job placement, and employer contacts to be among services to be integrated.
• What other services may be needed?
What else???
• Special Education services through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA, 2004).– Push for inclusion– College preparations
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 may provide certain protections for children who may not be considered eligible for special education.
Why is this important?
• While the focus of education has turned to academic, students’ need for functional, life skills has continued (Wehman, 2005)
• Low employment rates• Under-employment rates• High numbers of students identified with
disabilities• High numbers of students identified as
being at-risk for dropout or repeated failure
Employment rates of students with disabilities (Census data)
• National stats (excluding institutions and college dorms)
21 to 64 years: 62,908,234
With a disability: 7,409,904 11.8%
Employed 3,257,787 44.0%
Not employed 4,152,117 56.0%
No disability 55,498,330 88.2%
Employed 47,928,612 86.4%
Not employed 7,569,718 13.6%
2000 Census on Students with Disabilities
• http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/c2kbr-17.pdf
• Page 2 provides details of students with disabilities.
• Page 7 compares states. Focus on which states are above 21% for ages 5 and older.
Employment rates of students with disabilities (Census data)
• SC stats (excluding institutions and college dorms)
21 to 64 years: 781,308
With a disability: 105,697 13.5%
Employed 45,016 42.6%
Not employed 60,681 57.4%
No disability 675,611 86.5%
Employed 593,736 87.9%
Not employed 81,875 12.1%
In SC, things are worse…
• Highest dropout rate in the country
• Low overall reading levels and high illiteracy rates
• Low math scores
• High Teacher Dropout
• More…
What can we do about it?
• Special Education service delivery options– Team teaching / Inclusion– Consultation (Deno described this is as the
first service delivery option)– Resource room– Study hall / Homework room– Afterschool options– Therapy (ies)
Inclusion
• Pros– Alternative to
unsuccessful pull out programs and continued high dropout
– Social skill observations
– More– More– More
• Cons– Need for
administrative support in planning
– More special educators are needed if classes are going to be truly diverse
– More– More– More
Our charge
• This course will focus on the study of integration and transition across the life span, collaboration and team building and delivery of family-centered services.
• How will each of these components contribute to us “solving” the above stated problems?